Saturday 3 May 2008

updates and shout outs

I am so excited for Carl who got a wonderful shout out at Endicott Studios on their April 29 entry.....'My hat is off to the Stainless Steel Droppings blog, which just keeps getting better and better." Wow. Posted by Terri Windling herself. Congratulations, Carl, and well-deserved. He has had an amazing book week, and incredible posts, and is generally as enthusiastic and encouraging towards and about reading and books as you could ever hope to meet. He does so much to let the rest of us find the incredible fantasy art being done, as well hosting the Once Upon a Time and RIP challenges.

Also, in Ian Rankin's Exit Music (to be reviewed shortly), Ottawa was mentioned! Yes, my home city, was in an Ian Rankin novel! One of my favourite mystery writers! It has to do with a Russian poet, so my guess is we got a mention because we have an amazing Writer's Festival held here yearly now, and Mr Rankin came in 2004. I was supposed to go hear him read, with a friend, but she backed out, and as I was very very pregnant at the time, I didn't want to go out at night by myself, so I ended up missing him. To which I really regret, and vow next time he comes, I will be there! I did get to hear Kathy Reichs read from one of her mysteries the previous year, which was very enjoyable. So, Ottawa makes it on the literary map....

Finally, two updates: the new toilets have arrived. They are parked in each bathroom. We are now trying to book a plumber. One would think this would be easier, but it's not,and it's turning into an epic journey. One I would rather not experience! Next week sometime, maybe, they will actually be installed and working.....
And at work, we had our special team-meeting yesterday morning. We all have to work a 9-5 shift for three weeks during the summer. This is the shift I normally work, but can't because of Toby's new job. While everyone was very polite in the meeting, they were rather stunned. Everyone else works 7-3 or 7:30-3:30, so this is a radical change, and previously we could work the hours we wanted. However, we are Operations (code for providing a service to the public) so we have to have staff on during normal work hours. Anyway, two of them did complain, the third who wants to be supervisor next didn't say anything but has avoided me ever since, and the last one made a comment about making sure work (meaning my work, since the work I do has the information needed for the weekends) "should be done as much as possible before 3 pm", to which I'm still furious and am glad he is trying for a job in another department. Just another day at the office!!! But, I will say, my boss and assistant manager went out of their way to point out any new staff have to work the later hours too, that this is required by the department now (ie the directors have said so). They have done their best to accommodate me, and I can't ask for any more. Now I have to hope the buses co-operate and I get to both daycares in time each night!!! The Nanny Diaries didn't cover this aspect of child-rearing, then again, I don't have a nanny!

Happy reading! Hope you have a good book for the weekend! I can pick up The Hero with a Thousand Faces again because it's May - the Non-Fiction Five challenge starts now! - and I'm almost half-way through A History of Reading, and catching up on the stories I haven't read yet in Fragile Things. It's the weekend!

8 comments:

Bybee said...

I'm eagerly awaiting your thoughts about A History Of Reading...it's one of the books from my US collection that I wanted over here with me in the Korea collection.

Dewey said...

Sounds like bigtime bathroom remodeling going on there! We're getting new tile in our bathroom, and think the floorboards under the old stuff is damaged. NOT looking forward to that, though it sounds like it's a much smaller scale than your project.

chrisa511 said...

Wasn't it cool that Carl got mentioned at Endicott? I was super excited for him! And you not only make the literary map, you make the New Orleans map too! I live on Ottawa Street ;) How do you like that? lol.

Hope you get your toilets in soon and the situation with work and picking up the kids figured out soon. What a mess...Wouldn't life just be easier if you could snap and make it work :p I'll send some good vibes your way!

Ana S. said...

I had missed that post at Endicott...wow, how cool is that? I'm delighted for Carl :D

I hope things at work get solved soon enough...it sounds like a tricky situation :/ In the meantime, enjoy your reading and have a great weekend!

Carl V. Anderson said...

I was certainly thrilled by the Endicott mention and I give you my thanks for being excited with me.

Ooooo...Fragile Things. I love that collection.

Anonymous said...

What a mess at work. Don't you just sometimes think that the powers that be set out to make life as awkward as they possibly can just for the 'fun' of it?

Kim L said...

Yuck... work can be a pain sometimes. Luckily I don't have to switch my schedule around much, but there are plenty of other annoyances.

Hope the toilet installation goes well! That sounds like a pain, although probably nice when it's all over:-)

Susan said...

Sorry I'm late with coming back to your comments here - I did check this earlier, but I haven't been able to come back as often as I usually do this past week. Thanks everyone, I enjoyed them all, as I always do :-)

bybee: mine is posted now! I'm awaiting what YOUR favourite parts are! lol

dewey: all we had to do was replace the toilets. thankfully one bathroom has already been remodeled before we bought the house. the other bathroom - ugh - in the basement - desperately needs help, but we can't do it right now. Good luck with your renovations, by the way! Yours sounds like a bigger project...fingers crossed the floorboards are alright.

chris: I can't believe you live on Ottawa street! Ever since I read this comment on the weekend, I've been shaking my head and smiling!!!
It is kind of amazing :-)

nymeth: it is cool for Carl, isn't it? (it's Wednesday as I write this, so see you with Enchanted Castle shortly...)

carl: I'm taking my time with Fragile Things because i love his writing so much that I want to soak in his stories a few at a time. I still think October Country and A Study in Emerald are the best by far in the collection, and 'Instructions' and 'Locks". I have to do a review soon! I love this writer, he is amazing. I'm so glad you love this collection too!

table talk: I think we're supposed to develop a sense of humour over things we can't control! Supposedly!!!!

Kim: you would think after 6 years of contract work for my husband, I'd be used to it, but juggling daycare times is still new and takes some sorting. Heaven forbid there be traffic delays! and there were some, with the snowstorms we had....luckily we have a great babysitter who was very understanding.