Monthly Archives: November 2007

fps 2007 Charity Auction!

First things first: Today marks the launch of the annual fps on-line charity auction! It will go live on eBay later today (that’s November 23 2007, for anyone reading this in an RSS feed). Every year the fps readership chooses a different charity to whom the proceeds of this auction will be donated, and in the past recipients such as the Canadian Cancer Society have benefited from an astonishing amount of money raised through this charitable venture. This year’s recipient charity is the Canadian Cancer Research fund. There’s a slew of awesome stuff like DVD box sets, books, animation artwork, t-shirts, software, posters, and rare limited-edition collectibles such as pins, promotional items, books, commemorative stamps and PVC figures to bid on. It’s the perfect opportunity to find something special for the animation fan in your life. (Or, you know, buy stuff for yourself. You deserve special cool stuff too.)

fps On-Line Charity Auction 2007

Please help us spread the word, and to raise funds to help improve the quality of life for those living with cancer.

(As soon as the auction is live, that image will become a direct link to it.)

Hearthcraft Book Update

Total word count, hearthcraft book: 5,039
New words today: 1,682

Oh, I was so, so very bored today. Not with my book in particular, just with everything in general. I couldn’t settle down to anything. I’m thankful I got at least this much done.

Some chapters are looking suspiciously unwieldy already, and they’re only in point form. Thus the reorganization and refocusing of chapters looms close on the horizon, only a week into the project. Better now than later.

Knick-Knack, As Summarized By a Two and a Half Year Old

In the bath last night, Liam picked up the plastic snowman bottle that is one of his found toys.

BOY: This is the snowman.

A: Yes.

BOY: He needs a hammer.

A: What?

BOY: Like in the movie. Then he falls in the fish tank. And there’s a lady in it. Like Ariel.

Yes, he watched The Pixar Short Film Collection Vol. 1 collection. Can you tell?

Thoughtful

Symphony

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common — this is my symphony.

~ William Henry Channing

What I need to work on: acting frankly (I second-guess myself all the time and think myself to death), talking gently (I tend to snap when I’m irritated, although thank goodness this has decreased over the past month), and hurrying never (there is always so much to do that I rush things sometimes and make them more stressful for myself).

Aside

Maggie has taken to jumping up on my desk while I work, grabbing an object, and trying to run away with it. What are we at now, the sixteen-trillionth kittenhood?

Every time I begin a book, I am reminded of how the ideas for several more spawn from the research I do. In this case, possibly a small sub-series. Sigh. Make a note, move on.

I should eat. When it get to be past noon?

The Car

The good news: The car’s engine is running cool, and in no danger of overheating.

The bad news: It’s not warming up enough to open the thermostat, making driving a rather chilly experience. And if it’s like this now when temperatures are hovering around the zero mark, it’s only going to get worse. HRH has poked around at it and we thought it had been fixed, but apparently not. I seem to remember this issue last fall, but not what we did about it. Possibly a flush and refill; it may have fixed itself, if there was a bubble in the system.

There was thick frost on the back windshield this morning, and no scraper in the car. I have no idea where HRH packs them away in the summertime, and as the boy was already strapped into his seat I couldn’t go inside and dig around the garage looking for it. I used a (clean!) wooden paint stirrer that I found in the trunk instead. It was remarkably successful at it, too.

Hearthwitch book stuff today. And administration-type things.