The Renovations Begin: The Study

Know what happens when you assume? Major renovation projects, that’s what happens.

The hallway and master bedroom of our new home is covered in laminate flooring. The room that’s going to be our daughter’s room is good old-fashioned hardwood flooring. Nice hardwood, too. The room that is going to be my study/workout room/library was carpeted. And I wondered why.

I asked the old owners what was under the floor of the room that is going to be my study. The old owners told me linoleum. Interesting.

I went looking through the second floor and discovered in the hall closet that, in fact, there was linoleum under the laminate floor as well, both of which ended in the closet, and underneath both of which was hardwood. Nice hardwood.

Now, I don’t want carpet in the study. I want hardwood. And with that in mind I decide that, if there’s hardwood under that linoleum, I want it.

So Sunday night, I went over to the new house and pulled up the carpet. Not a hard job at all. A pair of pliers and some elbow grease got the carpet up. Used a utility knife to cut it into strips, rolled it up, put it in a corner.

Getting up the under-padding took a little longer and if you’re going to do this wear kneepads and work gloves. Eye protection is a good idea, too. Those staples can spring out at you. Pulled up the under-pad easy enough then went over every inch of the floor looking for staples. Got them all up. Some people recommend going over the floor with a scraper to look for other staples. I used my hands – remember those work-gloves – and ran them over every inch of the floor. Got them all and swept the debris out of the way at the same time.

Next step: the tack strips. A tip from a friend of mine saved me a lot of time. Instead using one pry-bar and a hammer, use two pry-bars. Once you’ve got the first one wedge in, wedge in the next one beside it, pull up, move the first one over, and keep going. Got all the tack strips up in about five minutes. Then I stood back to survey the work.

That is the ugliest linoleum I have ever seen. Ever. And it wasn’t put down properly. And it has paint on it. Good thing it’s coming up.

Packing...

Packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing...

Taking break to complain about it on my blog...

Packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing, packing...

I'm moving this week, so you won't hear much from me.

Small Magics is in the hands of the printer, and as soon as it is available on Amazon, I'll let everyone know.

Signed All the Papers to Close on the House this Morning

Holy Crap.

Tomorrow We Close on the House

Holy crap.

Body Weight Exercise

Just a quick note tonight (I'm supposed to be working on Cold Magics and my website) to talk about a website I've been visiting fairly regularly these days: Body Weight Culture.com.

I prefer working out with body weight (push-ups, burpees, sit-ups, etc.) instead of weights, and this website is completely dedicated to the concept. Very cool people there, and some great information. I'm enjoying myself there, picking up some good tips for my workout, and learning some excellent things from the folks in the forums. I am also fairly stunned at how strong some of these guys (and gals) are. There's some great wokout advice there, and some good folks to talk to and answer questions.


And now, got to work that website. And write.

Another Day Packing

Got all the kid's spare clothes packed away, and a bunch of ours. The goal is to trim ourselves down to just enough to get from now to the 23rd (moving day). Should be all sorts of no fun, but the majority of it is nearly done.

The worst for me is the day before, when you look at all the odds and sods you still have left over, and wonder what the heck to put them in.

Got the gas and power ready to be switched over, too. God, I'm a homeowner. In Toronto. Who would have thought?

Anyway, time to get some work done. I've been promising to update the website (www.erikbuchanan.ca) for about a year now, so let's see if I can manage it.

And there's all that writing to do.

Small Magics First Review!

I've been reviewed! Yay!

The review is courtesy of Jeanette Cottrell, herself an author published by Dragon Moon Press, and appears on Simegen.com.

The review is overall very positive and complimentary, and she rates the book at 4 stars!

Yay!

You can read the full review here, but this is my favorite part:

Small Magics is beguiling entertainment. Character motivations are understandable and compelling, whether they agree, conflict, or are in deadly combat with each other. The color provided in village and festival scenes are as lively as that shown in a mob rebellion or sneaking into a cemetery at dead of night. This is a good read. Sit down with a cup of coffee, put up your feet, and read Small Magics. You'll be glad you did.

Sounds great, doesn't it?

So, hey, if you haven't already, why not buy Small Magics?

Moving!!!

The great struggle has begun. We packed about 2/3 of the main floor over the weekend with the help of our friends Chet and Kim (Thanks, folks!) and are up to our quickly sinking necks in trying to figure out when to pack the rest.

