H is for Homicide

When I started participating in A-Z Wednesday, I thought to myself, "it's possible to go from A to U just reviewing Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone novels." But I resisted. Until now.

You see, I have read them all, save the newest book, U is for Undertow. I am on the waiting list for it at the library though. But the first one I read -- and the reason I am tackling Sue Grafton today -- is the excellent H is for Homicide. Many years ago, not long after this book came out in paperback, I was at my son's school's fun fair in May and spied this gem on the book table. I had not read Grafton's previous books but snapped this up anyway. Often, it is confusing to read a book in the middle of a series -- you don't know the characters, you don't know their backstories -- but I decided to risk it. With this book, it didn't matter. A few pages in and I was captivated by both Kinsey Milhone, the sassy private investigator I instantly adored, and the adventurous job and life she leads.

H is for Homicide finds Kinsey investigating auto insurance claims. She ends up spending a night in jail as she hangs out, undercover of course, with a suspect. Anything for a case! Since she's befriended this woman so she can further investigate her, Kinsey then finds herself in a Los Angeles barrio, living in slum conditions with this woman as she continues to secretly spy on those around her. It's quite a predicament. You'll laugh a lot, but you'll also be at the edge of your seat too. A lot. The suspense in this book is, at times, intense.

After I finished H is for Homicide, I began a library quest to find A is for Alibi, the first book in the series, as well as the other books between A and H. That summer, I read my way through all of them and, when I got to H, I re-read it.

Grafton is an excellent author and I highly recommend this series. I also recommend that you start with the first novel, A is for Alibi, and read them all in order. That way, you can appreciate both the character development and the changes Kinsey experiences as the years go by. With the cool nights upon us, I suggest settling in with these books and a mug of the hot beverage of your choice....what a great way to spend an evening!

Autumn Colour Week: orange

Look....no photograph here! That's because I'm going to direct you to a few of my older posts where, I think (I hope....), you'll enjoy the orange colours you'll find. Orange, because today is "orange day" for Poppytalk's Autumn Colour Week and I thought it was a fine opportunity to share some previous work.

First, a post from just a few days ago: my orange pumpkin calendar page (for October 2009).

Next, let's go back to April. My very first Talisman Tree.

After that, please have a look at my second Talisman Tree, when I caught the talisman tree fever.

And now, to May, and Talisman Tree No. 9.

Finally, to June, and Talisman Tree No. 11. Not much orange there, but a small splash.

If you'd like to see all 11 Talisman Trees, please have a look in the "labels" index in the right sidebar (you'll need to scroll waaaay down) where you'll see "talisman tree". And, yes, there will be a Talisman Tree No. 12.

Autumn Colour Week: green

Yesterday's colour for Poppytalk's Autumn Colour Week was yellow, today it's green. Above is a spiderweb I photographed earlier this month, just outside my front door. The green bokeh of the trees is perfect for today's theme!

Autumn colour week: yellow

I am playing along with Poppytalk's "Autumn Colour Week"; why don't you join too? Today's colour is yellow; I chose sunflowers as my contribution. You can find all the details here, on Poppytalk. This blog is new to me and I'm delighted to find such a great site...Canadian too!

The months go marching by

Autumn is upon us. I love this season ... it's time to wear socks and sweaters again, time to visit apple orchards and farmer's markets for harvest goodies, time to enjoy the wonderful fall colours and, best of all, in October it will be time to celebrate 31 marvellous years of marriage to the captain!

I've been working on a design project and in keeping with my autumnal thoughts, I'd like to share a little something with all the wonderful people who regularly visit my blog: the above image, photographed earlier this month as the captain and I walked through a local neighbourhood. The image is sized fairly large, making it suitable for your computer screen's wallpaper. Or, print it and stick it on your fridge. Use it wherever a calendar page would be useful for you.

Just click on the photo to view it full-screen, then right-click and save the image to your computer.

Using my imagination

This is Vivian. A young girl, with her life ahead of her. What were her hopes for her future? Would her dreams be fulfilled? How many children would she have? Was she happy? I honestly don't know.

Okay, the truth is.....I don't know anything about the girl in the photograph. I do know her name isn't Vivian. I made that up. I don't know her real name, when the photograph was taken, or where. Oh wait. I do know a bit. I know the bench was photographed on May 2, 2009, outside the Bus Terminal Restaurant on Danforth Avenue in east-end Toronto. What, you thought it was an old photo? I hope you did, 'cause that was my intention. But I inserted the young girl into my photo; she's the subject of this week's Art Creations Friday challenge and so I sat her down on this bench and took it from there. It was a fun project and I took the opportunity to work on my "sepia skills". It's surprising how you can age a photograph with just a little photoshop magic.

Could you, would you

Could you, would you read a book?

Could you, would you have a look?

You can read it in your house,

You could read it to your spouse.

You could read it in your yard.
You can read, it's not hard!

The book is called Green Eggs and Ham,

Green Eggs and Ham, Sam-I-Am.

It is a classic, it is the best.

It is better than the rest.

