I just came across this video for this amazing ABC3D Book over at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Borrowing from Lily, all I can is Wow.

Tags: Art, children's books, video

It’s been a very busy week here because of work deadlines. Because I always run the risk of feeling like I’m drowning in work when I have these deadline crunches, this time around, I made sure to commit to other things which help relieve the tedium of focusing too much on work - with some truly excellent results! There’s nothing like balance to really make a person feel more energized.

I really think I’m actually working smarter because I’ve been taking several small breaks instead of charging full-steam ahead into my work without taking so much as a breath.

I haven’t managed to finish a book this week because of deadlines, but my “balanced living tools” this week have included quick dips into The Wright Three, by Blue Balliett. I really enjoyed Chasing Vermeer, Balliett’s first book about Petra and Calder. I’m about a third of the way through The Wright Three, in which Petra and Calder are joined by Calder’s old friend Tommy, and the writing and plot in this book are just as delicious as Chasing Vermeer. If it weren’t for my deadlines, I’d be zooming through this, but since I can’t, I’ve been taking my time and really savoring it. As soon as I finish this, I’m going to pick up Calder Game, the latest Balliett book.

I also managed to read through this month’s edition of Toronto Life; admittedly, I didn’t actually read all the articles, but there were some interesting items in there. We recently just subscribed, and so far I’m pretty glad we did. I’ve already picked out a handful of restaurants that I’d like to try, plus there are a few plays that I hadn’t heard about that I’d like to buy tickets for.

Not that I have time to actually go anywhere right now. But soon! In another week and a bit, I should be out of deadline crunch. And I am REALLY looking forward to that!

Tags: children's books, Reading, The Sunday Salon

No, definitely not.

I’m just writing because I’m in need of a good dollop of fun right now.

It’s been incredibly busy around here - I’ve got deadlines coming out of my ears. I took a look at my schedule and realized I’m going to actually have to complete quite a few deadlines ahead of time if I’m going to stay sane over the next few weeks. I’m very good at procrastination, so this is a totally different direction for me.

The great news is that this year it looks like my “heavy crunch” time when it comes to work is happening in November, and not in December, which means I’ll have lots of time to really get into the holiday season. Christmas is my favorite holiday - I’m one of those smiley uplifted chirpy people who adores Christmas and am all set to plunge into the spirit around mid-November (it would be earlier but like I said, the deadlines are coming fast and heavy over the next two weeks!).

I finished up a couple of deadlines yesterday, and as you can tell, I didn’t procrastinate (no blog posts for two days, see?). But after all that single-minded focus - not to mention one of my projects involved linear algebra, something about which I know absolutely nothing (still), although it did have the effect of numbing my brain somewhat - I am in huge need of other things right now. Fun things. Anything other than work.

I’m promising myself the fun of writing this post before I plunge into the next project.

Reading

Now that I think about it, maybe my focus hasn’t been that single-minded. I did, after all, manage to start and finish The Mysterious Benedict Society yesterday morning.

It was another, much-needed, distraction. After I finished reading, I felt energized and renewed, and actually plunged back into my work easily and almost happily.

Not to mention, it was such a fabulous read. It was the kind of book I would have devoured as a kid (who am I kidding? It’s the kind of book I devour now, too!). Such a wonderfully fantastic adventure, with characters you can fall in love with, a nice strong plot that holds firm to the very end and a victorious resolution that ties up all those loose ends.

I’ve got the sequel on my to-buy list.

Halloween

Halloween has crept up on us. For the longest time, it felt like it was ages away. This morning we realized - hey! it’s Halloween tonight!

Dylan has changed his mind several times about his costume. He was going to be a train engineer (we bought the hat at Aberfoyle Junction)). Then he wanted to be a witch. Followed quickly by: a fairy, a pumpkin, a fire fighter, a fire engine. This morning (yes, we do like to leave things late) he decided, finally, on a witch again.

Luckily, since Hayley has been amassing props for her film-making for years, we already have a witch’s hat (every year we hit the after-Halloween sales to stock up on props, which get wrapped into a nice big prop bundle for Hayley at Christmas). And last year we bought a cape for Dylan (which he didn’t wear, because he ended up being a pumpkin). So we don’t have to go to the costume store and dig through all the left-over stuff!

(I love good news like that.)

Taking Dylan out trick-or-treating will be another much-needed distraction today. I’m looking forward to it very much.

Writing

Despite all the deadlines, I’m still trying to keep one part of my brain focused on writing. It’s pretty easy, actually. Every night before I fall asleep, I come up with a new scene or character for the novel that I’m going to write during NaNoWriMo.

I’m also jotting down all the scenes I plan on writing onto Post-it notes, which I will then be able to re-arrange to my heart’s content. I’ve also been developing a character mindmap form that I’m hoping will hold the most important information at a glance.

I really intend to get this novel written during November, deadlines or no deadlines.

