Liam O'Donnell, camera advice, and cartoon captions

For those interested, I've posted my interview with children's author Liam O'Donnell on blogTO this morning.

Thanks SO much for all the camera lens advice so far! I'm still reading through it and have pointed Jeff to your comments since he'll be using the camera as well.



Here are the captions that some of you came up with in this week's Cartoon Caption Challenge:

"Any mail? I don't know, last time I peeked I got an eye poked out..." (pondside)

"Still waiting for a Valentine from that little red-tentacled girl.
(Granted, it would work better with a zigzag stripe on his shirt. :) )" (markbernstein)

"Lixaprg, seeing the Symbol of Enmity so prominently displayed, realized with dismay that its mission of peaceful contact with Earth was futile." (madfilkentist)

"Ever since H. G. Wells described him as a "singularly disagreable creature" in a book, poor Zorkulon has relied on a diminishing number of pen pals for companionship."(peteralway)

"The Giant Squid's grandson was waiting impatiently for his copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to arrive." (auntymarion)

"Xyxblug always felt nervous about approaching members of new species when they appeared aroused." (it-aint-easy)

"What do you mean, you're not my real father?" (huskiebear)

"Bernard always got a little anxious waiting for his delivery from the tentacle-of-the-month club." (joecoustic)

"Damn it! Who keeps sending me T-shirts?" (musicmutt)

"mailienation" (nelladarren)

"Though he'd sent in his change of address, the gardening magazines were probably still going to 'little hideaway beneath the waves'." (phillip2637)

"Must be a one-legged Vulcan with that ear..." (Christa A.)

"I've turned green waiting for mail. Its arrived!!!
But is it worth opening the box." (Mary P.)



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Life is not a dress rehearsal

Above: Jeff putting up my new Wall Talk transfer, which I found at Write Impressions (2215 Bloor Street West, (416) 769-1261). There were different sayings and quotes available, but I liked this one best.



I'm going to paint something around the quote, though I haven't decided what yet. I have the coolest home office in the world.



I currently use a Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital Elph for all my photography. It's a great little camera, but in past months I've started to feel as if I've reached the limits of what this type of camera can do, especially when it comes to photography for work-related projects.



I'll still keep my Canon PowerShot because of its portability, but am starting to think about getting a better camera. I've pretty much decided on a Canon Digital Rebel XTi, but am trying to figure out what lens to get. Eventually I'd like more than one lens, of course, but they're fairly pricey, and I'd appreciate advice from you photographers out there. Factors that will influence my choice:

- Size and weight. This is the main factor that has kept me from upgrading from a small point-and-shoot up to now. I love the portability aspect of my Canon PowerShot; I can stick it in my backpack or purse. I know the type of lenses I use are going to have an impact on how much I have to lug around. Ideally, I'd like to have just ONE lens, but may get other lenses as I learn more about the camera and its limitations. I don't want to have to lug around a mega-long lens, but would still like some macro / telephoto capability.

- Ease of use. I know there's going to be a learning curve, and I plan to do what I did with my PowerShot: take a ton of photos, fiddling with settings, experimenting. But I'd like the user interface to be straightforward.

Anyway, advice appreciated!



Above and below: pics of children's author Liam O'Donnell, taken with my PowerShot for an upcoming interview I'm doing with him for blogTO.



And here's my semi-weekly Cartoon Caption Challenge:



Any suggestions for a caption?



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Paris Hilton, raccoons and Facebook apps

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated. The accompanying survey: Do you write for the market or for yourself?

Instead of reading print newspapers, I tend to check online news sites, with a focus on publishing news. I can always tell when a person or topic takes over the news because he/she/it leaks over into my publishing news sources even if he/she/it isn't normally discussed in the publishing world.

Like Paris Hilton. I had started typing "What on earth would anyone find so fascinating about this woman?" but then realized that I've had my own odd obsessions over the years, so who am I to point fingers?

But still.



Thanks to those who posted answers in blogTO in response to Raccoon-proof Green Bins: Fact or Fiction? If you have suggestions or comments re: our raccoon / green bin problem, I do encourage you to post in the comments section of that page. I'll be posting a follow-up article next month. Heh...entering "raccoon-proof green bins" in Google right now turns up my post as the second result.



I'm still enjoying Facebook. I've made useful work contacts, promoted my writing and illustration work, and used some of the Facebook groups for research and getting quotes for articles. And I've also had food fights, been turned into a zombie, and scribbled graffiti on friends' walls. See above example...this Graffiti should not be confused with the other Graffiti (I wish they had picked different app names!); I tried the latter app first but dropped it because I ran into too many problems.

It's been interesting to see individuals and companies competing for Facebook users through their free add-on applications. From a user's standpoint, it's fairly painless ... one click or two to try out an app, a click or two to cancel when you get tired of it. There's a wide range of privacy options, which I like.

Most recently, there have been a flurry of new apps for voice chats and messages. My current favourite is Tag. Reasons: easy interface, "cancel" option, 2 minute limit (keeps messages short). E-mail is good for exchanging info, but I still find that hearing someone's voice, even briefly, can convey so much more. Plus this has potential for songwriting collaboration and music-sharing! I've already sent an improvised whistle mini-performance to my friend Terence in Singapore. :-)



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Raccoons, green bins, and birthdays

Above: Illustration for my blogTO article, Raccoon-proof Green Bins: Fact Or Fiction?

If you've ever had a raccoon get into your garbage and/or have suggestions or how to deal with it, please do go over to my Raccoons and Green Bins article and post a comment. You don't need to register to post. Thanks so much! I'll be posting a follow-up article next month.

And happy birthday to my friend Helen:



And also Happy "One Day After Your 50th" to my friend David:





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Will Write For Chocolate, grilling, and herbal teas

(Update: Happy birthday to David Barker today!)

Just realized that I never posted about Will Write For Chocolate being updated last week, sorry.


Jeff and his brother, at breakfast.

Jeff and I have been eating out on our back deck more often these days. I've been getting a lot of grilling tips from Grilling For Dummies by Marie Rama and John Mariani, recommended by my friend Luisa. I tend to like cookbooks that don't just give recipes but that also offer extra info like the science behind particular cooking techniques and general principles about why certain combinations of ingredients work. Despite its lack of luscious colour photos, Grilling For Dummies is packed with useful info, plus some excellent recipes as well.

I'm going a bit nuts over grilled vegetables. They taste SOOOOOO much better than vegetables cooked the regular way. My friends John and Kristen got me hooked earlier this year after inviting me for a bbq; I like the sauce that John brushes onto vegetables before grilling them: a simple combination of oil and soy sauce. I've also been experimenting with one of the marinades suggested in Grilling For Dummies: olive oil, balsamic vinegar and chopped fresh basil. Yum.



I've also been experimenting with make tea from different fresh herbs in my garden. My favourite: chocolate mint tea! I also love lemon balm tea, and even experimented with thyme and peppermint combined. When I'm in the mood for tea, I'll start boiling some water and go browse my herb garden, pinching a leaf or two here and there, tossing them into a mug. As for my numerous basil plants, I've been using them heavily in soups, salads, and sandwiches. Next year, I'm going to try growing different types of basil. Hmm...I wonder what basil tea would taste like?



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