Five great things that happened last week

1. Signed a contract with Samhain for Christmas Yet To Come, a paranormal historical romance featuring the third ghost from the Dickens story. Silent faceless terrifying wraiths need love too!

That story will be out in time for Christmas next year, so watch out for it.

2. Signed a contract with Loose Id for Marked by You, a multicultural fantasy romance set in the African savanna. Which I have always wanted to visit but could never afford, so at least I wrote about it. That one will be out early next year, and I'm really excited about it - it's probably the hottest thing I've written yet.

3. Won this in Lenora Bell's giveaway to celebrate her debut novel being sold. Just in time for the cold weather, too!

4. Discovered a really interesting blog for writers, with a high emphasis on fantasy : E. L. Wagner's Umbral Musings. Exactly the kind of thing I like to read while I'm having breakfast or dinner.

5. Oh, and speaking of food... Thanksgiving. Celebrated that yesterday. Roast turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing with raisins and olives, wild rice, ham, mashed rutabagas with grated cheddar, pan-fried baby potatoes, broccoli and carrots, tourtiere, pumpkin soup with cornbread, apple pie with ice cream. This was the best meal of the year.

So it's been a very productive week.

Tweet

The Story of the Christmas Bookcase

A couple of years ago, I went to a friend’s place for the first time. Flanking her large-screen TV were two large, beautiful solid wood bookcases. I wasn’t in the least interested in the TV, but I admired the bookcases and asked her where she had bought them.

She said her father, who was a carpenter, had made them as a gift when she got married. Since it wasn’t likely that my father, who is not a carpenter, would give me a bookcase for marriage or on any other occasion, I decided I’d buy one once I had enough disposable income. I really wanted a large solid piece, because I already had a small one that I assembled from instructions.

One day I noticed someone had left a headboard by the side of the road nearby, and the headboard had shelves. I always need shelves for my books, so I asked my friend Godfrey to help me get it into the basement apartment where I live. While he was doing so, I told him about my plans to get a solid wood bookcase some day. Godfrey, being the dear soul that he is, offered to make me one.

“Ooh,” I said. “Can you do the top in a fretwork design? With carvings of—”

“You’re getting a bookcase,” he said. “Email me the dimensions.”

So I measured the space I had and decided the basement could accommodate a six-foot-tall bookcase. I would need to stand on a chair to reach the top shelf, and it would be so wide my entire Fighting Fantasy collection could fit on one shelf.

Godfrey set up shop in the garage. This is the frame that would be my solid wood bookcase.









Finally the day came when the bookcase was complete, finished and stained. I wanted the wood left unfinished, so it had a beautiful, natural look. And I do mean natural, because one of the shelves had a hole where a knot had fallen out. “It’s a feature, not a bug,” I said, and asked Godfrey to take my picture next to it.

"Wow," I said, "that picture makes me look really tiny."

"News flash," said Godfrey. "You ARE really tiny." Then he called his brother to help him move the bookcase into the basement.

At this point it became clear that although I’d measured the bookcase for my apartment, I hadn’t measured the bookcase for the narrow doorway leading down the steps. Godfrey and his brother lifted and turned and pushed and twisted. But short of breaking through a wall, and possibly having the house (if not my landlady) descend with a roar on our collective heads, that big, beautiful, solid wood bookcase was stuck. It couldn’t go down the steps.

This picture is captioned: "We're gonna need a bigger hallway."









“Godfrey?” I said finally. “For next Christmas, could you make me a coffee table?”

So they moved the bookcase back to the garage and Godfrey said he would build me a smaller one some time soon. Moral of the story: do not look a gift horse in the mouth, but also do not ask for a Shire when you have a Shetland-sized hallway.

Tweet

Hair today and gone tomorrow

I am a shorn sheep.

For most of my life I had long hair, partly because I was born in Sri Lanka (nearly all the women in my family wore their hair long) and partly because I liked the tumbling-sexily-over-shoulders look.

Of course, at some point the hassle of maintaining it overtook the tumble factor, especially since I don't have a hairdryer. Once it reached waist length it took forever to dry, got tangled frequently and didn't make me look hot so much as lost under all that hair.

So I decided to get a pixie cut, just because I'd never done that before. I think my mother would be turning over in her urn if she knew.

