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Bad Posts! Bad!

Unfortunately, it looks like blogging from my cell is throwing more crap onto this blog than spammers do.

So I'll be retreating back into pseudo-silence until I return.

Dumped On The River Again Again

(What the?!? I'm disappointed that you missed out on the pithy and witty post I wrote... here's an attempt to recreate it)

Getting dumped is a part of life, and I've come to terms with the fact that at least once a winter I will get dumped. And hard.
While I know it's just a fact of life, I wish the dogs would at least slow down a bit when they realized they've dumped me. Instead they speed up. They always speed up.
At least this time, they let me save a little face by waiting until we were headed back home. We had a great ride to the shore, we successfully got up that hill to the store and did a little shopping. Then we even got back down it injury and curse-free. (Which is a miracle in itself)
However just moments later, after stopping to adjust the boys' harnesses so their trip home would be a little more comfortable, they decided it was time to go! I unsuccessfully lunged for the sled as it whipped by me... leaving me prone on the ice with a face full of snow. Little did I know that to these dogs, who I've raised from pups, a 'little more comfortable ' meant 'sans lexa'.
Dumped. Again.

Multiposts

Silly cell phone is sending posts over and over...
sorry about throwing them at you so many times!

Sapphire on Ice

One of the benefits of blogging about your favourite beverage is that from time to time you will arrive on an island to find your favourite gin in the liquor cabinet.

The downside of finding your favourite gin in the liquor cabinet is that you will drink the gin.

The downside of drinking the gin is that eventually there is no more of your favourite gin on the island. Most unfortunate when a big storm is blowing in.

(sorry about the sideways photo, my phone crashes when I try and rotate it)

You just might find...

″This looks like it might be exactly what I need to tide me over to my next nap.″

Dog Sleds, Visitors + Late Nights

The weekend was filled with lots of people and plenty of time on the river. In fact, I spent about an hour and a half sitting on the ice watching/shooting 4-wheelers, skidoos, skaters and families wander by as they spent the day on the river.

Why was I sitting on the ice?
We had friends coming to visit and I thought it would be nice to grab a couple of photographs as they tried dog sledding for the first time.
Great idea. Poor implementation. I set up way too early and while I had a lovely quiet time sitting in the sun and got some nice shots of guys doing donuts with their ATVs, by the time our friends arrived my batteries were dead and my feet were cold.

Note: planning to sit on the ice for hours? A life jacket covered in a thick rain coat makes a comfortable alternative to sitting directly on the ice.

A Little Frost

I Woke up this morning to find the island had transformed into a enchanted forest. Everything is covered in sparkly ice crystals - the trees, the raspberry canes, the dogs - everything!
The sun is bright and even the most mundane things look like they have been sprinkled with fairy dust and are glistening and sparkling.
It's enough to turn the heart of a burnt out, crusty, hung over cynic to tales of the thin vale between reality and fairy tales.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to photograph magic sparkles or I'd show you.

Time For A Nap

Regular readers know that after we launch a book I retreat to the island for a little down time. Usually a little laying-down time, since I often spend the first 2-3 days catching up on my sleep by napping heavily.

This time is no different. Wednesday I jumped on a bus to the airport, where I jumped on a plane. Then I jumped in a truck and got a lift to the Gondola Point Grocery. I very carefully navigated my way down the very steep hill covered in sheet ice to river's edge. There my father was waiting with a dog sled and 2 dogs - Pork Pie and Meatloaf - to whisked me away home to start the ritual post-book napping.

So if you don't hear from me for a while... I'm probably asleep.

A Week of Daily Dramas

Also known as trying to catching you up on what I was up to the week around the launch. (You can also read the twitter version here)

Sunday's Drama - Honk, Honk, I'm Driving a Big-Assed Vehicle!

The Big-Assed Vehicle

• We booked a mid-sized car at a great rate of $161 for a whole week, but somehow ended up with a big-assed vehicle (or "cross-over vehicle" in the current vernacular).
  
• Cool part? We got a vehicle with all the bells and whistles - seat warmers, Sirius radio, seating for 6 and plenty of room to move our entire office to Ottawa... and we did.
• Okay, M.Tinto - bring it on!

Monday's Drama - Early Mornings and Gay Cook

• We stayed overnight at mom's house, which was lovely and let us get some work done, but it also meant we had to move the Big-Assed Vehicle before mom could go to work.
• Mom is a high school teacher. When the sun is rolling over and hitting the snooze button, mom is heading out for the day... and so did we.
• 

  Up Early & On The Road
  Cool part? We got to see the sun come up, had plenty of time to grab a sandwich at DiRienzo's for lunch in Ottawa and still drop a review copy of CEOT at Gay Cook's house.  Which turned into a lovely tour of the oldest house in Ottawa and a great chat with Gay.

Tuesday's Drama - Is That a Brick Wall?