You will like this book, you will see

And it begins with the letter G.

(With apologies to Dr. Seuss fans everywhere. Posted for A-Z Wednesday.

And no, next week I will not be tackling Horton Hears a Who.)

Midnight mood

The captain is on midnight shift this week. I am not a good sleeper to begin with and having him absent totally discombobulates me...so I stay up late. And when I stay up late, I quickly get bored with television and turn to my computer for entertainment. Last night I found myself online at a photoshop user forum, which led to the discovery of a few tips, which led to me opening up cs4 to try them out, which in turn led to some experimentation. Of course. Above, the results. Please click on it to see it properly.

I wasn't sure when I got up today if I would like it -- late night busywork always looks different in the light of day -- but I only made one minor adjustment, a warming of the tones I thought it needed. Then, I called it done. The original photograph was taken at the Guild Inn, one of the many images I captured back in April.

Who knows what I will discover tonight? I can guarantee you that I'll be up.

Suryia and Roscoe

Thanks to my uncle in Vancouver for sending me an email about Suryia and Roscoe. This is sure to give you warm fuzzies!

If you have creative work

I never feel age.
If you have creative work,

you don't have age or time.

-Louise Nevelson-

(Artwork created for Art Creations Friday)

Fall on your knees

The A-Z Wednesday Challenge has rolled 'round once again and we're now up to the letter F. What a dilemma! I had so many choices, old and new: Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Janet Evanovich's newest Stephanie Plum novel, Finger Lickin' Fifteen, as well as Fannie Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, one of my favourite novels. If I wanted to turn to cookbooks once more, two of my favourite Canadian cookbooks are Edna Staebler's Food That Really Schmecks and Kay Spicer's From Mom: With Love. But in the end, I just had to go with Ann-Marie Macdonald's Fall on Your Knees.

Truth be told, I'd rather advise you to read The Way the Crow Flies, also written by Macdonald and one of my absolute favourite books of all time. But we have a lot of weeks to go before we get to W and I just couldn't wait. So, please, head to your local library and get yourself a copy of both books.

Fall on Your Knees is one of those novels both profound and a humdinger of a page-turner. The Chicago Tribune wrote, "This big, bold, epic shocker of a novel reads as if John Irving met Joyce Carol Oates. It is history told with a thumping, complex narrative." Perfectly put.

This is the story of the confused and troubled James Piper, who marries the 13-year-old daughter of a wealthy Lebanese family at the start of the 20th century, and the daughters they have. The Piper sisters are the heart of the novel, a group of young women whose lives follow wildly different paths as the novel progresses. The book takes you from Cape Breton to Harlem during the Jazz Age and touches on issues as diverse as racial tension, religion, family secrets, incest and murder. This book will captivate you; every page offers new suspense, another surprise. Trust me...you won't want to put it down.

Unlocking the block

When I wrote for a living, writers' block was inevitable. The way to get out of it? Write. Just write. It didn't matter if it was drivel, because writing anything is better than writing nothing when faced with a blank computer screen. Sure, the first few paragraphs, even pages, were awful. Soon enough though, the words would once again start to flow and the previous paragraphs of tripe could simply be erased.

A creative block isn't solely the domain of those who write. Yesterday, for example, I was so uninspired. I'd browse my photos; nothing interested me. I'd open up Photoshop and then stare at the grey screen. Phooey. I had just purchased a load of goodies on the weekend and yet, yesterday, I wasn't interested in using any of them. I finally worked on a sign photograph and uploaded it to my Flickr account, but it was a minor accomplishment. There simply was no creative spark.

So today I hesitantly started looking at my photographs again, hoping inspiration would find me. I spied a photo -- the lion, above -- I captured at the Guild Inn back in April and decided I would just fool around with it, whatever the outcome. And as I expected, I really disliked what I was doing to the image. But did I give up? Nope. Filter experiments were tossed, actions were attempted (I think I tried every single one from the Pioneer Woman), textures were tested and eliminated, brushes were browsed and then, finally, it started to come together. Soon I was moving on to another photo, also taken at the Guild Inn. This time, I was more focused on my work, leading to the black-and-white image above.

My message here? Don't let a creative block freeze you in your spot. Be patient and trust your instincts. Just keep going. Creativity will never really desert you.

Urban beauty, urban grunge

If you browse the web looking for photoshop goodies, you'll find lots of free stuff -- just check my Freebies section on the right. And while I like to find free downloads, I also like the offerings at Designer Digitals and look forward to their sales. I took advantage this weekend of a big sale at their site and bought some new edges and frames to play with, as well as some wonderful clipping masks. A little photoshop fun ensued this evening, results above: graffiti on Ossington Avenue, and my own garden.

The sale ends at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning so if you're interested, you still have a window of shopping opportunity!

Everyday Italian

In my home, Italian food is very popular. I don't think I could stomach a no-carb diet since it would mean giving up pasta! Good olive oil, garlic, gorgonzola, proscuitto, parmesan ... these are all things I love. I remember the first time I caught Everyday Italian on the Food Network; right from that first episode, I thought the show was a winner. The host, Giada De Laurentiis, was a bit awkward in front of the camera -- a fault she quickly overcame as the show went on -- but I wanted to make her food. I still do.

