New Blog Header

I have changed my blog header for the first time (for this blog anyway). Usually I would change the header every month or so because I do look at my blog a lot since I use my bookmarks/blogroll a lot. I really did liked the previous header (see below) but now I like this new one a little more.

Previous header

    The new header has a few elements/objects (see below): a kindle e-reader (which I read most of my books on), a cup of hot chocolate spilling (sort of like spilling tea since I sort of do a lot of chatting here), flowers because I like flowers, an opened book with leaves as a bookmark because I still read paper books, a pen (I write a lot of fiction), pencil (I draw but mostly digital), rain boots with wings because why not, and eyeglasses sort of represents reading and seeing. Perhaps I put too much meaning to a header that I might just change again in the future but I like it for now.

Elements/Objects

    You can see in the Draft example below, I can essentially arrange the elements in different ways. I did have various arrangements but I didn't save those so I can't show you how  they had looked but I can assure you they didn't look good. The elements are not correctly sized in relation to each other but I did used most of the colors from the flowers to make them appeared like they might belong with together. Usually, when you see a lot of elements in one design, they don't always look right together but using colors and placement help to balance them out, at least, that's what I believe.   

Draft

Version 1 - no background pattern

Final version - with the background pattern

   As to why there is a swirly background pattern, it's to add some cohesion/unity. If you look at Version 1 and compare it with the Final version, the one without the pattern has everything floating which it isn't a bad look but it just doesn't look as together as the one with the patterns. The blog title (Postcards from the Bookstore) is also tilted to make it look less stale among the elements. If you look at the Draft version with the title not tilted, it still works but it seems a bit stationary to me so I prefer to tilt it to make it seem like it's floating like the elements.
        The fonts (for Postcards from the Bookstore) is Hallo Oyster by Typhoon Type - Suthi Srisopha, link here. The font below that (Books & Ramblings) is Helvetica Neue 57 Condensed, link here.

What do you think? Do you like my new header or is the previous version better?

My Top 7 Favorite TV Detectives

Rachel at Hamlette's Soliloquy is hosting a We Love Detectives Week (February 21-25), link over here. So here's my excuse to talk about shows no one had seen in a while, at least, not recently as all of these are finished series although #6 seems to be still on going. Here are my top 7 favorite tv detectives/consulting detectives. (Even though I had them in order of 1 through 7, it's not in any kind of particular order.)

01 | DI Robert Lewis (played by Kevin Whately) and DS James Hathaway (played by Laurence Fox) from Inspector Lewis > link
Lewis and Hathaway are great pairing. They are serious when it comes to solving their cases but they never loose their sense of humor which I thought was so well done. If they had done another series with Hathaway and a new partner, I would watch that.
Favorite quote: Lewis: "I'm always happy. My face is misleading." — Ramblin' Boy, Season 6

02 | Sherlock Futaba (played by Yûko Takeuchi) from Miss Sherlock > link
Sherlock is a female Sherlock Holmes and slightly based on the original story. Sherlock is honest, direct, fashionable, have a sense of fun and all around, a character you would either enjoy being around or be infuriated by her since she is a bit too direct and might invade your personal space without asking but she's definitely not boring.
Favorite quote: "I can't think when my aesthetic sense is disturbed." — The First Case

03 | Sherlock Holmes (played by Jonny Lee Miller) from Elementary > link
I didn't really like Holmes as a former addict but I guess the modern Holmes would have tried all the hard drugs just to experiment them. Here Holmes is a bit quirky and invasive, a bit too direct but that comes from wanting to know about things, I guess. I don't know, I just enjoy watching this character.
Favorite quote: Sherlock: "For future reference: When I say I agree with you, it means I'm not listening." — Child Predator, Season 1

Image from here

04 | Henry Morgan (played by Ioan Gruffudd) from Forever > link
I guess a man who had lived over a hundred years would have a lot of acknowledge about the world but for some reason Henry Morgan seems to have an aversion to modern technology like not wanting to have his food microwaved and doesn't seem to know much about current pop culture things. I guess he likes to live his old ways. But he is a fun character to watch.
Favorite quote: Henry Morgan: "But I assure you, I look the same everyday. Although, that still might be like crap." — Pilot

05 | Daniel Pierce (played by Eric McCormack) and Agent Kate Moretti (played by Rachael Leigh Cook) from Perception > link
Pierce have hallucinations and such due to his condition but they help him solve cases which I thought it's unique and you can sort of think of it as a kind of talent or not. I guess you can say he's like Sherlock Holmes only with a slightly mental problem. Agent Moretti is fierce and I like that she's a no nonsense kind of cop. These two work well together.
Favorite quote: Pierce: "You want my professional opinion, jumping off a second-story fire escape is what we commonly call 'crazy.'"
Moretii: "Guess that makes two of us." — Pilot

