20 Things I Love About My Sister

It's my sister's birthday today! We're having a small family gathering this evening to celebrate it.

Here are...

20 Things I Love About Ruth

She's an amazing artist. Ruth has always been good at drawing. Way back when we were really little, she used to prove this by drawing in a lot of our kid books (ok, so did I, but her doodles were better!).

Ruth's illustrated about 40 books now (several new titles soon to be released). And she's starting to write her own books as well!

She never takes life for granted.

She sketches all the time, most of it not related to work. She just LOVES DRAWING. At the cottage last week, she sat on the new tent platform, surrounded by trees and water, and sketched in watercolour. Even when it got so cold that despite layers of sweaters, her fingers were growing numb!

She gets such a joy out of her family's joy.

Her organizational skills. Especially in planning family trips! When Ruth gets in organization/planning mode, a whirlwind of activity ensues, with phonecalls, e-mails, intensive research.

Her love of dancing. By great, I don't mean a nightclub dance floor ... I mean in the living room, when she's grooving to favourite tunes with Sara and Annie, giving herself totally into the music.

She looks comfortable and classy in anything, from a slinky formal dress to baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Ruth's one of the most creative people I know.

She's also one of the most positive people I know. She'll find silver linings where most people would just gripe.

She's not afraid of challenges. In fact, she goes out and looks for them.

She's way fun to hang out with.

Her presentations for students at schools and conferences about being a children's illustrator are extremely popular, and she is constantly having to turn down invites because her schedule is too full. A speaker at a writers' conference once said that one of the worst things that can happen to an author is to have to speak at a school after Ruth was there. :-)

She's not afraid of saying no.

Her time management skills. I have no idea how she manages to do all the things she does. Check out this sample page from her family calendar to the right:

The fact that despite her crazy schedule, she still makes it a priority to find time for herself.

Related to management of time, Ruth has also (out of necessity, I imagine) mastered the art of getting IMMEDIATELY into productive workmode. So many people (including me) need at least a bit of time to "warm up" and gradually ease into productivity.

Her sense of humour.

Ruth is constantly pushing the envelope, learning new things, striving for improvement. She never coasts through life; she grabs life with everything she has and doesn't let go.

How well she connects with kids, not just her own.

She's a dreamer.

How she can carve out her own space even when she's surrounded by chaos.


The way she values her solitude.

Ruth on a solo paddle at the cottage last weekend.

Her devotion to her craft. She puts an incredible amount of effort into each project, sometimes re-doing a painting dozens of times until she's happy with it.

She doesn't procrastinate.

Her enthusiasm for the Lord of the Rings movies, and the fact that she can recite Theodon's pre-battle speech from memory.

Her hugs.

She's incredibly fit! Not only does she regularly walk distances that most people would drive, but she works out at her local gym, cooks and eats healthy food.

The fact that she cries as much as I do when watching certain sappy movies and tv shows. I still remember how we used to watch episodes of Little House of the Prairie together (stop gagging, Andy!) with a box of Kleenex between us, bawling our eyes out.

The respect and love between her and her daughters. She never talks down to them.



The fact that no matter how busy she is, she always has time for those she loves.

She feels things deeply.

Ruth isn't just energetic, she bubbles over it, a lightning bolt of enthusiasm and laughter...it's infectious. I'll never forget my friend Dave Clement's reaction when he first met her, for example. Not being able to see her, his impression was completely from her voice and the way she talked (which was VERY energetic and fast, especially when she and I are talking together). First Dave smiled. The smile turned into a grin. Then a bigger grin that turned into a laugh of pure delight.

The relationship between her and Kaarel.

She's willing to subject herself to my cooking experiments.

She could spend hours browsing the children's section of a bookstore.

She's always there for me when I need her: a shoulder to cry on, a sounding board, a friend.

She can be tactful yet firm.

Her playfulness.

The fact that she and Jeff are such good friends.

And that she married a cool guy like Kaarel. :-)

She loves reading kids' books. Ruth and I are always exchanging books and book ideas; we have similar tastes in YA novels.

The depth of caring she shows her friends and family.

Once she's make up her mind to take on a project (personal or business), she doesn't stick a cautious toe in the water first...she leaps in right away and with enthusiasm.


She forgives me for putting her through mental torture when we were kids.

Her ability to know when to relax, and then to actually DO it.

Ruth, I admire you in so many different ways that I can't possibly even begin to describe here.

Happy birthday, sis. I love you like crazy.

