2013 - The Year that Was

It was a year.  :)  And it's just about done.  Reflecting back on it, there were more good times and things on it than bad, so we'll put it in the plus column of the ledger book.  There are some things that stick out in my memories and thoughts of the year.  Things other than the day to day activity of life that is really what living is.  :)

My blood was good all year!  Go me!  The COPD and phlebitis sucks and makes things difficult to do at times, but it is what it is.  I've not smoked in 2 and a half years, which is a good thing.  (I still do crave a good cig every once in a while, but it passes quickly.)  In the coming year, I have to find a way to get more active.  I had the greatest plans for walking when I retired but the COPD put a HUGE spoke in that wheel.  But I am going to work on that.  For now it will have to be inside because the lungs really, really, really don't like this arctic cold thing the weather has going on this winter.

I had some family and friends going through really shitty times this year and I wish I was closer to them so I could help, you know?  At the very least to offer hugs and coffee.  To them, I hope the new year brings peace, happiness, good health and a very limited amount of crapola.  *hugs them all*  

Speaking of friends, I got to know someone a whole lot better this past year and she's become a very good and close friend.  The internet is really good for some things.  

I read a lot of good books this past year, among them, Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan, the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy by Nora Roberts,  Beyond Shame, Beyond Control and Beyond Pain by Kit Rocha, Touch & Geaux by Abigail Roux, Forever Promised by Amy Lane, Catch a Ghost and Long Time Gone by SE Jakes are all among my faves.  Here is my Pinterest Board of Books I Read in 2013 if anyone is curious.  

Movies that I saw this year include Frozen from Disney that I highly recommend to anyone who will listen.  *LOL*  It turns all those Prince Charming, romance and Knights on white chargers tropes on their heads in a most wonderful way.  I wanted to have All The Daughters so I could take them to see this one.  :)  And this song... THIS SONG!!  There are no words to describe how I love this song.  Yeah, I'm a headbanger, I know, but THIS SONG!!!!

Some great TV watching this past year.  All the regulars of course, Dancing With the Stars, The Voice, NCIS, NCIS:LA, Hawaii Five-0, Survivor, Arrow, Revolution, Chicago Fire, White Collar, Once Upon A Time, The Amazing Race... there are even more.  *LOL*  I've enjoyed them all.  And the new additions to the schedule, Blacklist, Almost Human, Sleepy Hollow, Agents of Shield, Tomorrow People, The Originals and my latest total obsession Strike Back.  They have all kept me occupied in the best ways.  :)  Check out one of the best opening credit sequences in television -

So that's about it.  In the coming year?  There are things I want to do, get more active, write and complete something, things of that nature. I want to enjoy my family and friends.  I want to read good books, enjoy good movies and watch good TV shows. I want to enjoy my retirement.  :)

Happy New Year, everyone!!  *HUGS FOR ALL*

A Review

I finished this book on Christmas Eve but I'm just getting around to writing about it now.  It's been a busy few days!  :)  It was an interesting read and I had fun with it for the most part.

See my review of Pestilence on Booklikes...

He Loves the Tango

I was up early this morning - well, early for me - and as is my habit, I turned on the TV for the morning shows.  I've been watching Good Morning America since I retired because I prefer their people to the others on Today or CBS This Morning.  And yes, I'm a terrible Canadian because I don't watch the Canadian morning shows.

Anyway, today on GMA, Robin and Josh are over at The Vatican doing reports on the Pope and his Christmas message and how the past 9 months have been since he took over the job, and it made me ponder.  Made me think about my mom who's been gone 15 years now.  She would have loved Pope Francis.  His message, his demeanor, the love he shows for everyone - yeah, she would have dug him big time.  :)  And you know, he's a lot like my mom was.  She was a real good lady, not a mean bone in her body, she loved everyone and everyone loved her.

My family is Catholic.  Very Catholic.  I was taught by nuns for my first few years of school in Cincinnati, until we moved back to Canada, where I went to Catholic school - elementary and high school.  Church every Sunday without fail, grace before meals, prayers before bed, rosaries said when the family got together, mass cards, no meat on Fridays, confession, the whole nine yards.  However, when I left home, I basically left organised religion behind. The by rote praying and church worshiping and the very strict dogmas of the Catholic church hinder my spirituality rather than enhance it. I don't get a religion whose church so often acts against the basic beliefs of itself.   I believe in the tenets of love thy neighbour; do unto others as you'd have done unto you; love, tolerance, appreciation, all things that Jesus taught and that are really at the base of most religions, no matter who's doing the teaching.  I am a lapsed Catholic as they call them or used to call them in the olden days.  *LOL*  And I'm okay with that!

