Christmas 2011
Hello dear friends and family, once again another year has passed and left us wondering ‘what happened?!’ For fun, Clayton and I decided to present our newsletter in multiple-choice form! Answers are at the bottom (no peeking). Unfortunately the only prize you can claim is the smug knowledge that you know us better than ourselves! Scary :-O.
1. What was one of the COOLEST things that happened this year?
a) Clayton shaved his beard.
b) Sue got to see Further in Canandaigua NY and stayed at a haunted B & B.
c) Hank discovered a ‘new smell’.
2. How many 24 hr. Comics Day Events did Sue attend this year and how many did she complete?
a) Attended 2 and succeeded at 1.
b) Attended 1 and didn’t pull it off.
c) Attended 47 and hurt herself badly.
3. Amazing things happened to Clayton this year. Put them in order of importance (to him)!
a) Discovered Netflix.
b) Found a stray kitten attached to the house in a rainstorm.
c) Successfully completed a 24 Hour Comics Day challenge.
d) Coordinated three Ottawa Comic Jam events solo.
4. Working at Brain Power Studio has many, many perks!
a) We get to weigh everyone’s brain during meetings.
b) Our Secretary of the Interior is an orange cat named Max.
c) Having our first corporate retreat at Great Wolf Lodge, sweet ‘Brain Power’ running shoes, going on a 2 day Pixar workshop in Montreal.
5. Cooking figured in many blog posts and Facebook status updates. What was the MOST successful recipe attempted?
a) Dijon Dill Maple chicken.
b) Butternut-sweet potato soup.
c) Roasted cauliflower Parmesan.
6. What travel method got used this year?
a) Planes, trains and automobiles
b) Planes, trains, automobiles and buses
c) Swimming, mostly
7. This year, we attended lots of fun bday parties. Sort them in the order they happened!
a) Micheline’s party prompted crazy stunts & surprises, as well as the design of a silly card.
b) Tom’s party included a spontaneous comic jam with Lara & Mia and introduced us to Telestrations (a fun drawing game)
c) Keith’s bday brunch hit the right note with spectacular Dim Sum and hilarious stories.
8. How many children’s books did Sue draw this year, for whom and where can we get ‘em?
a) 47 and hurt herself badly…
b) 3 for Swordfish Toys in Australia & 1 for local author Bobby Salvin. The Aus books are currently in production, ‘Momma’s Magic’ is available from Sue, Bobby, Art Mad in Stittsville or Chapters in Kanata.
c) Children’s books? Nahh the real money‘s in independent COMIX!
9. This year saw the 2nd anniversary of the Ottawa Comic Jam. What other comic-related things happened?
a) Troy’s Comic Book Shark Week celebrated in Summerside PEI.
b) The launch of the Orleans/East End Comic Jam group (December 2011)
c) Making it to the Toronto Comic Con and getting to pester various celebs (and check out the DeLorean from Back to the Future).
d) Being interviewed by reporters and having to explain what a comic jam was (mostly letting them know it had nothing to do with ‘stand-up’)
10. Sue spent tons of time traveling to Upstate NY. Pick the statement that’s false!
a) The State Troopers didn’t believe that Mom was only speeding to get to the outlet stores before our dollar was no longer ‘par’.
b) April was the last trip to the clinic in Utica NY for follow-ups to Sue’s surgery.
c) Watertown features ‘The Crystal Restaurant’, a vintage 40’s jewel worth the trip!
Bonus Question!
11. Sort these Things that made 2011 spectacular and especially fun in order of MOST FUN (sub-categorized by date and time.)*
a) Sharing great times, food, stories and humour with friends and family from St. Catharines to the East Coast.
b) Sue and Mom tour the Niagara wineries with Barb.
c) Finding ‘Boz’ attached to the house and sending him to his Forever Home in Stittsville
d) Our friend Shu’s new baby, Emma entering the world Oct 31st!
e) Thanksgiving with family and friends, with surprise guest Rob Anderson!
f) Sue tackling the 3-Day Novel Contest and cranking out 141 pgs!
g) Clay leaving Lowe-Martin Ltd. to find new, creative opportunities.
h) Introducing Westin & Nadine to the pleasure of traditional RPG gaming!
i) Sue doing 2 book signings at Chapters (thanks for your support!)
j) During torrential rains, the basement refused to flood. YAY!
k) Mike & Shelagh got a brand spankin’ new house a 5 min walk from Mom.
l) Crashing the Harris Family Reunion in Fredericton, NB.
m) Sue’s review of Carol’s Hide Your Life Away accepted by the Antigonish Review (forthcoming Spring 2012).
n) Word games keeping Sue’s brain happily active vs brilliant challengers: Lisa-Marie, Danya, Carol, Bobbie, Carolyn, Mom, Fiona H, Lee, Judy, Jo, Julie, Matt and Jennifer B. Thanks!
o) Making homemade grape jelly with Mom.
p) ISHINA!
Thanks for hanging in there and playing the ‘multiple choice’ Christmas newsletter game. Lots of other things happened, but we didn’t want to turn this into a Federal Government Language Test(!) that’d take 3+ hours to complete.
hugs!
Suzanne & Clayton
Answers
1. b) 2. a) 3. a), c), b), d) 4. c), 5. b) 6. b) 7. a), c), b) 8. b), 9. They ALL happened! 10. a) *11. Are you kidding?!