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allison takes over the liberal

Allison in the Liberal. Click on image for bigger version.


Last week, Allison gave me the copies of The Liberal I had begged her to pick up for me. I'll be donating one to Interfilk at OVFF, of course. Wow, hadn't realized how much of the front page her picture would cover! VERY cool. Happily, she got appropriately hassled at her school ;-) but she also got some surprise feedback, such as a letter from an old student of hers from early teaching days.




Inside article. Click on image for bigger version
(but PLEASE ignore my outdated geeky glasses back then).


Got an article assignment from Writer's Digest yesterday for their special Yearbook issue, due the week Jeff & I get back from Vienna. Glad I'm taking my laptop. Also glad my tendinitis has much improved these days, though I'm still careful to take arm breaks. Many thanks to Andrea Dale for helping me with Market Watch while I'm away!

I have my laser surgery follow-up appointment today, wish me luck. I don't notice the shadow in my periphery as much anymore. Not sure if it's because it's shrunk or (more likely) my vision has adjusted around it.

Did more packing and prep yesterday, including buying an adaptor plug at The Travel Stop on Cumberland so I can charge up my laptop, iPod and digital camera batteries while I'm in Vienna, as well as a new neck pillow for the plane (my old one suffered a fatal leak on the way home from Nevada). Charged up my iPod and loaded it with new tunes and an audiobook (a history of jazz); I've decided to leave my Big New Book behind. Still hoping to sleep for most of the flight, though.

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learning languages

Wrote and sent off two articles, then did more packing and prep for our trip to Vienna. And cramming in as much last-minute German as I can, of course. :-)

As I've mentioned before, I love languages. I'm not near fluent in any except for English, but I know a smattering of German, Japanese, and French. I used to study a bit of Swedish, though now I can't remember how to say anything in that language except for "My hovercraft is full of eels."

I plan to eventually study some Japanese again, probably within the next year or two. Hey, Worldcon's in Japan in a few years...who knows? Maybe I'll actually go.

Anyway, I've been looking at several types of German self-study courses over the past while and have come to some conclusions:

- I need to see the written language to learn it. I can't just absorb through listening. Therefore a course that is entirely audio doesn't work for me unless I also have materials (not necessarily connected to the course) with written language as well.

- I need to hear the language. A LOT. I can't just absorb through a written course. And just one audio course isn't enough for me. I need to borrow or buy other audiovisual and other audio materials, or listen to the many audio samples on the Web. This also helps me from getting too cocky; listening to a regular German radio program, for example, is a humbling experience, and helps emphasize how listening to an instructor speak slowly and clearly is a far different thing than day-to-day conversation in the country itself.

- I suck at memorizing the usual travel phrases you find in the small tourist language books. I need to be able to understand at least some of the basics of the grammar.

- It takes me a long time, and a lot of repetition. Those "Learn German In 30 Days" books/courses are not written for me. I need to go through material over and over and over and over again, as well as trying connecting it with other things I've learned. Then go over and over it yet again.

But y'know what? It's fun! I used to love learning secret languages and deciphering codes as a child (made up some of my own, too), and I suppose this is just a grown-up version of that passion. I know I'll never be really fluent in any of these languages, but I get a huge amount of enjoyment in the process as well as the hope that maybe, someday, I'll at least have learned enough to be able to communicate with someone in another country in their own language enough to have it qualify as a simple conversation.

To those of you out there fluent in other languages, I'm curious: Did you learn the language(s) yourself, or take a course? If self-study, any tips? Did you use flash cards, for instance? Intensive study in a short time, or gradually over a number of years?

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Craftstuff, e-books, BIG books and an agonizing decision

Just looking at this picture makes me want to jump up
and do a Snoopy dance in my home office...


Those interested more in craftstuff than bookstuff should skip to the bottom of this longish entry.

So Jeff brought a book home as a surprise gift for me when he came home from Chapters yesterday: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. He said he bought it because the blurb on the back sounded so much like the kind of thing I liked to read...and hoo boy, he was absolutely right. I started salivating before I got halfway down the back cover.

And this book is HUGE: 782 pages. I don't know about the rest of you, but I adore big books. The more pages, the better, assuming it's my kind of story. I can usually tell if I'll like it within the first five pages.

For me, it's akin to visiting friends while travelling. There's an investment of oneself in the planning, the travel price and time, the unpacking and settling in, but most of all in the quality of time spent with any particular friend. If I had a choice, I'd far rather spend a week visiting with a single friend than visiting seven, hopping from one home to another each night.

