Thursday Thirteen #26: Doodling Essentials

Thursday Thirteen : 13 things I have used for blog doodles:

A pink breast cancer floaty pen (it has a great fine point).

A pack of pencil crayons.

A pack of felt tipped markers.

A Lotus pen I found in a backpack I bought at the thrift store.

My HP Photo Scanner, my treat to myself after getting divorced.

Microsoft Image Composer (It came with FrontPage).

Plain, blank, unlined white paper bought at Zellers.

Napkins from the coffee shops and fast food places around Ontario.

My Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 digital camera.

A black fine tip marker which I bought at Walmart, it ended up leaking all over me each time I used it so it was soon retired.

A set of colourful gel pens which are a bit too much on the light side to be used often.

An official doodle pad with coloured paper which is fun to draw on but scans on the dark and dreary side.

Post It note pads, yellow and blue.

Zack is here, just after I posted my list. He says he should be on my list cause he gives me ideas.

Thursday 13 #25: Things I Like

A day late for Thursday Thirteen


This idea comes from XKCD I was drawing mini frames for each one but ended up finding time to finish it while out having coffee with my nephew Zack, waiting for my Mom who was at the doctor. I combined a few of the things into the same drawing.

Thursday Thirteen #22: Things I'd Rather Be Doing

I can think of a lot of things I’d rather be doing than going to work today. Here are just 13 in no particular order…

1. Being kidnapped for a romantic evening with someone I like even though he has awful bad breath and an oozing sore on his back.

2. Finding a winning lottery ticket even though it expired last week.

3. Shopping in my favourite bookstore, even after realizing I forgot my wallet at home and can’t buy anything.

4. Eating chocolate on chocolate cheesecake even if it means I will gain 20 pounds.

5. Backpacking through Europe even though I get chased by wild dogs halfway through the trip and never do get past Venice.

6. On a fancy, luxurious woodland retreat, all expenses paid… even though the blackflies try to eat me alive each time I step outside.

7. Being given a free year of Second Cup lattes even though I have to sit through several hours of a telemarketing time share scam first.

8. Getting up close to the wild cats in the zoo, really getting to pet them and feel all that fur… though at some point one of the cougars gets a bit too friendly and I almost lose an eye.

9. Finding a bag full of cash even though when I take it home to count (over $100,000!) there’s a deadly poisonous lizard at the bottom of the bag and I have to drag myself to the hospital for the anti venom or die in agony.

10. Riding a real, live dragon which I get to be friends with and travel around the world, free…. as long as I can hang on… it’s a really, really long way down.

11. Decorating a house of my own, my dream house and yard, even though it’s on right beside a really busy subway station in downtown Toronto where all kinds of litter blows into my precious yard.

12. Having my first book published and get a lot of great media attention but still flop mightily cause Oprah said she didn’t care for it all that much.

13. A free visit to the dentist, have all the work I need done free, for as long as I can sit in the chair while he drills into my head.

I think work is starting to sound better after that dentist thing… Hi Ho.. Hi Ho… It’s off to work I go….

Happy Thursday Thirteen !

Thursday Thirteen #19: EntreCard Blog Ideas

For Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen things I could write about personal blogging and blogs for the EntreCard blog . Kind of nice to make a list even if I never remember to check it.

1. Clutter and decluttering a blog. Three columns blog or 3 column footer.

2. Keeping true to your own voice. Writing for yourself instead of putting on a show.

3. Online journaling. Release your passions, upsets and strange ideas.

4. Making a site on MySpace, Vox and other offbeat or lesser known blog-type places.

5. Simple HTML and CSS tricks.

6. Personal blog security, passwords, backing up your blog and so on.

7. Writing when no one is listening. How to keep writing when you feel like you’re just talking to yourself.

8. How to add illustrations to your blog even if you can’t draw. Photo hosting services links included.

9. Should you use word verification or just comment moderation.

10. Elements of a good layout and design.

11. Joining groups to match your interests.

12. Using the background file to change the look of your whole blog, easily.

13. Spelling counts. Spellcheck, free and easy to use online.

Thursday Thirteen #18 : Book Cooties and Mysterious Stains


Thursday Thirteen : Mysterious Stained Books.

I got this idea from reading Mimzie’s Musings, the post “The Public Library Gave me Ebola”. Here are thirteen things that could be staining, polluting and possibly infecting the pages of a borrowed or second hand book. Not meant to discourage anyone from getting library books or shopping at the thrift and second hand stores. I shop second hand myself. Cooties or not, it’s the best way to find older books from writers you like.

1. Ketchup. If you make real ketchup it is not that bright red like a clown nose. I can see someone munching away while reading and having a french fry try to escape into the book.

2. Hair colour. Mine was hair colour. I took a photo of it cause Mimzie has photos of her infected books in her blog post.

3. Lipstick. Not sure I’d like a book quite enough to kiss it but you never know.

4. Insects. They know they are going to outlast us and now they want to make sure they can read too.

5. Blood. Most likely from a paper cut. You know, when good books attack.

6. Blood. Nosebleed. Reading too fast.

7. The remains of a really good latte or some other coffee type of drink. I’ve had it happen. You just put your cup down in the wrong spot and suddenly there’s a dash of the good stuff spilled or dribbled out over the side of your cup and onto something else.

8. Spaghetti sauce flicks. You know what it’s like when you start sucking up those long noodles. Just like tiny alien spaceships setting out to explore the world. They seem to get all over the place.

9. Glue. Someone was working on a cut and paste or other kind of art project and used the book to weigh something down. Left a smudge of glue squished out and onto the book itself.

10. Paint. Just a trick to fool people into thinking the book is diseased.

11. Strands of hair. Its’ not just in your soup any more.

12. Dust, it’s everywhere else did you really think your book could escape? They can’t even run very fast.

13. Ink. Plenty of times I have seen pen ink accidentally or purposely written in a book. Not just those Canadians writing notes about desperately trying to get away from the snow either.