Jul. 16, 2016 "Meet Douglas Gardham, the hardest-working Canadian novelist you’ve never heard of": Today I read this article by Mark Medley in the Globe and Mail. It was a very inspiring article about how Gardham self- publishes his book and drives all across Canada and the States to sell his book at bookstores. I have talked to authors who sell their books at the tables in bookstores.
I'm Tracy Au and I have a 2 year diploma in Professional Communication from MacEwan University. I'm an aspiring screenwriter. This blog is used to promote this TV movie The Vertex Fighter. If the ratings are good, it could be turned into a back door pilot. It's used to attract producers, directors, investors, cast, and crew who want to be part of this project. It’s also to attract the same people who will hire me to write for your TV/ movie. I have another blog www.badcb.blogspot.ca.
Friday, October 28, 2022
"Meet Douglas Gardham, the hardest-working Canadian novelist you’ve never heard of"
"Mo'nuttiness" (Mo Willems)/ "Bonding over books" (Father's Day)
Sept. 10, 2016 "Mo'nuttiness": I cut out this article by Maggie Galehouse in the Globe and Mail on Feb. 16, 2010:
Q: What's the secret to understanding children?
A: Children happen to be people. The main difference between us and them is that they're shorter. But that doesn't mean they're dumber or that they don't have emotions. You have to take them seriously. The drama that happens in my books is real.
Q: What do kids want from books?
A: Kids don't have cultural modifiers. They don't know what the Arc de Triomphe is. Watergate doesn't mean anything to them. They're working on things like walking. So you have to write the most basic, bare-bones funny. It has to be true. It has to come from an emotional place — jealousy, anger, joy — as opposed to a cultural place.
Q: In Cat the Cat Who Is That?, a new book in the youngest series you've ever created, Cat the Cat meets an odd-looking monster who might become a new friend. This monster says “Blarggie!” Does “Blarggie!” mean anything in particular?
A: “Blarggie!” is fun to say. It doesn't mean anything, but it could mean a lot of things. “Accountant” is a fun thing to say, but it means something that isn't funny. … “Blarggie” is also a big crazy word just like the monster is a big crazy thing. If the monster had been small, that wouldn't be the right word.
Q: I noticed that the pigeon of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! fame makes cameo appearances in your new books.
A: The pigeon hates it when I make books that are not about him. When I'm not looking, he has snuck into every single book I've ever made.
Q: Can you describe your writing process?
A: I think of myself as a craftsman. My father was a potter; he made pretty things, but their prettiness was secondary to their usefulness. I'm the same.
I think people have the idea that writing is building and building, but it's more like being a sculptor. It's actually taking away, honing it.
Q: You're a man of many talents. You won six Emmys for your work on Sesame Street. You're on NPR from time to time. Your artwork has been in galleries across the country. And now you're working on a play based on your popular Knuffle Bunny character, which premieres at the Kennedy Center this year. What's the play about?
A: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical is about a girl who can't speak yet because she's too young. She and her father decide to do the laundry together, and her beloved bunny is left behind in the Laundromat. She can't communicate what's going on to her daddy. He thinks she's having a hissy fit.
Q: You got hired by Sesame Street when you were in your 20s. How did that experience shape your career?
A: When I got there I was making films for grown-ups. I was really happy to get the job because it paid the rent and I was getting to write sketch comedy. That's what Sesame Street is. It was at Sesame Street that I learned how to write for children. I wrote a lot of Elmo and a character called Baby Bear. By the time I was gone I realized this was where I wanted my career to be.
Q: Ever wish you were still writing comedy for grown-ups?
A: To be a grown-up comedian, you have to know pop culture, keep up with the scandals. I'm not good at that. I also wanted my material to be able to stand up 10 or 20 years later. Tina Fey is a genius, but 15 years from now you're going to have to explain what those jokes are about.
Q: Why can't we let the pigeon drive the bus?
A: My first answer is insurance premiums. But let's just say that the pigeon will get to drive the bus the day Charlie Brown gets to kick the football.
Maggie Galehouse is the Houston Chronicle's book editor. She grew up in New England and earned a Ph.D. in English at Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn. An award-winning reporter, Galehouse has covered education, crime, business and features for a handful of newspapers.
Occasionally, Maggie can be heard on NPR discussing books. Her book reviews have appeared in the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Houston Chronicle.