This was also the show that turned my non-foodie sister-in-law into a foodie. Heather was housesitting for my mother-in-law and we popped by to visit her. "Is there anything on television?" she asked. Heather didn't watch the Food Network, but I did, and I told her there was this italian cooking show I had started to watch, not expecting her to be interested. But she changed the channel and, well, the rest is history. Giada's Chili-Infused Oil became a staple in her home and a Food Network expert was created. Her kitchen has never been the same.

For this week's A-Z Wednesday Challenge, I have chosen Everyday Italian, which is the first cookbook -- and, I believe, the best -- Giada has created. I have them all but this book is the one I pull off the shelf more than the others. Besides the aforementioned Chili Oil, don't miss the Orecchiette with Toasted Bread Crumbs, the Ziti with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto or the Chicken Piccata. All good. Giada's Basic Risotto is also a favourite -- a simple, straightforward recipe. This book also caused my girlfriend Lori and I to go on a quest for farro (a grain similar to barley) to make her Farro Salad. We never did find it.

My favourite recipe in this book, one I've made several times, is the Classic Italian Lasagna. It's by far the best lasagna I've ever made. The Pizza di Spaghetti is the only recipe that has been problematic for me. The recipe calls for too much olive oil; I found the finished dish too greasy for my tastes. But one miss in a string of hits is perfectly acceptable and I highly recommend this cookbook.

Tippi at the beach

I haven't shared any Tippi pictures lately, but today I was goofing around in Photoshop -- I know it's a gorgeous day but I have a headache, so I've been sipping coffee (I have been told that caffeine makes tylenol work better) and quietly sitting with my laptop -- and did a little artwork à la Tippi. I liked my results and hope you do too ... I also hope your long weekend has been great. Tomorrow, in my opinion, starts a fresh, brand-spankin' new year -- and I'm already making plans!

Queen Street, east and west

For the past couple of days, the captain and I have been all over the city. On Friday, we ventured down to Queen Street East. There is a bakery that exclusively makes goodies for dogs and Tippi is especially fond of their peanut butter treats. We parked south of Queen, just steps from the lake, walked to the bakery then took a stroll through Kew Beach Park and then along the boardwalk, back to the car. Of course I brought the camera along.

Today, we headed across town, still sticking with Queen Street. Queen Street West this time, though. My friend Nancy has three encaustic pieces showing in the Square Foot art show at the AWOL Gallery on Ossington Avenue and after missing the show last year due to a scheduling mistake, I didn't want to miss it again. The captain parked on Queen near Ossington and we walked along Queen for a bit -- of course I brought the camera along. We then walked up Ossington for lunch before checking out the gallery. Unfortunately, our meal was a big disappointment. The captain ordered the "gourmet grilled cheese" -- cheddar on challah -- and when he bit into it, the plastic wrap that likely separated the cheese slices was melted into the cheese. Yuck! He sent it back and wanted nothing more; it would have put off my appetite too. But the gallery was open (this time!) and we thoroughly enjoyed Nancy's work as well as many of the others on display. The variety is tremendous, everything from traditional oils to photography to collage to multi-dimensional mixed-media pieces. And Michael Jackson! I counted at least ten different portraits of the King of Pop.

Next year, I intend to participate too. And no, I will not be featuring MJ in any of my artwork!

My latest work

I really have no idea how I created this collage. I downloaded the Art Creations Friday challenge image earlier this evening, but I thought I was too tired to work on it. A second wind came along with a small burst of creative energy and so I opened up Photoshop. I knew I wanted to work with a dictionary page but that was about it. Somehow it just all came together. I guess it just goes to show that sometimes you should stop thinking about what you're doing and just DO.

D is for disturbing

Jacquelyn Mitchard's The Deep End of the Ocean is one of the most heart-wrenching books I have read. I immediately thought of it when I realized today was Wednesday and that it was once again time for another book recommendation -- we're now in week four, the letter D -- for Reading at the Beach's book challenge, A-Z Wednesday:

While I heartily recommend The Deep End of the Ocean, I must tell you that it was one of the most disturbing books I've read. The plot of this novel centres around every parent's nightmare: the disappearance of a child. Beth, the book's main character, is reluctantly at her high school reunion with her family and, for a moment, leaves her children while she tends to other business, her son watching his toddler brother. But seemingly in a mere heartbeat, her 3 year old son disappears. Police are called, minutes and hours and days agonizingly pass by, and still no sign. How does a family cope with this tragedy? How do Beth and her husband deal with the uncertainty of not knowing where their child is, if he is even alive? How to deal with the overwhelming guilt? The novel touches on all this and more.

I recall that I was actually so disturbed by the whole concept that I put the book down for several days, refusing to finish it. Eventually, I did. I was glad I picked it back up again, glad to read through to the end.

If you want to read a book that totally tugs at your emotions, give this a look.