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?