Galehouse lives south of Houston with her photographer husband and their young son, who enjoys "Encyclopedia Brown" mysteries. She writes the Bookish blog for the Chronicle.
Dad And The Dinosaur, by Gennifer Choldenko; illustrated by Dan Santat (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers)
Nicholas is afraid of many things, from the darkness outside to what may be lurking under manhole covers. His dad, though doesn’t share those fears. To help himself be brave like his father, Nick begins carrying a toy dinosaur — because dinosaurs aren’t afraid of things.
What Daddies Like, by Judy Carey Nevin; illustrated by Stephanie Six (little bee books)
A little bear and his dad spend the day enjoying different activities. From playing outside to winding down together at home, we see what daddies like. “Daddies like adventures./Daddies like swings.” Cute details abound, such as after watching the boy jump from a swing, the dad follows suit, arms flailing.
If My Love Were A Fire Truck: A Daddy’s Love Song, by Luke Reynolds; illustrated by Jeff Mack (Doubleday Books for Young Readers)
A dad expresses the depth of his love for his son in this bright and cheery book. It starts with the father helping his son settle into sleep, then takes the reader through different venues, including a trip to the jungle, into the ocean, watching a parade and racing a car. The rhyming verses flow smoothly, lending themselves to a pleasing cadence. “If my love were a fire truck, its sirens would flash all night./And if my love were a rocket ship, it would blast off out of sight.” It’s a lovely bedtime story offering reassurance in a fun way.
Daddy Honk Honk! by Rosalinde Bonnet (Dial Books for Young Readers)
A young fox named Aput is savoring the last day of summer in the Arctic when he discovers an egg lying in the grass. “He looks and sniffs./He knocks and listens./He shakes it and …” Then, to his surprise, a baby blue goose pops out of its shell, exclaiming “Daddy Honk Honk!”
Papasaurus, by Stephan Lomp (Chronicle Books)
Babysaurus and his Papasaurus are playing their favorite game — hide and seek. But this time, the little dinosaur is unable to find his dad. As he encounters his friends, all of whom are different types of jungle creatures, he asks each one if they’ve seen his papa. They respond by asking if his papa has the characteristic of their own dads. The answer is no each time, with Babysaurus extolling the virtues of his papa.
You and Me, Me and You, by Miguel Tanco (Chronicle Books)
A young boy shows how his perspective affects his dad in this charming book that features brief sentences and understated artwork. “I remind you to create … /and to do things you might forget./I give you the chance to tell stories … /and I help you choose words with care.”
A smiling boy and his equally happy dad start out this tale, with one carrying a pan and bowl of eggs and the other holding additional cooking supplies. They make pancakes, then gleefully enjoy the fruits of their labor. Soon, though, the fun comes to a stop, as they both notice a to-do list of chores awaiting Dad.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2017/06/07/celebrate-dads-this-year-with-these-books/?utm_term=.bf8577ce2ec8
"Hippos, birdies, T. rexes and pigs" (Sandra Boynton)/ "Not just kids' stuff"
"Mo'nuttiness" (Mo Willems)/ "Bonding over books" (Father's Day)
My week:
Fri. Oct. 21, 2022 Job search: Today I passed out a resume to an office in- person. It did say to do that on the job ad on the internet. I am proud of myself that I woke up early and took 2 buses to get there.
Feng Shui To Change Your Life | The Tao of Dana (fengshuidana.com)
My 2004 computer: This stopped working again. Last month, my dad's friend T came and fixed it and I was able to print.
However, it's not working even if I unplug some things and plug it back in. I called T and he said the mother board is not working.
Do you have an old computer to sell to me or give away?: I put this on my Facebook page, and emailed some friends from the Screenwriters and Filmmakers group.
I have asked this question before last year.
My printer: I talked to my dad and he showed me how the printer can't be connected to the 2013 computer.
Sat. Oct. 22, 2022 Wal- Mart in Kingsway mall:
New Kingsway Mall Walmart Supercentre replaces Westmount Mall store | Edmonton Journal
Shoppers Drug Mart in West Edmonton Mall: I like Shoppers Drug Mart because I get to buy chips and snack foods there, and put that on my Shoppers Optimum card.