06 | DCI Vera Stanhope (played by Brenda Blethyn) from Vera > link
So Vera's kind of grumpy but she's kind when it is necessary and tough when she needs to be but I like her.
Favorite quote: "Wouldn't be a proper wake without an arrest or two." — Blood and Bone, Season 8

07 | Detective Michael Raines (played by Jeff Goldblum) from Raines > link
I guess if you think of Detective Raines as someone who can see ghosts, it makes perfect sense but that doesn't seem to be the case. I guess you can say he have an overactive imagination as one of the character tells him. But I like his method of solving murders when he sees those dead people even though most people around him sort of thinks he's nuts. It's a shame the series only had a few episodes because I would have love to see how it progressed.
Favorite quote: Raines: "Not a-not a drunk drunk. Just, uh... crazy." — Pilot

Do you have any favorite tv detectives?

Alphabet This or That - My Answers

Apparently, I forgot to answer Alphabet This or That questions when I was doing the birthday bash. There are some answers in the comments in the origianl post (over here) with, Charlotte (link) and Lectrice Vorace (link) answering on their blogs.

Here's my answers:
A. Attached or Single? Single but attached to my computer.
B. Blue or Black? Blue.
C. Cats or Dogs? Neither, I'm allergic to both. Okay, that's a lie, I have no idea how to behave around cats or dogs but they both hate me so it's better to stay away.
D. Down 10 flights of stairs or Up to 2 flights? Down 10 flights as walking up makes me tired easily.
E. Email or Snail mail? Email because it's faster and it rarely gets lost in the mail.
F. Fairytales or Nonfiction? Fairytales as I rarely read nonfiction.
G. Gain a pound or Gain some money? Gain some money because you can't avoid gaining weight so might as well take the money.
H. Hop on one foot or Jumping jacks? Jumping jacks as hopping on one foot is kind of hard.
I. Ice cream or Ice cones (aka snow cone)? Ice cream.
J. Juice or Water? Water.
K. Kiss a frog or Hug a bear? Hug a (teddy) bear like one blogger had answered. Frogs just seem slimy.
L. Lose your heart or Lose your mind? Both. I think one can be worse than the other so you might as well lose both.
M. Music or Silence? Music.
N. Nuts or Chips? I would go for the healthier choice but honestly, I like chips especially those Doritos chips.
O. Oatmeal or Cereal? Depends though oatmeals must be eaten hot.
P. Pizza or Spaghetti? Pizza.
Q. Queen for a day or Quiet for a day? Queen for a day as I have way too many quiet days.
R. Rain or Sun? Sun because I have had enough of rainy days.
S. Steak or Salad? Salad, I really dislike steaks.
T. Talk to a stranger for a minute or Talk to your enemy for an hour? Stranger.
U. Unicorns or Unicycles? Unicorns.
V. Vanilla or Chocolate? Vanilla.
W. Walk or Run? Walk unless a serial killer is chasing me, then I would run.
X. Xray vision or Power to fly? Fly because it's more useful in avoiding said serial killer.
Y. Yoga or the Gym? Yoga, maybe, or not.
Z. Zipper or Velcro? Zipper, I dislikes the sound any velcro makes.

Here are the questions for you if you want to answer them:
A. Attached or Single?
B. Blue or Black?
C. Cats or Dogs?
D. Down 10 flights of stairs or Up to 2 flights?
E. Email or Snail mail?
F. Fairytales or Nonfiction?
G. Gain a pound or Gain some money?
H. Hop on one foot or Jumping jacks?
I. Ice cream or Ice cones (aka snow cone)?
J. Juice or Water?
K. Kiss a frog or Hug a bear?
L. Lose your heart or Lose your mind?
M. Music or Silence?
N. Nuts or Chips?
O. Oatmeal or Cereal?
P. Pizza or Spaghetti?
Q. Queen for a day or Quiet for a day?
R. Rain or Sun?
S. Steak or Salad?
T. Talk to a stranger for a minute or Talk to your enemy for an hour?
U. Unicorns or Unicycles?
V. Vanilla or Chocolate?
W. Walk or Run?
X. Xray vision or Power to fly?
Y. Yoga or the Gym?
Z. Zipper or Velcro?

