Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Whimsical

...is a nice word. Ariel used it in a comment on my occasional sonnet. It certainly applies to my approach to life. And sometimes there are consequences. And no, I'm not referring to my youtubes, or the time, maybe two years ago, when I decided to cut ringers in a soft summer fallow field with my brother's dune buggy, thinking what impressive patterns I'd leave, only to end up upside down, hanging from the shoulder harness. I'll never live that one down.

No, my latest involves a blog post and some time in the tub. Bathtubs are dreadful. Dreadful. I just can't relate to those who enjoy long soaks with bubbles and books and I shake my head every time I come across a book with tell-tale tub-rippled pages. Anyhow, I crawled in the tub with the Biblioasis post regarding the covers for Shut Up He Explained, John Metcalf's forthcoming book, and all the challenges the post put forth still fresh in mind. Anyone who knows me knows I can't resist a challenge (which is part of the reason I ended up hanging upside down). By the time I crawled out, I had an idea. I then got to work. When I emailed the result to Biblioasis, offering it for just $8.00 (a fun play on the $800 cost of the image he'd referred to in the initial post) and a one-year subscription to CNQ, I hit Send without thinking another thought. I'd tackled a challenge. I'd had my fun. That's what life is about. The next day, much to my surprise and delight, it ended up on the blog. And now look! I'm thrilled.

14 comments:

Ariel Gordon said...

Culvert installation out in the world! (Yay!)

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks, A! Yes, I'm tickled to say the least. My Culvert Installations project has grown large, the blog but a tiny representation of what I've shot and gathered. And my collection of culvert anecdotes that people have offered has grown considerably. It's a joy. This is unbelievable.

It's especially exciting that it's for a book by John Metcalf. Back in 2002 I wrote an article titled "An Important Conversation in The New Quarterly" (Freelance, July/August 2002), a glowing review of the issue titled "Wild Writers We Have Known: A Celebration of the Canadian Short Story and Story Writers" (Volume XXI, Numbers 2 & 3), in which I dedicate a paragraph to Metcalf's essay "Laagering." I have other work by him, including, most recently, An Aesthetic Underground.

Anonymous said...

Brenda! You've undersold yourself and your talents! But, congrats, book cover designer!

Anonymous said...

Yay, Brenda. Terrific cover! I discovered it at Quillblog and came directly here to convey my congrats. What fun.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks Berlynn! Uh, are you suggesting that I miscalculated? Ok, I admit I'm no Einstein, but I understand him. Oops, I mean I stand under him...

Thanks Leona! Twas and tis fun, indeed. Oh my! I see have a critic over there! :)

Brenda Schmidt said...

By the way, I can only take credit for the initial version.

And the pic of me that I linked to in the last comment is by Tracy.

Tracy Hamon said...

Awesome cover! Well done B. The power of a bath to make one think of (a) cover.

(Bubbles are kinda girly).

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks Tracy!

You said it! I just don't understand the whole bubble thing. I don't even like bubbles in my milk.

Anita Daher said...

Bubbles! Love em :-) I also love that cover--way cool!

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks Anita!

What, am I surrounded by bubble people? I ended up in the bubble bath section of a store recently, quite against my will. I was with a bubble loving friend. It goes without saying that I was horrified. The selection was ridiculously extensive. We were there forever.

Anonymous said...

Don't say critic, Brenda. Say buzz.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Is critic a bad word? I didn't know. I counted before I used it and I swear it had six letters... :)

Anita Daher said...

Brenda, you made QuillBlog!
http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2007/05/30/cover-to-cover-online-john-metcalf-edition/

Brenda Schmidt said...

:)

Thanks for the link, Anita!