Before

After

I'm still trying to get used to it (probably why I don't have such a big smile in the second picture). My head feels lighter, it's easier to take care of and I saved the now-disembodied hair to donate. But it's still such a radical change that I haven't shown it to anyone. Until now. Tweet

Back home

It’s good to be back here—in my own place, in the bright lights of the big city and in the blogosphere as well. I was so busy and stressed in Iqaluit that I didn’t feel up to writing, let alone blogging, and my Internet connection was such that the latter probably wouldn’t have been feasible anyway.

I saw a seal-skinning contest and ate a bit of the raw seal meat as well. I also tried raw blubber and raw Arctic char, though the latter tastes better cooked, IMO. I staggered to work through the start of a blizzard and bought bear carvings and learned how to say “white man” in Inuktitut. But now I’m back, and here are a few of the pictures from my sojourn in the Land of Always Winter. Also some from a brief trip to Nova Scotia, which was a lot more fun.

Enjoying one of Nature’s popsicles in the Sylvia Grinnell Park. Would you believe this picture was taken in June?

So was this one. I took off my coat and sweater for the photograph so I would look hardcore, and I was shivering uncontrollably.

The seal-skinning contest, held for Nunavut Day celebrations.

One of the many stone sculptures in Iqaluit.

 

A plane coming in to land.

Picking apples in Nova Scotia. I’ve never eaten so many apples, and it was fun learning to tell the different strains apart.

Not going to fall… not going to fall…

This is one of the most incredible views I’ve ever seen. That’s the ocean framed between the rocks, and a huge seaweed garden waving softly in the tide. 

The car stopped at the side of the road so I could look at the cows… and all the cows promptly congregated at the fence to look at me.

A corn maze. I’m pretending I’m in “Children of the Corn”, hence the peculiar expression.

Flowers growing between the rocks at Peggy’s Cove.

It was definitely an unforgettable time of my life.

Tweet

Movin' On Up

 

I've been offered a job in Iqaluit, which is a little distance from Toronto (see map for further details). It's a four-month contract position, so I should be back before the winter really sets in, which is a bit of a relief since winter temperatures in Iqaluit can get down to -45 C. -65, with wind chill. You can see how close the place is to the Arctic Circle, which means the sun rises just after 3 am.

It's going to be quite the experience. I've never lived anywhere so far north; apparently that's all permafrost, so there are no trees or even much vegetation. Iqaluit is also the only territorial capital which is not connected by highways to the mainland, so all groceries have to be shipped or flown in except for local fare such as caribou, seal and Arctic char. I'm going to be flying up there Monday morning, and I don't know how reliable my Internet connection will be after that, but I'll use any free time (when I'm not working or taking in the local culture) to get some writing done.

Wish me luck, guys!

Tweet

I did it!

After much studying and even more worrying, I passed the national certification exam of the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Sciences. I made it! I'm the prettiest! Uh, well, not that last one.

The last few days of waiting for the results were the worst, because I started dreaming about the damn results, or lack thereof. I was also consumed with the utterly irrational fear that I had forgotten to sign the form that came with the exam, meaning the whole thing would have been invalidated. But it's finally over. Now I can celebrate! And get a job, of course.

*dances around*

Tweet

First day

Today was my first day in Clinical Placement.

Technically that started yesterday but that was mainly orientation, meeting with Human Resources and so on. The real work, in the labs, began today and I was in Histology.

Histology is the study of tissues. So if you find a lump somewhere a lump should not be, and if the doctors do a biopsy of it, the little bit they take out is sent to the histology department (or pathology department, as it's sometimes called). We get to process the little bit into such a form that the pathologist can look at it under a microscope and tell whether the lump is a bad lump that needs to be removed before it makes any more lumps.

One thing I always liked about medical laboratory technology was the distance it maintained between the lab and the patients, because while empathy is important, a certain degree of detachment is also necessary to go about your work. You can't start feeling for everyone, or you'll burn out. In medical laboratory technology, samples are delivered to the lab in labeled containers and results go out in printed or digital reports, which is fine by me... but in histology, some of those samples are very recognizable as once having been on people.

And sometimes they are people. There is a chance I may see an autopsy. Not quite sure what to think or feel about this, although the staff at the hospital are very kind and would understand if I had to leave halfway through the procedure. Actually, they'd probably prefer that to my keeling over and needing to be carried out.

Anyway, that was my first day. I wasn't rushed off my feet, but there's a lot to know and study about the discipline. And future jobs depend on this first impression, so I have to work hard.

Wish me luck, everyone. :)

Image from: http://www.jupiterimages.com/Image/royaltyFree/81934798
Tweet

Playing Russian Roulette

That's how my friend described the lottery as we waited for it to begin.