Shoppers Drug Mart | West Edmonton Mall (wem.ca)
Padmanandi: I went there for my friend Cham's birthday lunch with the Personality Meetup group. There were 10 of us. This was in the downtown location. The decor has really beautiful art with some autumn leaves decorations.
We ordered:
the coconut rice
jasmine rice,
curry chicken,
vegan ginger beef,
Padmandi Vegetable Deluxe
spicy eggplant
We ate this family style where we shared the food, instead of having our own individual meals. We all paid $15.45 each (and choose how much to tip.) I thought the food was average. M and D thought it was above average.
Padmanadi | Vegan Restaurant & Eatery | Edmonton
Stanley A. Milner library: D drove me to the restaurant. D then drove me to the library and M was driven home after I got out.
I had to print my resumes to pass out for a holiday job. It costs 10 cents per page (black and white.) 50 cents for color.
The librarian was helpful in helping me print.
City Centre mall: I passed out my resume to 10 stores.
Oct. 20, 2022 "Norwegian company hopes to generate energy, capture carbon from Alberta garbage": Today I found this article by Paula Duhatschek on CBC. I like this article because it's about saving the environment:
A Norwegian clean energy development company is betting big on Alberta as the place to combine its waste-to-energy technology with a method of capturing carbon and storing it underground.
Varme Energy, which was incorporated in Edmonton this summer, wants to set up facilities in Alberta that use Aitos gasification technology, a two-step combustion process owned by its parent company that's been used in waste-to-energy facilities in Norway for more than a decade.
Through this process, waste that was headed for landfill instead is converted into steam that can be used for district heating, industrial processes or put through a turbine to generate power.
"You're literally diverting the [garbage] trucks, instead of going and dumping at the landfill, they come and dump into a facility like ours," said Sean Collins, CEO of Varme Energy, a subsidiary of Norway's Green Transition Holding.
Norwegian company hopes to generate energy, capture carbon from Alberta garbage | CBC News
Oct. 22, 2022 "Got a gas furnace? Higher prices to heat your home 'not going away'": Today I found this article by James Dunne on CBC news. This is about saving money and saving the environment:
Simple low-cost actions include things like:
Oct. 23, 2022 "Got gift cards collecting dust? Now's the time to use them": Today I found this article by Philip Drost on CBC. Here's another article about finance and saving money. If you are going to buy something that you need and want, use the gift cards:
Square, a financial technology company that sells mobile payment devices, found Canadians are sitting on more than $33 million worth of unspent gift cards through its platform alone.
And as inflation rises and wears down people's wallets, those gift cards are becoming less and less valuable. Of that money tracked by Square, $20 million is on physical gift cards, while the other $13 million is on digital gift cards.
Got gift cards collecting dust? Now's the time to use them | CBC Radio
Oct. 24, 2022 "Mom, daughter face homelessness after buying home and tenant refuses to leave": Today I found this article by Priscilla Ki Sun Hwang
An Ottawa homeowner says she and her daughter could soon be homeless because they can't move into the townhouse she bought in April due to a tenant who refuses to leave — and she blames the Ontario government for failing her family.
Elsie Kalu says the ordeal led to her losing her job, plus she is now at risk of getting kicked out of her rental and faces threats of foreclosure — losing her property to the mortgage lender. She is begging Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to grant her a hearing so she can state her case to evict her tenant and finally move into the home she bought.
"Why would the government allow another person to take everything from one person? It's like robbing the poor to pay the poor," said Kalu, standing outside of the home she hasn't entered since buying it.
"It can't be right. I cannot provide social services for another citizen. I'm not rich enough."
Mom, daughter face homelessness after buying home and tenant refuses to leave | CBC News
My opinion: I like that this article is on the national news. Now this woman can increase her chances of getting help either from the Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board or from someone else.
Oct. 26, 2022 "Jennifer Garner shares how she celebrated turning 50: 'I basically had a wedding for myself'":
Today I found this article by Kaitlin Reilly on Yahoo:
One way Garner said she is a real person? She celebrated her 50th birthday with a lavish party.
"I basically had a wedding for myself," she said. "I was so shocked that I was doing it." Of course, she then put her guests "to work" filling backpacks with food for the charity Blessings in a Backpack.
Jennifer Garner shares how she celebrated turning 50: 'I basically had a wedding for myself' (yahoo.com)
Blessings in a Backpack feeds kids on the weekend