Some Complaints & Other Unwise Thoughts

unfinished, cornflake girl, 02.13.2022

01 | I've been very neglectful in commenting on blogs. I don't know what it is, I am not as excited about reading blogs as I usually do. Maybe I've been spending a little too much time alone or maybe I just find people not updating their blogs a bit annoying. It seems like 80% of blogs that I like aren't updating. I'm not saying they have to update but it's hard to be interested in a blog whenever I go there and see the same posts. But I also am at faults with this as I don't update my blog as much as I used to. I'm thinking I should blog more so that other people might blog more? I don't know.

02 | Over at the Blogging from A to Z Challenge blog, they are, were (as they just closed entries on February 12) searching for a new graphics team member as the previous member, Jeremy Hawkins, passed away. It's kind of weird how someone can get work or a gig or something just because someone else passed away. It's normal and it's part of life but it's a bit awkward as well.
    I foolishly entered for this new member contest without thinking. (It could end up a contest if the other members couldn't decided which person they want and then they would set up a voting poll or something.) It's not just making one badge, it's a whole list of graphics which requires a lot of time and work which I had not thought about. And also, you don't get pay so you're doing it like a hobby which is what I think of this as. Let's hope I do not get selected. (If you're interested in seeing what I graphics I had created to enter, go to this page here. The theme seems to be duality.)

03 | I may be a bit too picky about these things but I really prefer not to read blogs where the text color is the same as the background color but only a little darker. The comment text is in the same dark color as the post text but the background color is even darker. There is just not enough contrast for reading. I don't know how people can read blogs with such low contrast but I couldn't. I have to highlight the text which I don't like at all as it reverses the text to be white on dark background which I have issues with and I don't want to change the setting of my computer screen to accommodate just one blog. I'm sorry, well, okay, I'm not sorry but I doubt I'll spend too much time on that blog. I do feel bad that I didn't want to make the effort but I spend too much time looking at screens so I can't spend time looking at a blog that makes my eyes overwork.

04 | I hate that every February, everyone seems to focus on romance/love. As a single person, it's annoying but I suppose it would be less annoying if I'm not single, right? A few years ago it didn't annoyed me but now it does. Of course not everyone is making romance their theme but it just seems like it. One blog I've seen changed their blog header with hearts in the background. There are a lot of posts about love and romance related things. Most prompts that I like to participate have some sort of romance theme which I simply don't care about. Then there is WEP (Write.Edit.Publish) February theme is 'All you need is love' which I was going to enter but decided I just didn't want to.
    Of course not everything about romance and love annoys me around the web. Cordy at Any Merry Little Thought is hosting a 'Lovely Blog Party' (February 1-28) at her blog which focuses on romance of course. Link is over here. Also, Rachel at Hamlette's Soliloquy is hosting a We Love Detectives Week (February 21-25), link over here.

So how are you enjoying your February?

Fiction: The Hunt on Wind Breaker Island 3

This month's Words for Wednesday prompts are provided by C.Lee McKenzie. This week's prompts are:  Gift, Yesterday, Surprise, Lovely, Stubborn, Sprinkled, Laughter, February, Generous, Husband, Flowers, Marriage. Once again, I've managed to use all the prompts. Visit C.Lee McKenzie's blog for more takes on the prompts over here (be sure to scroll all the way down as Words for Wednesday is buried at the bottom of the post.)

Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here

Fiction: The Hunt on Wind Breaker Island 3
Sedge heard Boots' thoughts but she had forgotten he was that foolish. That head injury he got when he was ten trying to save a squirrel had left him with a slow brain but it didn't stop him from saving more animals.
    Sedge flipped Boots over slowly and pressed hard on Boots' bleeding shoulder. He tightened his lips. She turned to Jaz. "Give me your scarf!"
    Jaz marched over. "It's not my fault. He got in the way. He had better not tell people I did that to him."
    "Give me your damm scarf!" Sedge didn't have time for this.
    "What? You can't have it. It cost more than your house!" said Jaz.
    "You give me that damm scarf or I will break your neck getting it. Which option do you want to take?" Sedge glared at him and scowled. It was true she had a tiny bungalow which was all she could afford but it was hers and she had worked hard to get it.
    Jaz untucked the scarf around his neck and held it out with his head turned away. She grabbed it and wrapped it around Boot's wound and over and under his armpit and gave it a good knot.
    Boots grunted but he smiled. "I saved a dragon," he said.

Do word counts matter when it comes to blogging?

