Each decade has far surpassed the one before it, so I have high hopes for this one. It’s starting off well — I’m sitting in my cozy little condo, enjoying the company of my three boys (one human, two feline) and hordes of online friends via Facebook, Twitter, journals, and World of Warcraft. It’s a good day to feel both treasured and rich at the same time.

Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes, and for sharing the adventure with me. I can’t imagine what life would be like without so many awesome people to explore it with.

Last night we had dinner at Cafe Carolina, our favorite restaurant. It’s a lovely little family-run authentic Italian place with amazing food. (If you visit, we’ll take you!)

We started with a warm spinach and mushroom salad that has one of the best flavor profiles of anything I’ve ever tasted. I could eat that salad every day for the rest of my life, and still love every bite. For our main courses, Chris opted for the flat iron steak and I went with the seared ahi, a dish I’d never seen on the special menu before. Here’s a pic:

From Food and Drink

Simply the best seared ahi I’ve ever had. The garlic spinach was also delicious. At this point, I’ve tried almost every dessert on the menu, but we both opted for lighter fare: the Affogato al caffe. Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and a shot of espresso to pour over them both. YUM.

To make the evening extra special, I wore a dress for the first time EVER, outside of a wedding/Wiscon/costume situation. It went over pretty well with Chris, so I may have to find opportunities to wear it more than once a year. :)

Me and Chris, looking forward to many more years together:

From 2010 Photobook

This dude sat in the middle of the street, guarding the closing ceremonies location.

From 2010 Photobook

Mmmm, mochi! I’d never had fresh mochi ice cream before (the mochi from Trader Joe’s just doesn’t compare), and I loved it! I nabbed chocolate and mango first, and was so excited that I nommed on the chocolate before remembering to snap a picture. After these, I went back for another chocolate. So good!

From 2010 Photobook

Here I am with my new BFF, a strange green bird thing. He/She/It cruised around the taiko area, looking absurdly adorable and trying not to pass out from the heat.

From 2010 Photobook

Although we only spent a few hours at the festival, we had a blast. I definitely want to go again next year and spend a little more time eating. Er… I mean exploring the cultural displays. Yeah. :)

Although free themes are perfect for people who want simple site designs or whose sites are for personal use, I always recommend that people who want professional sites pony up a few bucks for a really well-designed WordPress theme. Not only will these themes have more features and better design standards (on the whole), they usually come with some sort of customer support so you can ask questions while you’re customizing your blog. Also, it’s a good idea to financially support talented theme designers so they can continue to make us look great. And hey, none of my favorite sites charge a whole lot anyway.

ElegantThemes.com ($)

This is, by far, my favorite site for new WordPress themes. For a single fee of $39 (it was $20 when I joined), you get access to all themes, past and future. Yep, just one small fee for all of them. Nick releases new themes regularly and listens to user feedback. He keeps all the themes current, so even the older styles work with the latest versions of WordPress. On top of that, I love the clean lines in his designs and his understanding of typography. Browse the gallery, check out all the different color options for each design, and play with the live demos. If you don’t like any of his current designs, chances are you’ll like one in the future. He’s always trying new things.

RocketTheme.com ($$)

These folks build very slick, very complicated themes. I’m using one now, and I bet I could configure it to do my dishes if I tried hard enough. Seriously — they offer gorgeous themes (each with variations) and most have a serious artistic edge. They’re more expensive and their terms of use for the WordPress Theme Club are a little more complicated. I had to really push the limits of my (albeit limited) HTML, CSS, and PHP knowledge to modify the theme how I wanted, and I still don’t have it quite right. But the customer support has been great, and the files have been well organized. If you like the themes as they are, or if you don’t mind fiddling around with code, check these themes out. (Just make sure you stay in the WordPress section — they also offer themes for different platforms.)

ThemeForest.net ($$)

This is the consignment store of the WordPress Theme world. Lots of different designers submit themes to sell. They are theoretically all vetted for quality, but I’ve definitely purchased a few lemons along the way. I created the current Cosmic Toast Studios website with a theme from this site, and it worked exceptionally well right away. Pay close attention to the ratings on each theme and don’t take anything for granted. Sometimes an obvious, essential feature will be missing from an otherwise brilliant design.

Smashing Magazine Theme Lists (FREE)

Smashing Magazine frequently compiles lists of free or paid WordPress Themes — the best of the best, in their eyes. I’ve found tons of excellent free themes this way, and it saves you the trouble of sifting through hundreds of mediocre or poorly coded themes. You can search on “WordPress Themes” at the magazine’s site, but pay attention to the date of the article. Older themes are frequently not updated for newer versions of WordPress, and they seldom take advantage of the new and improved features of the platform. Smashing Magazine’s 100 Free High-Quality WordPress Themes for 2010.

Got any favorite WordPress Theme sites or lists? Please share!

Some exciting things about writing a sequel:
- I already know most of the main characters, and I still love them.
- I already know the background for the world and most of its rules.
- I get to explore all sorts of ideas that didn’t fit into book one.
- I get to explore more of the world.
- I get to deepen the characters.
- I get to continue building the bigger story.

