The Brown Knowser

One of the things that I like to do as an aside to writing my fiction is developing certain characters. I want the people in my fiction to be as believable as possible, so I devise a history for those people. Whether I actually use those histories in the story itself doesn't matter; what matters is that I know those characters as well as I know real people. When I was writing Songsaengnim , I gave great consideration to Roland's mother, Kate. Because she had also lived through a tragedy, I wanted her to be one of the guiding figures in Roland's life. A couple of years ago, I started writing a history of Kate Axam and was considering using it in my novel, but it got shelved before I finished it. By mistake, I accidentally posted it with the rough chapters that I had on my novel's blog site. A friend read it and then contacted me about it, saying she didn't understand what it was that I was adding to the story. I pulled the passage immediately. It wasn't int...

2010: Edinburgh & North Berwick, Scotland

I hate being sick. Last week, I got hit with a flu bug that kept me in bed, unable to do anything except sip a few liquids, for about three days. During that time, the only thoughts that went through my head are: I'm so cold; I ache; I don't want to eat; I hope my family doesn't catch this; I can't blog. Believe it or not, it bothered me that I couldn't muster enough energy to write a blog post. I couldn't sit up long enough to start up my laptop, nor did I have the mental faculties to come up with anything that I could type up for The Brown Knowser . Drinking a beer and writing about it was out of the question. Even digging up a photo to post was a daunting task. And so I lay in bed and rested, tried desperately to get better. During my fits and fevers, I had some pretty disturbing dreams: one, in which I was an acrobat on a flying trapeze that used bungee cords. Me, with my fear of heights, plunged about five stories before the cord would swing me, whi...

Photo by Jennifer Churchill Last November, I asked you to check out one of Ottawa's gems of the music scene, Amanda Cottreau . I hope that you did. I know, I ask a lot of my readers: buy my book , try this beer, check out that artist... but have I ever steered you wrong? If you did, in fact, check out Amanda's music , you know that I was spot-on when I said that she has an ethereal voice that warms the heart, haunts the soul (and believe me, I'm using haunt in a good way). Amanda's music plays all the time now on my portable device. And because I carry that device with me everywhere, I hear her in the house, in the car, at the office, and in the gym (when I actually do go there). Now, I want to hear her on the radio. And this is where I once again call on you, my wonderful readers, for your help. CBC Music and Ottawa's All In A Day are looking for the next Best New Artist. And they are calling on fans to vote for their favourite. I've already vo...

No, not sordid. But I can do that. Just not today. Unless I'm running a Where In Ottawa contest, Monday's have been reserved for beer reviews. But that ends today. From now on, my beer reviews are going to run exclusively on my Beer O'Clock blog. I'm sure some of you are relieved, as there is now less confusion. Is he writing about beer on his Brown Knowser blog? WTF? Beer O'Clock is in two places?? Now, Beer O'Clock is in one place: at Beer O'Clock . And there is a post there today , so go. Now. Cheers!

By the time that the middle of February rolls around, I finally start to think that winter is almost over. The days are noticeably longer and the temperatures become bearable. And though it will be at least six more weeks before the snow will be mostly gone, I still look at now as the beginning of the end. This is also the last weekend of Winterlude in Ottawa, and this year, the festival is ending with a beer festival on Sparks Street. I think every festival should end with beer (and start with beer). I am the official photographer of the WinterBrewed event, so if you're there either today or tomorrow and you see me, be sure to come over and say "hi." If you're relaxing this weekend, take a few minutes to catch up on this week's posts in The Brown Knowser . Beer O'Clock: Did I Wait Too Long? —a review of a beer that I bought last July. Usually, a beer never lasts this long in my possession. Of Dark Horses —remember the post I wrote a couple of weeks a...

So, how was your Valentine's Day? Even though I screwed up plans for the big V Day , it turned out just fine. I spent the evening with the three most-important girls in my life. And we stuffed ourselves on amazing homemade food. And candy. Before it was all gone, I thought I'd capture some. And then put that photo through a couple of Kaleidoscope effects. I hope that your Valentine's Day went as you had planned it. Or better for not being planned. Happy Friday.

I screwed up. I forgot to make dinner reservations. Though my wife celebrates all of the chocolate holidays—Easter, Hallowe'en, Christmas, and Valentine's Day—we never really make a big deal about the holiday of love. So, when we talked about dinner plans and she reminded me that we had a gift certificate for an Ottawa restaurant, I said that I'd make us reservations for tonight. And then I promptly forgot. On Monday, as we drove into work together, I was asked if I made reservations. That's when I remembered that I had forgotten. I said I'd call when I got to my office. But then I forgot until she called later that morning to remind me. And so I called as soon as she and I hung up. Of course, the restaurant was booked solid. They could take us at 3. Or at 10. Too early and too late. And so, I screwed up. But I do say this to my dear wife. I may forget some things, but I never forget the most important things in life. Like you, and our life togethe...