• Driving huge vehicle is great for highway driving, pretty good for dealing with lots of snow and weather and fantastic for transporting way too much stuff from one city to the next. 
• It is not, however, good for turning around in very very tight parking spots in icy lane ways beside brick walls. Not good at all.
• 

  Fuschian
  Oh, and we found our first CEOT casualty. There is always one that is closed before we launch. Cam Kong is gone. Replaced by Fuschian.
• Cool part? Nope.  There's no cool part about scraping up a rental vehicle.  We stressed and fretted all week. Luckily, mom noticed much later that we'd only scraped the Panel Guards not the side of the vehicle persay.

Wednesday's Drama - Media, Party, Party, Media... Friends!

• Wednesday was filled with drama top to bottom. Starting with the heavy snow overnight, the early morning interview at CKCU, the snow plow spinning out of control in front of us, the last minute prep scramble for and the holding of the launch party.
• Almost everything went really smoothly!
• Thanks to Robyn and everyone else who stepped in and insisted on helping and I think it was our lowest stress launch ever. Thanks guys!
• Cool part? Seeing everyone!
  

  Team Photos

Thursday's Drama - Books, Pyrex & Beaver Tails

• In a week filled with drama, Thursday (or Valentine's Day) seemed to be chock-a-block filled with them. 
• We delivered books to bookstores across the city, including Chapters Rideau. (who has already sold 18 copies). Our first, ever, book in an Indigo-Chapters store the first day it was available.
• We made a lovely dinner for our hosts Rockr & Junkii, only to have the Pyrex roasting pan explode.  Literally EXPLODE! 
  
• No one was badly hurt but both Rockr & I had bandages on by the end of the evening.  No photos because I was too busy trying to clean up, make sure dinner wasn't ruined, make sure Rockr & Junkii weren't totally pissed at me for blowing up their kitchen... oh and picking up really hot pieces of Pyrex from under my barefeet.
• 

  Looking For Tails
  Cool part? Hitting the canal after all the drama (and not a small amount of drinking) at 10pm looking for Beaver Tails.

Friday's Drama - Where Did That Wind Come From?

• It was cold and snowy all week in Ottawa.  Not really a surprise in February, however Friday was REALLY cold and blowy.  Friday the day we'd earmarked for walking around Centretown delivering restaurant letters.
• After lunch with Marc, 3 deliveries in wind, and Sam taking a stack of Centretown deliveries off our hands, we decided it would be smarter (and warmer) to get back in the vehicle and do the Merivale road deliveries instead.
• Cool part? Friends. It always comes back to friends.

Friday night we drove to Kingston. We spent the day with mom in K'ton and headed home Saturday night to avoid more weather. Sunday we returned the Big-Assed Vehicle.

In 2-3 weeks should hear exactly how big a drama it is to scrape a vehicle when the insurance is covered on your credit card.  Fingers crossed you won't hear anything more about this.

Also known as trying to catching you up on what I was up to the week around the launch. (You can also read the twitter version here)

Sunday's Drama - Honk, Honk, I'm Driving a Big-Assed Vehicle!

The Big-Assed Vehicle

• We booked a mid-sized car at a great rate of $161 for a whole week, but somehow ended up with a big-assed vehicle (or "cross-over vehicle" in the current vernacular).
  
• Cool part? We got a vehicle with all the bells and whistles - seat warmers, Sirius radio, seating for 6 and plenty of room to move our entire office to Ottawa... and we did.
• Okay, M.Tinto - bring it on!

Monday's Drama - Early Mornings and Gay Cook

• We stayed overnight at mom's house, which was lovely and let us get some work done, but it also meant we had to move the Big-Assed Vehicle before mom could go to work.
• Mom is a high school teacher. When the sun is rolling over and hitting the snooze button, mom is heading out for the day... and so did we.
• 

  Up Early & On The Road
  Cool part? We got to see the sun come up, had plenty of time to grab a sandwich at DiRienzo's for lunch in Ottawa and still drop a review copy of CEOT at Gay Cook's house.  Which turned into a lovely tour of the oldest house in Ottawa and a great chat with Gay.

Tuesday's Drama - Is That a Brick Wall?

• Driving huge vehicle is great for highway driving, pretty good for dealing with lots of snow and weather and fantastic for transporting way too much stuff from one city to the next. 
• It is not, however, good for turning around in very very tight parking spots in icy lane ways beside brick walls. Not good at all.
• 

  Fuschian
  Oh, and we found our first CEOT casualty. There is always one that is closed before we launch. Cam Kong is gone. Replaced by Fuschian.
• Cool part? Nope.  There's no cool part about scraping up a rental vehicle.  We stressed and fretted all week. Luckily, mom noticed much later that we'd only scraped the Panel Guards not the side of the vehicle persay.

Wednesday's Drama - Media, Party, Party, Media... Friends!

