So after months of me promising a new website, it's done... kind of.
http://www.tinahunter.ca/ is live on the net. You can check it out whenever you'd like. I warn you though, there are still some glitches that need to be worked out and some pages that aren't finished yet.
For example, I'm having trouble right now when people want to join my forum. Because the page on my website that you see the forum on isn't the source site, you have to open any of the links in a new page in order to post or log in. However, you can see the forum, and read any of the pages without leaving my site.
I also don't have the contact me page finished yet, nor has the blogging feature been uploaded onto my site yet (not my fault, that's the hosting companies problem). Once the feature is there, I'll be transferring this blog over to my website.
So, take a look and tell me what you think. I am flexible, and would love to know what your thoughts are.
Cheers,
Tina
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Puppy Mommy
It official... I'm a puppy mommy.
River is a wonderful addition to our family, even if he is incredibly timid and shy.
River is a Border Collie cross, although he looks like a larger version of a pure bred Collie. He was found at the Westlock Vet clinic as a stray and they took him in, feed him, and waited for someone to claim him. No one did. The vet clinic can only keep dogs for so long before they have to put them down. Luckily, Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCARS) picked him up and took him to a foster home while they waited for someone to adopt him. This was July12. One week later, on July 19, D and I went to a meet and greet with some of the animals up for adoption with SCARS. River (formerly Mario) was quiet, hanging back from everyone else. He didn't even catch our attention until one of the ladies pointed him out.
We walked him around the store, pet him, and generally hung out. River just let us do what we wanted. He listened to our commands, even if he only understood half of them, and was very well behaved. When other dogs were aggressive against him, he just turned and walked away as if he was no longer interested in where he was sitting. We think he may have been abused before he became a stray. One of the ladies was feeding him treats raised her hand too quickly and River dropped to the floor and shook like a leaf for a few moments until we all reassured him that everything was fine. He was an interesting dog.
We put in an application and slept on it. It is a big decision. By morning, we both knew that we needed to give this dog a forever home. We picked River up from the foster home on July 20 at 6:30pm. He is just as timid and shy as we saw at the meet and greet, but I'm confident that he will open up when he realizes that this is his house and that no one will hurt him here.
I may give you updates as things go on but I'm thinking of starting a second blog just for my adventures with River. I'll let you know.
PS: I haven't got the contact information for the graphic artist yet, he was on vacation last week but is coming in tonight. I'll try and book a meeting this week or next, and I'll let you know how it all turns out.
River is a wonderful addition to our family, even if he is incredibly timid and shy.
River is a Border Collie cross, although he looks like a larger version of a pure bred Collie. He was found at the Westlock Vet clinic as a stray and they took him in, feed him, and waited for someone to claim him. No one did. The vet clinic can only keep dogs for so long before they have to put them down. Luckily, Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCARS) picked him up and took him to a foster home while they waited for someone to adopt him. This was July12. One week later, on July 19, D and I went to a meet and greet with some of the animals up for adoption with SCARS. River (formerly Mario) was quiet, hanging back from everyone else. He didn't even catch our attention until one of the ladies pointed him out.
We walked him around the store, pet him, and generally hung out. River just let us do what we wanted. He listened to our commands, even if he only understood half of them, and was very well behaved. When other dogs were aggressive against him, he just turned and walked away as if he was no longer interested in where he was sitting. We think he may have been abused before he became a stray. One of the ladies was feeding him treats raised her hand too quickly and River dropped to the floor and shook like a leaf for a few moments until we all reassured him that everything was fine. He was an interesting dog.
We put in an application and slept on it. It is a big decision. By morning, we both knew that we needed to give this dog a forever home. We picked River up from the foster home on July 20 at 6:30pm. He is just as timid and shy as we saw at the meet and greet, but I'm confident that he will open up when he realizes that this is his house and that no one will hurt him here.
I may give you updates as things go on but I'm thinking of starting a second blog just for my adventures with River. I'll let you know.
PS: I haven't got the contact information for the graphic artist yet, he was on vacation last week but is coming in tonight. I'll try and book a meeting this week or next, and I'll let you know how it all turns out.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Connections
You never know when the people you meet, in the most normal circumstances, will aid you in something you want.
There is a new gentleman who started on my floor, Mike. He doesn't work in my area, or with us at all. In most cases, we would never have spoken. But he is a very outgoing person who likes to laugh with people, chat and say hi. I liked him right away.
After a couple weeks he asked me a question. "So what are your career goals, or do you really like where you are?". I told him the truth. The end goal was to quit my day job and become a writer full time. He didn't laugh.
It took a week (the week before I left) but we finally meet up in the lunch room at the same time, and he asked me all about my writing, what I was doing, how it was going. He was genuinely interested. I was impressed.
I got back from vacation, and poked my head into his office today to say hello. He told me that after our conversation about my writing he had to share it with someone, someone who might understand. He told his friend who just happens to be a graphic artist. I had told Mike that one of my stories, "Beloved Child", I wanted to turn into a graphic novel. His friend is interested, and mentioned that if it was something he couldn't do he has two graphic artist friends ( one already in the comic book industry) who might be interested.
You never know who someone is, or who they know, until it has already worked for or against you.
Moral of the Story: Everyone is valuable. Treat them that way.
There is a new gentleman who started on my floor, Mike. He doesn't work in my area, or with us at all. In most cases, we would never have spoken. But he is a very outgoing person who likes to laugh with people, chat and say hi. I liked him right away.
