Star of the show

To think that we enrolled Kassie in a Montessori School at age three because we thought her overly shy. Today she came home to tell us she has the lead in the school play: Pippi Longstocking. The show is in March. We'll keep you posted (no pun intended).

Time to clean up the CSS...again

Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) Version 7 will soon be upon us, forcing web designers back to the drawing board. If you're a stickler like me, and only create web pages in strict mode, then many of the hacks used to force IE to render as well as gecko-based web browsers (such as Firefox and Netscape) will no longer work: the star hack, for instance, as well as the body child hack. Conditional statements appear to be the way to go but, seriously now, what a lot of trouble. Why can't Microsoft just get it right? Of course, many web designers keep IE on their machines just to check how disastrously wrong good code can become in a bad browser, and would feel no hesitation whatsoever in uninstalling the program the instant it figures out how to behave itself. Bill Gates is no fool.

If you're a Firefox fan, try this nifty tool to help you de-hack your CSS (I can't live without it): Chris Pederick's Web Developer Extension. If you're devoted to IE, try the new Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar. I haven't yet given it a go but the reviews aren't half bad.

Riveting read

I'm an historical fiction fan and a crime caper addict as well. Think Iain Pears, even CSI Las Vegas in a pinch. Recently a friend loaned me a dog-eared copy of The Cassock and the Crown, a true-crime story about a murder that took place in Montreal in the 1920s. Written by the grandson of the judge who presided over the first trial, the book tells the story of "Canada's most controversial murder trial", the four trials of 35-year-old Catholic priest Adelard Delorme who was accused of murdering his brother Raoul. The book reads like a work of fiction, replete with quirky characters, of which Adelard takes the cake, evokes a city landscape rich with culture, describes one of the first uses of both ballistics and forensics in the Canadian judicial system, and attempts to tackle issues such as the role of notoriety in a court case and the rivalry between Church and State. The Cassock and the Crown has all the makings of a good movie, in fact.

Hint of snow

In honour of autumn, I've attached a photo from our recent visit to Niagara Falls (American side). It's snowing right now, so it seemed only fitting to post this as Winter fast approaches.

On to the next step

I've written the book. Written the cover letter and synopsis. Sent it all off. Waited for the confirmation letter from the publisher attesting to its safe arrival. Rushed to pick up the mail as soon as I heard it drop through the mail slot for two, maybe three weeks, then gave it up as other things took over my time.

Yesterday the publisher contacted me to request the remainder of the manuscript which I dutifully sent off. Keep your fingers crossed I make it to the next step in the process.

Baptism by beer

I attended my first live hockey game over the weekend between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres while we were visiting friends in Buffalo, New York. The rink is smaller than it appears on television and the players much larger, particularly if you're sitting two rows behind the penalty box as we were. Thanks Jamie! Surprisingly, we were surrounded by Canadiens fans, much to my husband's glee, no doubt displaced Montrealers living in nearby Toronto. The game was exciting, eliciting many sighs, cheers and collective groans, not to mention drunken camaraderie and, on a few scant occasions, its direct antithesis. And, oh yeah, a dousing of yours truly by a jubilant fan.