Back to packing. Miles to go etc., etc.

And where the heck was I that missing week, anyway?

We got the chance to take a week at a cottage. We took it. Here's the view from the porch:



It was a great week. Here's our daughter, Maggie, discovering the water:



...And after playing in the water:



And visiting a friend on the way home:



And we got home just in time for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows madness back home in Toronto:



Got my copy that night, thanks to my friend Kat, who managed to get a wristband (yes, you needed a wristband) so she could line up for the book at midnight.

A good week it was.

Polaris 21

Some time ago I said I'd talk about how Polaris 21 went. And now I am.

When we last left our bungling hero, I was stumbling around the house until 3:30 AM the night before, having gotten the dates for Polaris 21 completely wrong, and now was desperately scrambling to get organized. Finally, I succumbed to exhaustion at 4:30 AM.

Up at 7:30, I finished getting the stuff ready and them proceeded to call my assistant way to early to see if he was available. Of course he wasn't, so I went by myself.

And I had a blast.

There were great costumes, wonderful displays, great merchants (I bought a Bokken!). I sat on five panels ranging from the effects of TV, Film and Video game violence to how to manage using technical talk in your sci-fi writing without completely driving off the reader. Met some great people including Tanya Huff, who's vampire books (blood line, blood ties, and many others) are being made into a TV series. Good for you Tanya!

Both stage combat workshops went well and were reasonably well attend (though scheduled at the same time as Tanya Huff's and Barbara Hambly's signings, dammit), and the two people who showed up for my reading both said they liked the book very much and would buy it as soon as it comes out. And one of the people who was coming in to kick us out for the next group, said what he heard sounded really tense and interesting.

And if you figure that that makes three people who were there and three people is a crowd, then there was a whole crowd of people at my reading and everyone in it loved my book!

And if you're reading this, guys, go here to get an advanced copy!

Oh, well, that's what happens when you get put opposite Marina Sirtis signing autographs. I wouldn't have been there myself.

I'm on the clock in three minutes, but I wanted to end by saying I had a great time and thanks to David at Polaris for inviting me, and to everyone I met, played with, and talked with.

See you next year!

Who Do I Play with Now?

I just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In fact, I just reread the entire series from beginning to end.

I will try very hard not to give away any of the plot because I know there are many out there who haven't finished it yet. Instead, I wanted to talk about how I feel.

Bereft.

Not because what's in the book itself (I won't say anything about that yet), but because the series has ended. Definitively.

Harry and Hermione and Ron are done their adventures, and even though I can go back and read them again (and will) it won't be the same. I know what happens now, I know all the clues and all the stories and while each time I read it I will find new things and learn a bit more about the characters, it won't be the same.

It feels like all my friends moved away, and I am standing in the middle of the street alone.

Who do I play with now?

And that is the sign of a very, very good book, and a very, very good series.

I promised I'd talk about Polaris 21, and while I'm at it, I'll talk about where I've been for two weeks. But not today. Today, I'm going to think about my friends whose adventures are done.

I am going to miss them.

The King of Stupid

No, this is not a blog about politics. It is a blog about what happened to me on Friday night.

See, I have trouble going to sleep on Friday nights. My brain says, "Hey, you've got tomorrow off, you can sleep in" even though there is no sleeping in when you have a toddler. Nonetheless, I end up doing silly things like staying up until 1 AM or later.

This Friday (actually Saturday, 1 AM) I decided that, since I wasn't sleeping, I should start prepping for Polaris 21, where I thought I was scheduled to do my first public reading of Small Magics and teach two stage combat workshops on July 14 and 15.

Note I said "I thought."

I open my email and discover what everyone who is reading this and follows conventions already knows. Polaris 21 is actually July 6 to 8. I've missed the opening party, one of the panels I was supposed to be on, and I am completely unprepared.

Crap!

I end up awake until 3:30 AM pulling together stuff for the convention, then 4:30 trying to calm down enough to get to sleep. My assistant is not available this weekend, my weapons for the course are not ready, and I have to create promotional materials for Small Magics on the fly using what little office supply type stuff I have around the house.

Did I mention CRAP!!!!?

My next post, I'll tell you how it all went.

Well, How About That...

Back in high school I knew a girl named Angie Abdou. Now Angie is an author with a book of short stories out and a new novel. Here they are (click on each picture for their Amazon link):



Angie is launching her new novel, The Bone Cage, on September 21, 2007 at Pages on Kensington in Calgary, Alberta.