The Big Draw

Dylan and I worked on another drawing together the day before yesterday (another much-needed distraction from work!). This was done, again, in our humungous sketch book (seriously, this book is something like 18 inches by 12 inches, I think), using our new gel pens. We decided to create a birthday party:

Birthday party. Gel pens.

Yesterday, Dylan drew an incredible drawing. He used Ed Emberley’s Make a World Book to jumpstart his imagination, and created an imaginary bedroom in which he gets to share a bunk bed with his big brother Sean (that’s Dylan in the lower bunk). In case you’re wondering, there’s coffee in the hot cup (Sean’s 17 and marked this very important year by becoming a member of the coffee-drinking population of the world), juice (for Dylan) in the other cup, and the plate holds gingerbread cookies.

Bedroom. Crayola markers.

Ed Emberley’s Make a World book is a fantastic drawing book for kids, by the way. When I was little, I used to borrow this book from the library all the time. I remember my delight when I managed to lay my hands on a large piece of poster board - I went wild and truly created a world. Dylan has loads of fun with this book, although it’s actually been a while since he’s used it, since he usually prefers to draw “from my imagination, Mommy”.

Blogging

Traditionally, at this time of the year when I’m at my busiest and going crazy with deadlines, I start seriously blogging. No, really, I do. So lately I’ve been thinking about reviving a spiritual blog I have, and I also decided to start a book review blog, because now that I’ve discovered the power of reading to ignite my urge to write, I intend to keep reading fiction all the time, even when it feels like I don’t have much time. I’ve gotten as far as purchasing a new domain name for it. If I get seriously bogged down in deadlines, I’ll probably have it up and running over the weekend.

(Before I discovered blogging, I would procrastinate by cleaning the house and doing laundry before Ward could get to it. He’d come home, look around, and say, “you’ve got a deadline, don’t you?”. I consider blogging a huge improvement on the whole house-cleaning-urge thing - it’s definitely a much nicer and far more fun procrastination tool.)

I think I proved to myself yesterday that reading what I love to read is beneficial even when I’m bogged down with deadlines. So time (or lack of) is no longer a detriment. If I make reading a priority, my writing will become a priority too. Which has nothing to do with blogging, I know. But everything to do with procrastination. Or rather, distractions.

That’s how my mind works.

Now, back to work. Because I feel refreshed again, after dipping in here. Which is such a wonderful thing.

Tags: Art, children's books, holidays, Life, procrastination, Reading, the big draw

It’s not been a great week for reading - when this happens, it really astonishes me because there are times I can’t think of anything but reading. This week, though, I’ve been spending time getting through the 1001 magazines that we’re subscribed to (at least, that’s what it felt like!).

Magazine reading doesn’t actually count in my mind as “reading for enjoyment”, not quite like a novel or good non-fiction. So I thought for today’s Sunday Salon, I’ll post the to-be-read pile that’s currently sitting on my bedside table. I have several TBR piles all around the house, but the one that’s beside my bed contains the books that are most likely to get read next:

	The Mysterious Benedict Society. When I was a kid present-day fantasies topped my list of great reads, and such books are still very much at the top of my list these days. I have been waiting for the perfect chunk of time to read this book - it’s one of those that I suspect I will enjoy so thoroughly, I won’t want to put it down until it’s finished. I’m hoping to find that time this week, as I’m eager to read the second instalment (which says a lot about how much I’m anticipating this first book).
	The Young Bond Series, Book One: Silverfin (A James Bond Adventure). I must confess, I’m not too sure about this one. I just really like the idea of reading about the young James Bond. Why this is, I really can’t say, since I’ve only ever read one of the original James Bond books and the movies aren’t on my top favorites list, either.
	The Risk of Darkness. I had read Susan Hill’s The Various Haunts of Men back in June, and enjoyed it immensely, even though I personally would have preferred a different ending. I enjoy dense, literate mysteries, and Susan Hill’s writing is spectacular; I think I enjoyed just the deliciousness of the writing in The Various Haunts of Men as I did the mystery itself. So I’m looking forward to The Risk of Darkness - again, it’s the kind of read I feel I need to have a good chunk of time set aside for.
	What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love I love memoirs, and this one by Carole Radziwill looks like a good one. I saw this a while back when I was at Chapters, and couldn’t resist. “What Remains is a vivid and haunting memoir about a girl from a working-class town who becomes an award-winning television producer and marries a prince.”
	Notes from a Small Island. Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors, and Notes from a Small Island is the one older book of his that I have yet to read. One thing I like about non-fiction books is that I never find myself needing to race through one to get to the ending; for that reason, I think I’ll be finished this one first.
	The Alienist: A Novel. I am actually re-reading this one - it’s a very good, very re-readable mystery by Caleb Carr. Set in the 1890s, the protagonist is a psychologist (or “alienist”) who is trying to track down a serial killer who murders prostitutes. The writing is filled with rich details, and you really get to know the main characters.

Tags: Bill Bryson, children’s books, Reading, The Sunday Salon, To Be Read