• Wednesday was filled with drama top to bottom. Starting with the heavy snow overnight, the early morning interview at CKCU, the snow plow spinning out of control in front of us, the last minute prep scramble for and the holding of the launch party.
• Almost everything went really smoothly!
• Thanks to Robyn and everyone else who stepped in and insisted on helping and I think it was our lowest stress launch ever. Thanks guys!
• Cool part? Seeing everyone!
  

  Team Photos

Thursday's Drama - Books, Pyrex & Beaver Tails

• In a week filled with drama, Thursday (or Valentine's Day) seemed to be chock-a-block filled with them. 
• We delivered books to bookstores across the city, including Chapters Rideau. (who has already sold 18 copies). Our first, ever, book in an Indigo-Chapters store the first day it was available.
• We made a lovely dinner for our hosts Rockr & Junkii, only to have the Pyrex roasting pan explode.  Literally EXPLODE! 
  
• No one was badly hurt but both Rockr & I had bandages on by the end of the evening.  No photos because I was too busy trying to clean up, make sure dinner wasn't ruined, make sure Rockr & Junkii weren't totally pissed at me for blowing up their kitchen... oh and picking up really hot pieces of Pyrex from under my barefeet.
• 

  Looking For Tails
  Cool part? Hitting the canal after all the drama (and not a small amount of drinking) at 10pm looking for Beaver Tails.

Friday's Drama - Where Did That Wind Come From?

• It was cold and snowy all week in Ottawa.  Not really a surprise in February, however Friday was REALLY cold and blowy.  Friday the day we'd earmarked for walking around Centretown delivering restaurant letters.
• After lunch with Marc, 3 deliveries in wind, and Sam taking a stack of Centretown deliveries off our hands, we decided it would be smarter (and warmer) to get back in the vehicle and do the Merivale road deliveries instead.
• Cool part? Friends. It always comes back to friends.

Friday night we drove to Kingston. We spent the day with mom in K'ton and headed home Saturday night to avoid more weather. Sunday we returned the Big-Assed Vehicle.

In 2-3 weeks should hear exactly how big a drama it is to scrape a vehicle when the insurance is covered on your credit card.  Fingers crossed you won't hear anything more about this.

Or a bit more "real time"

Direct from my twitter feed alexaclark (which becomes quite addictive):

February 10, 2008	Packing up. Ottawa here I come! 08:24 AM We have a big-ass truck-car thing, and are packing it to the gills with books and launch party stuff... wagons ho! 11:48 AM listening to a Dan Fogleberg song thinking - hey, that happened to me on facebook. 02:21 PM branding swag while Ger drives us to Ottawa... with a quick mom-stop in K'ton 03:36 PM loving the rental car with Sirius 05:00 PM
February 11, 2008	back on the pad after an impromptu sleep over in K'ton 07:58 AM pad = road in pre coffee thumb type 07:59 AM considering the $1.99 breakfast at the Rideau Carleton Raceway... 08:54 AM Setting up my Ottawa office and getting ready for a week of media, restaurants, launches and plenty of cool and interesting people. 12:04 PM Just had a delightful meeting with the owner of the East African... I'm so excited about Wednesday's launch 09:17 PM 2 interviews set up for the 13th - CKCU and ... CKCU. 09:18 PM
February 12, 2008	Crap! ice, snow, big rental vehicle, tiny space, brick wall. Freaking out. 12:49 PM 24 hours from now I will be ready for a serious nap. Between then and now? Multiple interviews, much swag to prep, schmoozing & glad handing 09:09 PM The CEOTblog.com just got rated 9.4/10 by blogger.com and we are #1 in our category - cool!  http://www.blogged.com/dire... 09:16 PM
February 13, 2008	Up waaaaay too early so I don't sleep through my interview. CKCU - listen live around 8am http://www.ckcufm.com/listenlive.html 05:42 AM home from the launch. lots of great people. great food. great beer. 11:05 PM
February 14, 2008	Up too early again, and completely unready for my 5-minute phone interview at 8:05... why can't these people have afternoon morning shows? 07:29 AM Still burnt out from last night's launch... but finally got the post-event post up http://tinyurl.com/35pvrw 06:13 PM now seriously. who knew Pyrex could explode? when deglazing a roast? EXPLODE! 08:09 PM Pretty sure that's not meat juice on the floor. Well not beef meat anyway. Ouch! 08:10 PM so much for the gravy! 08:13 PM
February 15, 2008	Lots of snow, not the best thing for driving all over Ottawa delivering restaurant letters. But it is pretty! 08:57 AM after a day of driving all over Ottawa, I'm back on the road. Thank thrifty for truly unlimited mileage 08:27 PM Hello K'ton. Good bye consciousness 08:59 PM
February 16, 2008	heading home after a very productive week. But I'm SO happy to be sleeping in my own bed tonight! 06:54 PM Delighted both Gay Cook & Ron Eade mentioned @ceot not so that Ron "thought it was a rather silly idea for a book" http://tinyurl.com/2aj6ou