The placement of students in different clinical sites begins in September, but since our college is in Toronto, most of the students in our class live in the GTA. That invariably causes a bottleneck, since there aren't as many clinical sites in Toronto as there are students. As a result, some unlucky people have to go somewhere else.

This year, the other option was Peterborough, which is something like two and a half hours away. I suppose it could have been worse. In previous years, it was New Brunswick. Either way, though, someone would have to move to another city for five months, and none of us wanted to do so.

We all had good reasons for staying in Toronto, but the placement administrators made it clear that they couldn't consider anything other than 1. children 2. some kind of disability or special need that required therapy/treatment which could only be provided in Toronto. Since none of us qualified on those grounds, the administrators asked if there were any volunteers for the exile.

Needless to say, no one threw themselves on that grenade. So the administrators said they would hold a lottery.

On Thursday, at lunchtime, they assembled us before a table on which were a glass and a juice pitcher, both of which contained tiny folded strips of paper. The glass contained our student numbers, all 42 of them. The pitcher contained 39 strips of paper with Toronto on them, and three black spots strips marked Peterborough.

Cake or death, basically.

I was so nervous that I hadn't been able to eat lunch, so I sat rigidly on my chair as the lottery began. "112450." *rustle* "Toronto." "118831." *rustle* "Toronto." One of my friends got Toronto early on (she said her family had prayed and fasted about it last week), but the first ticket to Peterborough was drawn five numbers in. Shortly after that they called out my student number. I clenched my fists on my knees and waited.

"Toronto."

For a moment I thought I hadn't heard correctly, mostly because I'd wanted it to be Toronto so badly. They'd moved on by then, though, and someone ate the second Peterborough bullet about half-way through. The third remained in the pitcher and was drawn last, which made the lottery a nerve-wracking experience right up till the end. And after it was all over, I went to the admins to confirm that yes, I was staying in Toronto. I'd been worrying about it for so long that the good news took a little time to sink in.

I don't know where in the GTA they'll send me, but I can handle that kind of curveball. Especially since I'll have my apartment and my friends in Toronto and my job.

And I'll never have to play Russian Roulette again.

Tweet

Saving money

One reason I worked full-time before going to college was to earn enough money to pay for my education in case I didn’t get student loans. Well, that pretty much ensured I wouldn’t get much help, since I had just enough savings to scrape by.

Now there’s less than a year remaining for my education, and at least tuition for summer semester is paid up (the final semester still circles hungrily like a shark). But there are all the other expenses – rent, phone, transportation and food – and I have to handle those until I graduate and can apply for a full-time job again.

A couple of years ago I spotted a copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette in a library sale and grabbed it for a dollar. I was very pleased with my find, but it soon became clear that the compendium, while stuffed with tips, wasn’t the best book I could have read on this topic.

1. A great deal of its advice relates to kids – cloth diapers, toys, etc. My life plan has three Cs (citizenship, certification and condo), none of which stand for “children”.

2. I don’t have a garden to grow my own vegetables, or even a sunny place for a pot of basil. I live in a basement apartment, which I like very much apart for the fact that there’s no natural light at all. It’s like being a hobbit.

3. The book was released thirteen years ago, and it shows. There’s an article which mentions tuna fish costing fifty cents a can. Recently tuna fish went on sale at Zellers, for a dollar.

There’s plenty of good advice in the book about thrift stores, garage sales and so on, but I feel as though I knew most of that already. I used to work in a thrift store in Dubai, and I still enjoy going to yard sales or thrift stores here. So it’s time to start looking for a more up-to-date book on the topic.

As well as ways to save money, there’s also the possibility of making more. About a month ago I got a Saturday job in a psychic centre/used-bookstore. The owner is a psychic and wanted someone to keep the place tidy, shelve the books and look after the customers while she did readings. I get an employee discount on the books too, and the job pays half my rent each month, which is good.

Though after I’ve quit I may write a tell-all article about the experience.

As for the other half of the rent, I’m going to try to do more editing this summer. I edit papers for college students – spelling, grammar, punctuation and so on – but the work has become sporadic now that two of my customers have graduated. Lucky ducks. I’m going to try putting up flyers on campuses and see if that gets results.