More photos on Flickr

He never wanted to be there in the first place. It's not that he was treated badly or that he was ignored. It's just that when he was there, he was bored. He had nothing to do. He was a spectator, nothing more. And though he liked the horses, they didn't like him. They would snort and sputter, turn their ears down, stomp their hooves in the dirt. He kept his distance from them, and so they, for the most part, did the same. The farm hands ignored him too. He stayed out of their way, let them take care of the horses, muck out the stalls in the barn, ensure that all of the fences stayed strong and secure, would hold the horses, keep them properly enclosed. He was there to keep a watch on his sister, make sure that she wasn't alone with the instructor or any of the farm hands. It wasn't that their parents thought the men from this riding school were dishonourable or untrustworthy; if they felt that way, his sister wouldn't be there in the first place. But it seemed ...

There's a problem in hoarding beer: eventually, you have to drink it? Not much of a problem, is it? Sometimes, I buy a beer and put it in my cellar, telling myself that I'll drink it at a special occasion or that I'll wait until I have a theme. But then a special release will present itself, or a limited-release seasonal will come out. And I put those beers down as a priority, tell myself that I have to get a review out for those first, so that my readers, if they're interested, can get some for yourselves. You're welcome. But then those other beers fall behind and I never seem to find the right time to open them. Take this week's beer, for example. Last July, when I vacationed with my family along the eastern seaboard of the United States, we made some stops along the way and I visited a couple of brew pubs. I took notes and wrote some reviews, which, if you haven't read before, you can read here . And here . When we spent a couple of days i...

I'll get to this week's roundup of The Brown Knowser in a moment, but first I must clear up some unfinished business (which relates to this week's post). My Where In Ottawa challenge was solved just before lunch time on Friday. That is to say, the person who left her answer on my blog post won the challenge. Some folks contacted me earlier in the week, as early as Tuesday, and told me that they had the solution, but weren't sure. Or they've won before, and wanted to give someone else a chance. Let me be clear: as soon as you think you know the location in the photo, leave your comment. Right away. If you're wrong, no big deal: you can keep playing. Maybe your next guess will be correct. And if you've won in the past, you can win again. Why not earn yourself a winning streak? Several people have won multiple times. That's great! Those folks can feel proud in knowing Ottawa very well. They can't earn any more copies of Songsaengnim , but they c...

I'm toying with an idea for a 365-photo project but I don't know how it will fly. You see, I'm not comfortable with the subject. I've enjoyed the picture-a-day-for-a-year projects that others have undertaken. My favourite is from my friend, Christophe Ledent, who runs his Ottawa Seen 365 Ways in 365 Days blog. His photos are simply inspiring and creative and use light in ways that I only wish I could capture. Another friend, Tamara Manning , took a picture a day for a day and posted them on Instagram. Tamara has a great eye and a creative mind, and set up some unique images. I take plenty of shots around the city, but I couldn't maintain a creative streak every day. And I don't have the artist's mind that Tamara exhibits. I'm thinking of going simple. At the risk of seeming like a self-centered navel-gazer, I'm thinking of taking a self portrait every day for 365 days. For me, self portraits are hard. You have to think of a setting, of a...

So, it's over. The Canadian penny is no more. As of Monday, the Royal Canadian Mint no longer pumps out the little copper coin * that weighs down my pockets and fills the dish on my dresser. It seems, in Canada, that a penny saved is time well wasted. Other terms and phrases that will phase out, along with rotary-dial telephones, Beta video cassettes, and smoking in doctors' offices will include the following: Penny loafers A penny for your thoughts Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes... Pennies from Heaven ( Knock knock knock )... Penny... ( knock knock knock )... Penny... ( knock knock knock )... Penny Find a penny, pick it up, then all day you'll have good luck Somewhere in my boxes of things I never look at any more, I have a booklet that holds pennies of every year from 1919 to some time in the late '70s. That's when I got bored of collecting them and became interested in other things. Like girls. R.I.P., penny. You will colour our wishi...

For a relatively smart guy, I'm not that smart. Luckily, I have friends who keep me in check. For years, I've been tasting wine and beer, keeping notes, and sharing them when I get the chance. I have recorded notes on scraps of paper, on my iPhone, on my iPad, and even in my head (I have a great memory for flavours). But I've never had a true method of keeping track of what I'm drinking. Until now. A couple weeks ago, I received a package in the mail from a buddy of mine in Guelph, Stuart. Because of the size and feel of the package, I thought immediately that it was a book. I was excited, thinking that Stu had published another book and was surprising me with a copy, or that he had found a really good read and was passing it on. The book was neither, but pleased me nonetheless. It was a beer diary. In the accompanying note, Stu said that he wasn't sure if I already had one of these, but when he saw it he thought of me and my reviews, and decided to se...

Last month's Where In Ottawa challenge was solved too quickly—within a couple of hours of posting the photo. This month, I'm hoping that I make the challenge just that: a challenge. On the day that I posted my Wordless Wednesday that revealed last month's location, the Mackenzie King Estates at Moorside (or is it Moorside on the Mackenzie King Estates?), I looked through some of my photo archives and found a photo that jumped out (or did it trot out?). Here is February's challenge. And for those of you who don't know the rules, they are simple: When you have identified this location (and be as specific as possible), leave your answer in the Comments section for this post. No e-mail messages, tweets, or Facebook posts will be accepted. If you have already won a Where In Ottawa challenge, you can still play to earn bragging rights, but no giveaway will be awarded. You already have it anyway. If you have been to this location with me at any time, you ...