After a couple weeks he asked me a question. "So what are your career goals, or do you really like where you are?". I told him the truth. The end goal was to quit my day job and become a writer full time. He didn't laugh.
It took a week (the week before I left) but we finally meet up in the lunch room at the same time, and he asked me all about my writing, what I was doing, how it was going. He was genuinely interested. I was impressed.
I got back from vacation, and poked my head into his office today to say hello. He told me that after our conversation about my writing he had to share it with someone, someone who might understand. He told his friend who just happens to be a graphic artist. I had told Mike that one of my stories, "Beloved Child", I wanted to turn into a graphic novel. His friend is interested, and mentioned that if it was something he couldn't do he has two graphic artist friends ( one already in the comic book industry) who might be interested.
You never know who someone is, or who they know, until it has already worked for or against you.
Moral of the Story: Everyone is valuable. Treat them that way.
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Writers Mind
On the long 16 hour drive home from Victoria to Edmonton, I noticed a u-haul trailer left on the side of the road. Now to most people, this would be something to note and then forget, but I will take this example to explain the difference between normal people and writers.
I saw the trailer and immediately asked myself, why would someone leave a trailer on the side of the highway? I saw that the blinking hazard lights were on, and wondering why someone wouldn't be worried about the batteries dying? They must be coming back right away. But why would they leave?
I looked around. The trailer was left at the bottom of a dip in the road. Ahead and behind were hills and a large truck pulling a trailer may have trouble climbing with any speed. So the person probably needed to leave in a hurry. In steps my imagination.
I closed my eyes for a moment and saw a man trying to run from someone and ditched the trailer to get away, but that didn't work with my theory on leaving the lights on, so I scraped it. I then saw a couple, the wife a pregnant woman who had gone into labour early. Yes that worked.
You see in my mind I saw that the man and woman were traveling away from Kamloops, north. They were about twenty minutes away when she went into labour. The man pulled over to the side of the road, and when they realized it would make the best sense to turn around and go back to a Kamloops hospital, the man had lost any momentum needed to climb the hill they just came down. If he wanted to get his wife to the hospital quickly, they would have to ditch the trailer. But my mind wouldn't let it be so easy.
The trailer had to have something important in it. Perhaps they were moving? No, it is was too small of a trailer. Maybe he was selling something? Vegetables? No you would need something with ventilation. It would have to be something stacked. Woodwork? Yes. The man was a master wood carver and inside the trailer was his finest pieces. He was going north to try and sell them. Would he be traveling far north? Yes, perhaps all the way to Jasper where he would have the most luck selling his work for top dollar. His wife was only 8 months pregnant and so they should have been fine for a week in Jasper.
So he must leave his master carvings on the side of the road and travel back to the Kamloops to ensure his wife has a safe delivery. He speeds like a mad man. Half because he wants his wife to be safe within the hospital walls, and half because he wants to get back to the trailer.
They reached the hospital within 20 minutes, and the doctors said that the baby boy was on his way. It would be a fast delivery. Now the man had to make another choice. Go back and get the trailer, or stay and watch the birth of his first born....
D broke into my thoughts and asked me how far away the next town was. I took out the map and told him as if I hadn't just create an impossible story in my mind over the last few minutes. Sometimes I wonder how accurate I am (or not) when I create stories like this.
Sometimes I wonder if writers are sane at all....
I saw the trailer and immediately asked myself, why would someone leave a trailer on the side of the highway? I saw that the blinking hazard lights were on, and wondering why someone wouldn't be worried about the batteries dying? They must be coming back right away. But why would they leave?
I looked around. The trailer was left at the bottom of a dip in the road. Ahead and behind were hills and a large truck pulling a trailer may have trouble climbing with any speed. So the person probably needed to leave in a hurry. In steps my imagination.
I closed my eyes for a moment and saw a man trying to run from someone and ditched the trailer to get away, but that didn't work with my theory on leaving the lights on, so I scraped it. I then saw a couple, the wife a pregnant woman who had gone into labour early. Yes that worked.
You see in my mind I saw that the man and woman were traveling away from Kamloops, north. They were about twenty minutes away when she went into labour. The man pulled over to the side of the road, and when they realized it would make the best sense to turn around and go back to a Kamloops hospital, the man had lost any momentum needed to climb the hill they just came down. If he wanted to get his wife to the hospital quickly, they would have to ditch the trailer. But my mind wouldn't let it be so easy.
The trailer had to have something important in it. Perhaps they were moving? No, it is was too small of a trailer. Maybe he was selling something? Vegetables? No you would need something with ventilation. It would have to be something stacked. Woodwork? Yes. The man was a master wood carver and inside the trailer was his finest pieces. He was going north to try and sell them. Would he be traveling far north? Yes, perhaps all the way to Jasper where he would have the most luck selling his work for top dollar. His wife was only 8 months pregnant and so they should have been fine for a week in Jasper.
So he must leave his master carvings on the side of the road and travel back to the Kamloops to ensure his wife has a safe delivery. He speeds like a mad man. Half because he wants his wife to be safe within the hospital walls, and half because he wants to get back to the trailer.
They reached the hospital within 20 minutes, and the doctors said that the baby boy was on his way. It would be a fast delivery. Now the man had to make another choice. Go back and get the trailer, or stay and watch the birth of his first born....
D broke into my thoughts and asked me how far away the next town was. I took out the map and told him as if I hadn't just create an impossible story in my mind over the last few minutes. Sometimes I wonder how accurate I am (or not) when I create stories like this.
Sometimes I wonder if writers are sane at all....
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