I also joined Swagbucks after seeing it promoted on this personal finance blog, though I’m not sure if it’ll be any help. It’s taken me two weeks to get to 100 points, for instance, and the minimum for a $5 gift card from Amazon is 450 points. Speaking of which, I’m also an Amazon Associate, though it does take a while to collect enough for a gift card. Still, every little bit helps, though there are a few lines I don’t want to cross – like having Google ads on my blog.

What strategies can you suggest for me to save or make money?

Image from : http://www.jupiterimages.com/Image/royaltyFree/86542554



Tweet

The end of the semester

I got my grades!

Clinical Chemistry : A-
Hematology : B
Histotechnology : A-
Clinical Microbiology : A
Transfusion Practices : A-

Not the greatest I've ever done - and that was my first B in college so far - so my GPA is now 3.84. But on the plus side, I'm finished with classes! I'll still be paying tuition for a while, but that seems to rank along with death and taxes as something I can't escape.

During the summer semester I'll be doing Simulated Clinical, which is where the experience of working in a hospital or medical laboratory network is recreated on campus. High-volume workflows, reporting of dangerous microorganisms, ethical dilemnas and so on. But it's only three days a week, which gives me plenty of time to write, especially since there won't be assignments and exams. You're being evaluated as you work, instead.

SimClin lasts from May through July, giving me August off. In September I start my clinical placement, where the college puts me in a hospital or medical laboratory network to see how well I perform on the job. I just hope the hospital won't be way out in the boondocks, like in Yellowknife. The worst part about working in a small hospital is that I'd probably have to do phlebotomy (drawing blood), and that still scares the heck out of me.

Oh, and I get to pay tuition for this too. Seriously, if I were anywhere but Canada I would contemplate selling plasma at this point.

Clinical placement ends in February, when I take the CSMLS certification exam that qualifies me to work as a medical laboratory technologist. After that I don't have to pay any more tuition. Hopefully I get paid instead, when I have a full-time job again.

So that's the plan, everyone.

And if there's anything I've learned from life, it's that plans have a way of changing. But so far, so good.

Tweet

My birthday surprise

First, a picture of the cake.











This is the first time since I turned 18 and left for college that someone made a cake for me. :) My amazing landlady did it.

This is me being stunned as I open a present.












A little backstory on the presents - my friends asked what I would like, so I gave them a wish list of books. Unfortunately it turned out most of those books were out-of-print or just hard to obtain, some requiring weeks to ship. Which I didn't realize at the time, since I'd made the must-have list a long time ago, and whittle it down gradually by buying myself one of those books every two years or so.

Obviously the time factor isn't important when I'm crossing off an entry on the list, but my friends didn't think any of those books would arrive in time for my party. I told them I didn't mind. If those books had been on my list for years already, more time there wouldn't make a difference.

But one of them did arrive. My favorite.



After that we all ate and drank a lot.











Then as we were lying around, too full (and buzzed) to do much else, one of my friends noticed I had a copy of David Limbaugh's Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity. It was the first review copy I ever received, so I kept it. She began reading it, getting very annoyed as she did so and reading out choice excerpts to us.

Another friend of mine is a huge Firefly fan, so I thought I'd show her an, um, unique take on the show. Warning : potentially offensive content. She started reading that and became even more incensed, reading out the worst comments to us while I polished off the rest of the wine and made doggie bags (fish cutlets, pineapple jam tarts, corn muffins and cake) for my friends to take home to their menfolk.

I later heard that the menfolk were pleased, but also bemused at the way we ended the evening. "It sounds like you all just sat around reading and got angry," one of them said as he looked at the David Limbaugh book my friend had borrowed.

But a good time was had by all anyway.

Tweet

Zero hour

Today is the paperback release date of Before the Storm. And tonight we're due for a severe storm in southern Ontario. I assure everyone that it's a complete and utter coincidence.

But if you're looking for something to read during a cold wintery night, here's Chapter 1, which is guaranteed to turn up the heat.

Also, to celebrate my impending citizenship I've decided to tell the story of how I had to leave the States, but ended up trapped in the Middle East and had to escape to Canada. Read about it here. Fair warning, though : it's sad in parts and many chapters end in cliffhangers.

But it also has a happy ending... because sometimes real life, like fiction, works out as we hope it will.

It's almost here...

The official paperback release date of Before the Storm
is February 1st (it even got a mention on one of Tor's blogs, which left me delighted!).

This is exciting but scary at the same time - nerve-wracking in a way that pathogenic bacteriology never was. But real-life promotion has a way of doing that to me. It's much easier to do so online, although I know I have to get out of my comfort zone. My book is worth it.

