Me, the interview

Scrabblequeen had this on her blog, and it intrigued me, so I asked her if I could play along. Here are the results of her virtual interview of moi:

SQ: I see that you have your degree in Library Science, what do you like most about your work? What kind of library do you work in?

Me: What I love most about my work are the occasions when I find something that a patron thinks would have been impossible to locate. I've been called an angel, a magician, and a goddess, and I've even been offered a tip, which we civil servants (I work in a public library) are not allowed to accept.

SQ: I love your nature photography. How is the Cafe Press business doing?

Me: Thank you! I enjoy it very much. Sadly, my Cafe Press business is not doing well. I blame it on the sheer volume of stuff available on Cafe Press and other online shops.

SQ:You're a mystery fan. What sub-genre is your favorite? Or perhaps, you'd rather share your favorite author with us?

Me: Is it that obvious? I guess I'd have to say my favourite sub-genre is the cozy. Incidentally, I'm moderating a panel about cozies at Left Coast Crime in March.

SQ: You're a Canadian by birth, so what brought to the U.S. and when?

Me: Actually, I was born in India and grew up in Canada. I moved to the US in 1998 when I was offered a position at the Boston Public Library.

SQ: I ask all my interviewees this one; if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and with whom?

Me: The second half of the question is easy, I'd go with my best friend, who happens to be my husband. We have a long list of places that we want to go. I guess New Zealand and Tahiti are at the top.

My best friend and me in San Francisco a year ago

Thanks, Scrabblequeen, I really enjoyed that.
For those of you who might want to be interviewed, here are the directions:

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

What did you do this morning?

Tod and I went to a local party that we learned about through MoveOn.org. There were almost 30 people crowded into the basement of a private home, watching MSNBC coverage on a big-screen tv. It felt right to be among other Democrats for the inauguration. And it turned out to be the right call. Before Mr. Obama stood up to take the oath, the hostess passed around a box of tissues, which it turned out were absolutely necessary. After his speech, we had a champagne toast.
My next party of the day was at the El Dorado Library, which opened two hours early and wheeled a television into the reading room while patrons watched the festivities in D.C. and enjoyed snacks and coffee.
Apart from Mr. Obama's oath and inaugural speech, here are what I thought were the highlights of the ceremony.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

(Don't you love Aretha's hat?)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

"What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Even though I grew up in Canada, I knew about Martin Luther King. As a person of colour in a predominantly Caucasian world, his message meant a lot to me. I swear I can remember watching this speech on television, but I don't think we even had a television then.


In view of the ceremony that will take place in Washinton D.C. tomorrow, this speech is especially meaningful.

The ukulele? Really?

I was reading an article in Islands magazine recently about the resurgence of the ukulele, and I remembered seeing this YouTube video, which is one of the most touching versions of the song(s) I've ever heard.


And another of my favourite songs:

Ten on Tuesday

It's been a while since I did this, but after I saw Teresa's list, I thought it might be fun.

Ten Things You Are Really Good At
(mine are in no particular order)

1. Tripping over nothing in particular.
2. Surfing the 'net.
3. Procrastinaton (thanks, Teresa!)
4. Reading out loud (must be that children's librarian training).
5. Making breakfast (pancakes, egg dishes, muffins...)
6. Making a mess whilst organizing.
7. Thinking up excuses to not go to the gym.
8. Telling people what to do (just ask my husband!)
9. Buying yarn for specific projects and then forgetting what the project is.
10. Loving (and again, thanks, Teresa).

A new WIP

Now that the holidays are over, I decided to knit something just for myself before I continue with the gift knitting that is still unfinished. I purchased some Malabrigo a while ago, after seeing this pattern:

(photo from Malabrigo Pattern Book One)

I'm knitting it in a purple/blue colourway called Violetas.
Here's how it looks so far:


Stitch detail at hem:


I'm loving the Malabrigo yarn. I now understand why everyone is so ga-ga about it; it's such a pleasure to knit with! The project is going very quickly, and I hope to be able to wear it soon!

I've been tagged!

I recently broke down and joined Facebook, and discovered a lot of friends and acquaintances were already in residence.
Toni tagged me in the Sixteen Random Things About Me meme, and I thought answering it would be a good way to start the New Year, so here's my list.

1. My favourite colour is purple.

2. I prefer to use Canadian/British spellings.

3. I am lactose-intolerant.

4. I have a wonderful memory for trivia, but can't remember important things like where I left my favourite sweater.

5. Toni's list reminded me that I, too, own a tribble. It's hanging from a magnet on my refrigerator.

6. People tell me I have a beautiful smile, but I just think it's goofy.

7. I'm not a big fan of the feline species, but I dote on our family's cat Nacht.

8. I can recite a good portion of the movie "The Princess Bride" from memory.

9. Contrary to all evidence, I'm not a pack-rat.

10. Thinking of sixteen random tidbits of information about myself that are not completely uninteresting is hard.

11. Although I grew up in Edmonton, I'm not really an Oilers fan. I prefer the Toronto Maple Leafs.

12. I really, really, really hate being cold.

13. I miss being a children's librarian, because I love to perform stories.

14. After divorcing my first husband, I never expected to be married again.

15. I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you decide to do this meme, please let me know. I'd love to read your list.

16. Happy New Year!!!