Congratulations Angie!

On Writing and Arguing: Logical Fallacies

This post by my friend Chet at The Vanity Press led to some thinking on my part on logic and the nature of language, which in turn led me to a list of common logical fallacies created by Dr. Michael C. Labossiere and posted on The Nizkor Project website.

Now, I took logic in university and did absolutely horrid at it (something to do with the class being at 8:30 AM, I suspect). Even so, I believe that understanding logic is very important. So much so that I believe we should be teaching it in high school along with rhetoric (the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively) so our kids can tell when politicians (or teachers or parents or advertisers) are lying to them.

So there's the link. Have a read. Then try to remember it the next time you listen to a pundit.

We Bought a House

Semi-detached, close to subway and schools, private drive, parking, and only needs a little work.


(It's the one on the right)

Cool or what?

Small Magics Update 2 (and other stuff)

All right, the beast is off. Gwen at Dragon Moon has it, and is putting together a final copy to send to the printers. Here's hoping I found all the erratta.

Gwen should get it out in a week, the printer should take about 4 weeks, which means a late start for it, I know, but not overly late, and not unexpectedly so, given my life these days.

So a new release date to be released soon.

In other news, I've just about got the new computer up and running (yes, it's taken me this long. Like I said, I'm busy). Which soon means more time for writing, rebuilding the website (the next project) and little fun things like, oh, I don't know. Going to a movie maybe.

Meanwhile we are also house hunting. I'm not going to put any details here for fear of jinxing it (yeah, stupid superstition, I know, still what can you do?) but I'll let you know when we've got it.

And now, back to work. I'm on the clock in 7 minutes.

And It's Off!

Small Magics is back in the publisher's hands, along with a list of erratta I missed the last time I went through it. It should be headed to the printer shortly, and then available for all who want it.

Thanks for your patience. I can't wait to see it!

Small Magics Update

For all those of you who have been awaiting the release of Small Magics, there was a slight glitch on my side involving a large amount of work to be done, a small amount of time to do it, and a new computer which, like all new computers, takes forever to get set up with all the right information.

I am expecting Small Magics to be out in two weeks, and will keep everybody abreast of developments.

Thanks for your patience.

Erik

New Computer

Well, we got a new computer, in case you've been wondering what is going on.

I've got the driviers installed, found a version of Windows XP (because from everything I hear, Vista is not good) and have started adding in the software.

My big concerns are transferring my Norton Anti-virus subscription, Dreamweaver, and several other programs so that we can use them on the new machine.

I have decided to try going open source, rather than with Microsoft Office because, again, Vista has issues and I couldn't find a copy of 2003 or XP. SO far, the office suite looks good. I need a calendar program, but I've got Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird for Web and Email respectively.

The next challenge will be getting the files off the old computer and onto the new one. If everything works, the old machine goes to a new home, and the new one takes its place.

And that's what I've been doing. That and and writing and editing and working on a film and my day job and looking after the kid and looking for a house and developing a publicity campaign and being the treasurer for FDC.

So, not busy at all, really.

And Now, Get in Shape Month is Over

And you know, it went pretty well.

I declared May, for any who might be new to the blog, to be Get in Shape Month because I was feeling all sorts of out of shape. I had four goals:

• To get back to working out 6 mornings a week (3 days strength and martial arts, 3 days running)
• To do more swordfighting
• To make it through my core program without resting
• To be able to push myself hard through my entire calisthenic circuit training

And how did they go? Not bad, but not great:

• Worked out 5 days instead of 6 most weeks but that's more than I was doing
• Didn't get to swordfight once (dammit). Rapier Wit is in teaching mode right now, so open nights were taken up with rehearsals
• I can now make it through my core program, which is essentially three minutes of variations on the plank, without rest and with only a little crying
• I can almost push myself hard through my entire calisthenic training program (its a twenty minute, no rest program).

So I didn't quite achieve those goals, but I did get some other things out of it:

• I can do 50 pushups again
• I can do 12 chinups again
• I can chest press 200 lbs again
• And I lost 5 pounds

Not bad at all. For the next three months I 'm actually going to be concentrating a bit more on the weight loss. I am not fat (according to the charts) but I'm not where I'd like to be, so that's the next step.

Back to work.