So this will be a tumultuous week, and not just because of the book. There's another piece of wonderful news I've waited a long time to see, and here's a picture of it.








That turned out smaller than I expected, so here's what it says : "NOTICE TO APPEAR - TO TAKE THE OATH OF CITIZENSHIP. Please appear on 04 February 2011, 1:00 pm."

I'm going to miss two classes, but my instructors were fine with it once they heard the reason. And I love the bubblegum-pink color of the paper. Just the right color on a cold winter day.

It's a complete coincidence that this happened the same week as my book's paperback release, but sometimes lovely coincidences happen. :)

And tomorrow there'll be a guest post from Lisabet Sarai, on the topic of anticipation - something every writer knows a lot about. So stay tuned... there's so much going on in February that I'm starting the celebration now!

Final exams

I started to write something about finals, since I'm mired in them right now, and then had the feeling that there was a speculative fiction story somewhere called "Final Exam".

A few minutes of searching through the personal library found not the actual story, but a copy of The Issue at Hand, a collection of essays, critiques and reviews by James Blish under the pseudonym of William Atheling, Jr. The "Final Exam" in question is dissected in the essay titled "One Completely Lousy Story, With Feetnote". Atheling's take on it is both scholarly and scathing, and will scare anyone off using too many euphemisms for "said".

It's also an easier read than anticoagulant therapy, which is why I was thinking of that rather than the hematology exam on Monday.

But on a more pleasant note, there's a wonderful writeup on Before the Storm by Maldivian Book Reviewer, who enjoyed the book's heroine.

Beautiful, capable, strong and with a mind of her own, Alexis is a heroine I loved right from the very beginning.

The book got an A-. Cross your fingers that I'll do at least as well in the finals.

Image from : http://www.jupiterimages.com/Image/royaltyFree/ED000809

Happily Ever After Reviews on "Before the Storm"

What a wonderful way to start the day! Check out this recommended read:

...an adult romance about people who are flawed, scarred, burdened, and terribly terribly remarkable. I loved them and I loved this book. I see that it is a trilogy and I am fascinated to see where it will go from here.

And in other news...



Yesterday I took the Canadian citizenship test. It was twenty multiple choice questions, with the passing mark being fifteen. The questions ranged from amazingly simple ("What was the significance of the discovery of insulin?") to the kind you'd better have studied for ("Which province provides the most hydroelectricity?").

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will inform me in three to five months if I've passed, and when that happens I'll be invited to take the oath. After that I can get a Canadian passport, which will be a very good thing since my Sri Lankan passport expired in 2007 and I never bothered to renew it.

And then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open. :)

How I got published

I'm guest blogging on How Publishing Really Works about my somewhat winding path to publication. Check it out!

Jane Smith, who runs HPRW and The Self-Publishing Review, is an experienced member of the Absolute Write forums, not to mention a writer, editor and a good friend. When I first contacted her about a guest post, I suggested "Five things phishing and literary scams have in common", because I didn't think my being published was enough of a splash to warrant a blog post by itself.

But Jane obviously saw it in a different light and generously offered to host both blog posts. Thanks again, Jane! You're the best. :)

Oh, and that's my promotional activity for today.

Well, apart from adding a page called The world of Eden to my website.

What do writers wear?

A classmate found out that my first novel was being published, looked it up online and was taken aback.

Him : It looks so… racy. You just don’t seem like the kind of person who writes this kind of book.
Me : I don’t?
Him : No. You wear collared shirts.

I also wear cardigans and pressed slacks. For a moment there I wanted to whip off my glasses and let down my hair like the librarians in those old-style romances. That always made them instantly sexy. Unfortunately I have short hair and wear contact lenses, so that wasn’t an option.

Then I considered doing a Superman and pulling open my (collared) shirt to reveal my true colors, hopefully a black lace nothing which would show that I was indeed qualified to write racy novels. But all I had at the time was an old pink cotton set that, while not exactly grannyish, wasn’t too far from maiden aunt either.

Still, once my classmate had recovered from the surprise, he pointed out that other potential readers might be intrigued by the contrast of a nice, proper-looking girl writing a steamy romance. Hey, it’s always the quiet ones.

Pumpkin-carving contest

The college held a pumpkin-carving contest in the cafeteria a day ago, so one of my professors said she would enter and any of us could sign up to be on her team if we liked. My friends told me to go for it since I'd never carved a pumpkin before, and when the professor heard that, she said we'd take pictures of me helping out.

