Farmstead Wines announced a photo contest recently and there are still prizes left.

Post a photo to Twitter, TwitPic, Flickr wearing your Farmstead button or drinking a bottle of Farmstead wine. Really, even if there are no prizes left, wear your button, drink the wine. It will change your life (or at least your opinion of good wine).

Quote: Vinaroon: Wine is grown, not made

Get the details.

Despite my bleary eyes, lack of sleep and general clumsiness today, I managed to dress up and go on a field trip to the Chanel Boutique, where I was lucky enough to secure, not one but, two sample bottles! These are generally given out if you purchase one of the regular bottles for $245.

No. 18 and Coromandel are in the bottles.

I came to San Francisco for the Edward Tufte workshop. Basically it’s all about graphics, tables and visual representation of data, a little bit of statistical analysis, a pinch of PPT ranting and the general goodness that comes from learning new things from a guy who sees it all as old hat.

One of my favourite quotes today was, “you want to keep an open mind, but not an empty head.”

I tucked in some sight seeing while I was there. A reconnaissance mission really. I must go back. (Salt House had the best gnocchi ever.)

The ginger bread houses (or ships) at the Palace Hotel were yummy looking.

The Palace Hotel is gorgeous, and right across the street from The Sentinel, the best lunch counter ever.

Mushy ice skating in front of Macy’s seemed to be a popular source of evening entertainment. Although it’s cold, it’s not Winnipeg cold.

Thank goodness I found the groove. The street buskers (steps from my hotel) were throwing down the 8-counts. Edward was a tap dancing machine. He knows Dormeisha and Jason, Lady Di, Joel Hanna, all the tappers in my world. Albeit, it’s a world I should return to before I lose my place.

My trip ended with a crazy airport experience.

Here’s the Free Speech Booth where the solicitation of funds may occur. Really, what is this?

AirCanada decided to change our aircraft at the last minute, which meant a 1-hour delay. The flight attendants got on the new plane only to discover that the catering carts were not moved over, which led to another hour delay. When we finally got on the plane, they discovered the wing flaps weren’t working. The single mechanic on duty tirelessly worked away at the problem for another hour. After 2 hours and 45 minutes of delay we were on our way. Good thing I was at the airport so early, f-sharp. In flight, they realized the customs cards were no where to be found. An agent met us at the gate with them, although they were US customs cards, which are entirely useless when entering CANADA! I’m sure the flight attendants were as happy to finish the trip as the passengers. What a gong show.

I’ve had Bernidy Bunny since I was 3.

He got lost a couple of years ago when my mom and I were cleaning up her storage locker. I set him aside to bring home and he somehow got lost. I was sad.

Two days ago was my brother’s birthday and he got a bunny puppet with crazy eyes, which prompted my mom to say, “hey I found your rabbit when I was getting my Christmas decorations out.”

Hooray for Christmas!

You can see my rabbit has been roughed up a bit. Ears and whiskers askew. Poor bunny.

Shopping at Barnes & Noble between December 4 and 10th? Use the HP Education Fanon Bookfair voucher (cite #352096) and a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to HPEF for their literacy endeavours.

Here’s the full scope from the HPEF newsletter:
Quote:
MAKE THIS A VERY HARRY HOLIDAY BY SUPPORTING THE HPEF BEEDLE BOOKFAIR AT BARNES & NOBLE!

Are you planning to buy a copy or twelve of The Tales of Beedle the Bard this holiday season? Wait! Be sure you get your Beedle from a Barnes & Noble store between Thursday, December 4th (the release day for the new book by JK Rowling!) and Wednesday, December 10th using the HPEF Bookfair voucher. In fact, make all your holiday book, CD, and DVD purchases during the Bookfair dates! Every B&N purchase made then and using the voucher or the HPEF number of 352096 will have a portion of the proceeds donated back to HPEF to continue our literacy endeavors.

So how can you help? Go to any Barnes & Noble from December 4-10, 2008. Shop in the store for anything, that’s right, ANYTHING.* Take all your items to the cashier, and give them the voucher or Bookfair number before you pay. After you’ve made your purchase, take your items home, and know that you just helped HPEF. And if your B&N has a Cafe, use the voucher for those lattes and scones you get. Every penny helps.