Some requirements (imo) for a sequel:
- It should have some of the things readers liked about book 1.
- It should have enough differences from book 1 to keep it fresh.
- I must convey the events of book 1 without too much exposition.
- I must create a satisfying conclusion while simultaneously leaving the door open for book 3.
- I must find new things with which to surprise readers, now that they’re used to the world.
- I must figure out the next steps in each characters’ internal development.

So I’m curious. As a reader, what do you look for in “book 2″ of a trilogy? Are you open to drastic changes in tone or subject (think Tombs of Atuan as a follow-up to Wizard of Earthsea)? Do you want the first book all over again? Or are you looking for something else entirely?

If you’re a writer, I’m open to tips and advice. What are you thinking about when you start book 2?

I’m having a hard time articulating my feelings about the weekend because the experience so exceeded my expectations. Honestly, I thought I’d feel awkward at Club Med, as I don’t often frequent such resorts, but it was really quite casual and convenient. I also didn’t expect to meet such amazing people, and to form such strong bonds with them so quickly. I mean, I suspected they’d all be smart, talented, and funny professionals, but it was their generosity, passion, and authenticity took me by surprise. There was even one conversation that moved me to tears repeatedly, and made me talk about something I rarely ever talk about with anyone.

And hey, I finally got to meet my awesome agent, Joe Monti, in person! That alone was worth the travel time.

Now that I’m home, my brain feels overstuffed with ideas. I added something like four dozen books and graphic novels to my reading list and am dying to read all of them immediately. But the cool thing? I’m not just excited about my own books now — I’m excited about every project I heard about at the retreat. I feel refreshed, energized, and inspired.

So, thanks to Barry, Joe, and Beth, and all the other Camp Barry attendees for a fantastic weekend. I can’t wait till next year!

Any questions about the retreat? Please ask!

You know what’s weird? Being called “the talent.” Also weird was not doing all the set up like I used to do for Cosmic Toast green screen shoots. And being asked what I wanted for lunch. And basically being the center of attention for two producers, a director, a sound guy, a script supervisor, and a few other fine folks.

Also weird was sitting in the huge room with the mic by myself, while everyone else sat beyond the glass in the recording room. I could see them all talking, but could only hear them when the director pressed a button to speak to me directly. Usually, it was something like, “Line 363, page 72,” or “More energy!” or “Pretend that you’re getting kicked in the face while you say that line,” or even “We need you to scream a really long time.”

(The screaming? That was fun. I’ve only ever screamed that long and that loud in my car, by myself.)

Here I am in the studio after we wrapped the dialogue portion of the day. I’m exhausted and I’ve been wearing that headset for hours. (Lesson learned: never wear earrings to a voice over session.)

From 2010 Photobook

Here’s a look at the script. (I’ll tell you more about the movie when I can — I’m not sure what the protocol is, and don’t want to take any chances.) All those pink highlights and pink tabs indicate my lines.

From 2010 Photobook

Overall, the work was hard in a way I’ve never experienced before. Being “the talent,” having so many people count on me, never letting self-doubt creep into my mind (or shooing it away the instant it did)… it was nothing short of amazing. It felt a lot like my second-degree black belt test — you never know what you can accomplish until you push yourself past what you think are your limits. (As my (very wise) buddy David said in the song recording session later, “Never set your own limits.”)

I was very lucky to work with such great people during the day. Everyone was professional, kind, and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I now have the warm glow of having answered this particular call to adventure.

I’ll say up front that I’m not a huge fan of any of these shows, but I do watch them and I find their formulas interesting:

Eureka (2006) came first, and centers around a town filled with geniuses. In most episodes, an item of technology or a scientific experiment intentionally or unintentionally causes a problem that the heroes must solve.

Warehouse 13 (2009) came next. In each episode, a historical supernatural artifact intentionally or unintentionally causes a problem that the heroes must solve.

Haven (2010) is the most recent show. In each episode, a person in the town of Haven with supernatural abilities intentionally or unintentionally causes a problem that the heroes must solve.

There’s a specific team of “good guys” in each show that save the day. I find all the characters generally likable but nothing special… as I find all the shows. There’s a safe blandness, yet comfort in their faithful delivery on their premises. You know exactly what you’re going to get in each episode, but you tune in for the journey. (Keep this in mind the next time you’re tempted to make fun of a romance novel!)

I’m not trying to bash these shows — I watch them, after all! — I’m just pointing out a formula I’ve noticed. Is SyFy on to something here? Do you like these shows? If you like one, do you like the others?

It’s not surprising news, as Frolov has been in the doghouse with King’s management for a long time now. Personally, I think his “crime” was being an introvert on a team that wanted only extroverts. He’s a quiet player, given to self-deprecating smiles on the ice. He’s also an amazing left winger — clearly top-six forward material — who has been relegated to the third line for last year. I’m telling myself this will be good for his career, but I’m still sad I won’t get to see him play anymore.

(Also, he is wicked cute.)

Sports fandom is still so new for me, and I really don’t like this part.