Unfortunately the professor was ill the whole of this week, and her classes were canceled. I turned up at the cafeteria at the correct time anyway, thinking I could watch the rest of the contest, but not expecting to take part.

That's partly why, in the pictures, I'm not exactly dressed for scooping the seeds out of a pumpkin. Yes, the other members of the professor's team gathered anyway and decided we'd go ahead. :)












That's me in a lace ruffled shirt reminiscent of the Vampire Lestat. That's also the first time I've put my hand into a pumpkin. It was... surprisingly less squishy and pulpy than I expected.

Ethel, the girl beside me, is keeping an eye on the competition, since we only had 35 minutes for the carving.

And what did we carve?












Behold, the winner in the "Most Creative" category!

(It's a light microscope, and that's a pumpkin seed as the specimen under the objective lens)















Pumpkin also had a cute biohazard symbol on his backside.

Best pumpkin-carving contest ever.

Midterms

Midterm exams came down like a sledgehammer - three of them this week and three more next week - so I probably won't be updating my blog until those are done. I have some topics in mind, so once I do have a block of guilt-free time, the posts should flow.

And the midterms will be done by the start of November, which is when I want to try NaNo for the first time.

Best of all, I got my Clinical Chemistry marks back already, and although I was worried about them, I did well. What a relief.

Hope everyone else is having a good week!

Thoughts on Tuesday

First, a couple of strange things I’ve seen on the Internet…

1. The publisher of Kunati Books advises authors to create not one, not two, but twelve blogs to promote their books. (Edited to add : As of August 27, 2009, Kunati is no longer in business and the publisher's blog is no longer available -- Marian)

Create multiple blogs, at a minimum twelve or more, each on separate themes

Writers are also advised to blog every day. I couldn’t help noticing, though, that this post (the most recent) was from May of this year and none of the previous posts on the front page of his blog had any comments. Perhaps as a result of Kunati’s problems with writers.

Hopefully no writers contracted with this press at the time took the publisher seriously and tried to maintain twelve or more blogs.

2. But it’s Internet law that no matter what odd thing you find, there’s something even odder out there, and that’s Alphar Publishing’s offer to readers.

Alphar… offers you, the reader, the opportunity to achieve a new form of immortality--by having either:

1) You or loved-one included as the character in a book...Just enter your name below.

2) Or... For a fee (except in the case of special promotions), we will include your preferred characteristics--such as appearance, location, idiosynchrasies, and even the additional character of a friend or adversary, and perhaps the name of your hometown or favorite hang out... enter in form below.

Where to start?

Firstly, it’s spelled idiosyncrasies.

Secondly, what author is prepared to write this kind of thing? I’ve included the names of a few people I know in my work – modified, done with their consent and not bearing any resemblance to the actual person. Not only were they my friends rather than strangers, they fitted into my world. They weren’t jammed in because they or someone else paid a fee for admittance.

Thirdly, I don’t want to imagine the possible legal repercussions of including a person’s “adversary” in the story, real name and identifying details and all.

Finally, if having your name in something printed and bound is immortality (which makes me imagine Brad Pitt in Troy shouting at his men, “Immortality! Take it! It’s yours!”), write a story starring yourself and have it bound by Kinko’s, or buy a copy from Lulu. Then put it in a strongbox and bury that deep underground, as a sort of time capsule that future generations can dig up.

On to something more cheery.

Marge at Muse Mountain awarded me a Kreativ Blogger award.



Thank you, Marge. :) I also have to name seven of my favorite things, so in no particular order…

1. Raindrops on roses Writing of every kind.

2. Tea. Tea is the drink of queens, specifically this one. Whether it’s grown in Sri Lanka or dumped into harbors in the United States, whether it’s drunk from billycans in Australia or futuristic teacups in space (in which case it should be Earl Grey and hot), tea is always a good thing.

3. The Internet. I’m very happy for my hi-speed connection and ability to look at so many sites. Back when I lived in the Middle East, not only was I on dial-up but a lot of sites were blocked by the government-controlled ISP.

4. The people who are part of my life.

5. Biology. Studying how life works has fascinated me ever since I was a wee one, and the more I learn about it, the more I want to know.

6. Music of every kind. I listen to Enya and Evanescence, to Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, Genesis’s “Jesus He Knows Me” and Clay Aiken’s “Mary Did You Know”.

7. Canada. I gripe about the weather and the taxes now, but when I was in the Middle East I thought of this as the Promised Land. And things have worked out pretty well for me here.