Blogging, I believe, shouldn't have a limit post length and yet, sometimes I think it's better to have a limit and other times, not so much. As a blogger, I try to keep my posts as short as possible, mostly under 800 words if I can help it. Why 800 words limit? Well, I don't know exactly, it just seems the right length for a post.
    I'm only very conscious of word counts because I write fiction and the length matters in fiction. When I post a story for my blog, I try to keep it under 1,000 words which I guess it's a number I'm comfortable with but don't ask me why that is. But most of my stories are on the long side, over 800 words. I try to cut them down but I always seems to end up with a longer piece. If a story is rather long, I try to post it in parts (as in breaking them into three or four posts as oppose to just one long post). And if don't want to break it up into more than one posts, I would put in breaks lines or break the story up so it wouldn't just be one long block of text.
    With all that, my posts are still on the long side. I don't expect people to read every word. It's okay if you want to skim a long post. I do it too but most of the times it's because I have no interest in certain things. It's normal to skim the parts you're not interested in right?

What about you? If you're a blogger, do word counts matter? If you're a reader, do you mind long post or does it make a difference to you the length of a post?

Note: This post is 299 words without counting the post title or this notice.

Fiction: The Hunt on Wind Breaker Island 2

This month's Words for Wednesday prompts are provided by C.Lee McKenzie. This week's prompts are:  Realize, Sticky, Chocolate-covered, Wrapped, Doorbell, Delight, Flummoxed, Diet, Stuffed, Inspected, Heart-shaped and Box. I think I used all the words but I can't be certain if I hadn't cut one out when I edited.  Visit C.Lee McKenzie's blog or more takes on the prompts over here.

~ Read Part 1 here ~

Fiction: The Hunt on Wind Breaker Island 2
Sedge picked up her shovel and started digging until a strange cry rung out. It was more of a shrill-like droning. All around her, the other six contestants and Boots paused to listen.
    The cry died away. Whatever it was, no one appeared deterred until a harsh wind came bringing along a rotten egg-like scent that circled them like coils. Sedge pressed the back of her hand to her nose. Around her, the other contestants covered their mouths with a few muttering curses. Aside from Boots. Most times, Boots was quite flummoxed about everything but not about how lucky he was right now. When he hit his head, he also lost his sense of smell. Since Sedge had complained enough about the stench, he knew how bad it was. A quiet screeching escaped Boots' mouth. Boots' laughter always reminded Sedge of silly, happy monkeys.
    Sedge walked the few paces to give Boots a kick but he backed away. Why was it so damm hot even at night? Her short hair struck to her. She swore. The scent faded away and Sedge and Boots started digging again.
    A few hours later, they were setting up tents for the night. Sedge would have slept in one of the abandoned cottages but most of them had strange creatures that stuck to the darkness and left sticky substances all over the walls and floors of the cottages.
    "Well, well, you are looking rather...unkept this evening. How are you doing, Yang Yang?"
    Sedge looked up. No one called her by her given name except her father. "Just fine. And you, Jaz?" She would like to spit at her ex but then that would only give him more reasons to taunt her. For three days, she had avoided any type of talk with the man. Why is Mr. Fancy here? Boots' thought swam to Sedge's head. Jaz's family owned half of a city, there was no reason for him to be here.
    Jaz came closer, close enough for Sedge to smell his cologne which had always dazed her but now just gave her a headache. He lowered his head close to hers and whispered, "I know what you are. I saw your arm fell off." Then he straightened up. "Don't you think, Yang Yang, you should quit while you're still alive?"

Books I Read in January 2022

reading nook, 01.31.2022

In January, I read some books and threw a blog birthday bash (the posts are here if you care to check them out). I would have liked to have been more productive but every time I try to be productive, it seems to result in the opposite. Some people do not believe in such things as laziness, only that, we are taking a rest before doing something productive which I guess it means I've been taking many rests. These days, I do not buy paper/printed books but I did brought one book from the list, The Art of Tangled, which will probably be the only paper book I'll ever buy from here on. Anyway, here are the books I managed to read in January (click on the link to know more about each book):

01 | The Art of Tangled by Jeff Kurtti, Preface by John Lasseter, Foreword by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard > link
Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies and The Art of Tangled certainly matched the spirit of the movie. It was delightful to see all the sketches, drafts and artworks and the ideas behind the movie. This book was well designed and I really like all the little illustrations that decorated the pages and all the artworks. It's a visual feast for the eyes. If you're an artist, you would love this. The writing was simple enough and I like the talks about process of creating an animated film, creating characters, searching for the right settings and all that but I would have liked to know more about the movie making parts and less on the gushing about Disney. You can view the pages in this youtube video over here.
    One Sentence Review: Simple book with some bits about creating an animated film but it's mostly filled with drafts, sketches, artworks and a little too much love for Disney.