In the same way, I'd far rather read a good meaty 1000-page novel than a dozen short ones simultaneously or in succession; I get enormous satisfaction settling in for the long haul. In the end, of course, length doesn't matter as long as I'm enjoying the story, but if I AM enjoying it, I'd like it to last as long as possible. :-) So I'm curious about how the rest of you feel about this. I know at least one friend whose preference is to avoid bigger books because of the effort and time investment. I can see how reading a huge book could be a frustrating experience for someone who is only able to grab bits of reading time sporadically (e.g. a parent with young children, for example). What about the rest of you? What's your preference, if any?

And this is where e-books will always fall short for me, I'm afraid, though it would seem like a boon to most people. I LIKE the feeling of a good, heavy tome in my lap, the texture and crispness of the paper, the faint whisper of each page as I lift and turn it over. The tactile experience contributes a great deal of the pleasure for me. Not to mention one of my secret vices: the joy of reading books in the bathtub (could be somewhat more awkward and definitely riskier to one's health to attempt this with an electronic reader).

I could see how shorter and more transient pieces could be better suited to an e-reader, like magazines and newspapers. How wonderful it would be to select my periodical reading material for a commute and download it into a slim, easily-read, affordable (and sadly therefore yet unavailable) e-reader, deleting and adding according to preference and whim.

Though the compactness of such a medium brings to me my current quandary: I WANT TO TAKE MY NEW BOOK TO VIENNA WITH ME to read in the airport and on the plane (and perhaps at bedtime), but it's too big to easily lug around; I can see where an e-version of the book could be handy about now. Heck, the print book wouldn't fit into the pocket on the seat in front of me, not even if I tossed the airsickness bag and emergency card. Augh. But if I start reading it now and love it, it'll kill me to leave it behind for a week. BUT HOW COULD I NOT START READING IT NOW?

(pause as I calm my hyperventilation, close my eyes and think of peaceful chocolatish thoughts, move on...)




Necklace I made at the cottage.


I was in Lewiscraft with Allison last week, and picked up a bag of loose beads ($7.99) and a package of coloured soft wire ($5.99) for a craft activity at the cottage with my nieces. The wire was soft enough that even a child can bend it without any special equipment. I love Lewiscraft.




Butterfly made from two different colours of wire.


Anyway, we had lots of fun. We didn't have any instructions or examples, so we just improvised from our own imaginations, making sculptures, necklaces, bracelets, rings. Even Jeff got in on the action, creating a miniature solar system from beads and wire. :-) Sadly, I neglected to take a photo of his masterpiece and it's still at the cottage.




Bracelet from beads and wire.


I've always found something immensely satisfying and relaxing in doing crafts like this. I don't have the patience or coordination for needlework, but I love crafts which can be completed in an hour or less.




My first creation: not exactly sure what this is, but
I hung it up from the dining room lamp anyway!


Hm. Even as I type this, I'm realizing that I could write a how-to piece for a adult handcraft or children's activity magazine about this particular craft. Yay, an excuse to buy more materials for me to play with!

'Twas fun to reading all your responses to my poll question about packing (and thanks for the cartoon, jwordsmith!). Funny to hear about incidents where some of you have gone bottomless or topless (well, almost) because of packing errors. Hm. Now I'm paranoid. Think I'll make a list after all...

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travel prep

Ruth and Sara go for an early morning paddle at the cottage.


Getting ready for our Vienna trip. I'm somewhat anal when it comes to packing for trips, and tend to start days in advance. The main reason is because if I have to pack in a hurry, I'll inevitably forget something important, or I'll overpack. Plus for me, part of the enjoyment of a trip is the anticipation, and part of that is the trip prep.

What about the rest of you? Are you anal like me (and do you make lists) or do you prefer tossing everything in a bag at the last minute?

I'm taking my laptop and will try to get online once or twice via MaGlobe, which has a couple of Vienna access numbers, but I'm not going to stress out if I can't. I'm mainly taking my laptop for dumping digital photos and in hopes of doing a bit of writing.




Sara's story in Sunday's paper (click for bigger image).


I'm still FAR from fluent in German, but I'm hoping to communicate a tad more effectively in Vienna than I did during our last visit. Listening to my language audio lessons, I'm thrilled (probably more thrilled than I really should be) to find that I'm actually understanding the basic gist of some conversations I had no clue about before. Yay! Now if only I could convince everyone in Vienna to slow down their speech about a zillion times.

"Könnten Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?"...

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