You can double your giving. Every B&N has a Holiday Book Drive. When you come into your store, select a book to purchase and donate to their Book Drive recipient and use the Bookfair voucher. One purchase helps HPEF and a child in your community. See a bookseller in your local store for details.

It’s really that easy. Every single purchase you make during our Bookfair helps. It’s your gift to us without having to worry about what’s on our wish list. Make the gift even better by forwarding this email and information on to everyone you know,family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, other HP fans, and anyone else you can think of. You don’t have to be a part of HPEF to make a beneficial Bookfair purchase, and you don’t have to buy just HP titles. Anyone can buy anything to help. It’s such an easy way to help in these tough economic times.

Want to know more? Need a voucher? Visit our page here for further details and a full FAQ. In advance, thank you for your support, and a very safe and happy holiday season to you and yours.

Heather French
HPEF Bookfair Liaison

*Ok, there’s a few exceptions,no gift cards, textbooks, magazine subscriptions, or membership fees will apply to the Bookfair. But, really, anything else helps!

Publishers Weekly read like an obituary today:

S&S Cuts 35 Jobs

Thomas Nelson Cuts 54 Positions

Rubin, Irwyn Applebaum Step Down in RH Reorg

Markus Dohle’s Letter to Staff continues to say, “As a result of this reorganization, Irwyn Applebaum and Steve Rubin, two colleagues who have dedicated many years of service as the publishers of Bantam Dell and Doubleday respectively, will step down from their positions as announced in the accompanying memos.”

The most promising line was, “Coordinating our online marketing and growing our digital publishing business will be further priorities.”

Give me a call.

Willard Wigan makes scultures that fit in the head of a pin, like Charlie Chaplin on the end of an eyelash.

(Thanks to AdHack for the link.)

My birthday usually lasts the full month. This behaviour wasn’t instituted by me. It came about because as a teen I lived in one place with lots of lovely friends and had lots of other lovely friends in another city. It meant that I got used to stretching out a birthday in order to make myself and others feel good about not being able to celebrate together on my actual birthday. The practice that started due to geography soon became habit so even now I love stretching out the celebrations.

This year was a truncated celebration. I was away in Jordan during the lead-up to my birthday, in a perfume workshop the weekend of my birthday, and have been bustling away with work since my birthday. The birthday celebration was Sunday night (Nov. 16) and there’s only been a quiet smattering of birthday wishes since. Not my usual full-blown agenda so I was very excited to get a bunch of cool mail this week.

Not in the mail, but stumbled up via Flickr, here’s the photo of my birthday party filling a full theatre row. (Thanks Travis.)

Thursday Andrew Zuckerman’s Creature arrived in the mail. Lovely, beautiful photographs from an amazing photographer. Andrew Zuckerman’s Wisdom is another worthwhile book (watch the video on his site). But Creature is eye-candy for the animal lover. It is about souls beyond human souls.

Friday afternoon my perfume oils from Eden Botanicals arrived. I’m looking forward to playing with the Black Currant.

Saturday morning the doorbell brought this tasty selection of treats from the Sherrett household. Thank you Linda!

Sunday morning the doorbell brought Alice Feiring’s The Battle for Wine and Love.

A perfect end to November. Thank you all.

Today was the book launch for Wenda the Wacky Wiggler by Christopher Aslan, illustrated by Emily Mullock.

Wenda is a girl after my own heart. She is a wacky wiggler. Even at night asleep in her bed, a tune is going through her head. She wiggles and waltzes, dances and prances, much to the chagrin of the townsfolk who want this dancing to stop. How horrid. Thankfully Wenda wins them over in the end.

Wenda the Wacky Wiggler is published by my friend Meghan Spong, who is a great designer and production woman, and now publisher-owner of Benjamin Brown Books.

There are a couple of books on the list and if you want beautiful picture books with great stories and excellent production quality, support Benjamin Brown Books. Go to a bookstore and ask for Wenda the Wacky Wiggler.