1. The last sketch I made in my sketchbook was a clever design for a bookcase that spells the word “Sleuth” out of all 58 books (digital rendering coming soon) - I drew it last night when I couldn’t sleep because I thought the idea was too good.
2. The last conversation with my mother regarding my trip home for Xmas was about bringing an extra empty suitcase in order to facilitate the transfer of all 58 books from Whitby, Ontario to here. Little known factoid: Leslie McFarlane, who ghost-wrote many of the Books under the guise of Franklin W. Dixon is from Whitby, Ontario!
3. The best gift I ever received was from my sister, who four Decembers ago gave me the only book in the series that had previously eluded my grasp: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk - actually she gave me a wrapped box with a low resolution ink-jet photo of the book inside, Amazon.ca gave me the book 4 days later.
4. I never fear being ambushed and tied up by ne’er-do-wells. If such a situation ever arose, I would obvs employ an old Fenton Hardy trick: secretly flex all the muscles in your body when being tied up, then once the smugglers think you are sufficiently restrained, relax and it should allow enough slack to slip free of your bonds, next chafe your wrists together to get the feeling back in your hands before finally punching all the smugglers in the solar plexus so they double over.
5. The only thing I wanted for my birthday for the past two years was season 1 and 2 of the Hardy Boys original television series. Sadly, this will remain the only thing I want for my birthday this year as well.

1:20 am  •  18 November 2008