All this to say, Pope Francis is truly a breath of fresh air.  No, he's not perfect.  He's not going to overturn centuries of dogma and practice and beliefs and rules and all those things in a matter of months, or probably years or even his total tenure as Pope.  But he is changing things.  He's changing the ATTITUDE of the Catholic church.  He's an extremely smart man as well as being a very religious man and you know what?  He's full of love.  It radiates from him!  Love and humility and UNDERSTANDING.  I truly believe that the Catholic church will undergo a shift in attitude.  Maybe not an about-face, I think that's far too much to ask, but I think there is a gentling going on.  The church is trying to become more about love and acceptance and I believe that under Pope Francis' guidance, it will.  Hope.  Pope Francis has brought hope to so many of those who have been disenfranchised.  It really is wonderful to see... and I wish my mom was still around to see it.

After all, who can resist a Pope who loves the Tango?  :)   

Book Review

Last night I finished the final book in Riptide's "Home for the Holidays" bundle.  Oh my sweet Lord, it was depressing.  :(   Not really what I was looking for in a Holiday read.  I mean, I'm all for realism and truth in my love stories, but DAMN!  I wanted a Christmas Miracle and didn't get it.  So, if you are interested...

my review of Long the Mile by Ally Blue is here, on Booklikes.  

Book Review

In keeping with the season, I finished the third of four books in the Riptide "Home for the Holidays" bundle, Amy Lane's Christmas Kitsch.  It's pretty much what these days they call a New Adult book, college-aged characters coming of age and all that.  So many of my favourite authors are writing in this genre now.  It's almost discouraging!  I like my more mature main characters.  But Amy is a genius at writing these youngsters, so I won't complain so much about her forays into the NA world.  :)

My review of Christmas Kitsch on Booklikes.

Christmas Tree is Up!

The tree is done.  I have so many darned ornaments, but I can't stop buying them!  *LOL*  It's a tradition I got from my mom.  Every year she'd buy a new set of ornaments and put them on the tree Christmas Eve after I went to bed and then Christmas morning, after I opened my stocking, I could take the time time to find them while she and Daddy managed to get a little coffee down their throats.  *LOL*    So that translates to me, 45+ years later, buying a new pack of ornaments every year.  :)

I've done red and white for a while now, 6 or 7 years and I'm thinking that I may have to change to either a mixed colour scheme or maybe blue.  The thing is, it's really hard to find white corded lights.  I'll have to take a look at the after Christmas sales.  :)

So that's it for now.  Tree up, decorations out.  I'm debating putting lights in my windows because I have a ton of green corded lights but I'm pooped out on the decorating for right now, so I shall ponder.  

Book Review

I have come to realise that Z.A. Maxfield is up there in my favourite M/M romance authors along with Heidi Cullinan, Amy Lane and Marie Sexton.  There is always something quirky about her characters and her tales often make me chuckle out loud, not because they're comedic, really, but more because life is funny, you know?  Anyway, I finished her latest Christmas tale, Lost and Found, and I loved it!

My review of Lost and Found on Booklikes.

Goodreads Does Indeed Suck

I had been debating buying Book Collector, a book database program that's full of lovely bells and whistles and the most important thing, provides me my own copy of my collection of over 2600 books on my computer as well as cloud storage etc.. etc...    So, I went ahead and bought it.  

Now, two months ago, I opened an account (link in the sidebar if you're interested) at Booklikes for my book blogging and imported my collection from Goodreads.  Now I love Booklikes, but it's newish and growing and it doesn't have an export function yet, so... I used my Goodreads export to load up my Book Collector.  I sure wasn't going to add all 2600+ books one by one AGAIN!   Once was enough.  :)  

Anyway, in doing this, I have realised how Goodreads has totally fucked my books and shelves.  I had taken the time when originally adding my books into Goodreads, to find the proper ISBN numbers, the correct covers and editions etc...   Then Goodreads was bought by Amazon.  They "cleaned up" their database because no one using it had books any older than 10 years old, right?  *eyeroll*  Now I have ISBN numbers that don't match the books I own, covers have gone missing all over the place, even books have disappeared from shelves.  Add in their censoring of reviews and peoples shelves and all the other bullshit from the past 6 months, and I'm CONVINCED I did the right thing in moving to Booklikes and buying Book Collector.  

I have sorted the author names (you wouldn't believe the mess of the import) and now I 'm about to dive in and do covers and series.  It's going to be FABULOUS once I'm done.  :)

But DAMN, Goodreads used to be the PRIME way to catalogue books, but then Big Business got involved and it went into the shitter.  And it's made me so very pleased I don't own a Kindle.  :)   Now, if only the Kobo Aura HD will go on sale....  I'm due for an upgrade. 

 

Book Review

I finished another Christmas tale last night.  How I Met Your Father by L.B. Gregg was exactly the light-hearted fun read I was looking for.  I like these holiday romances - they add a little something extra to the season for a reader like me.  :)

My review for How I Met Your Father on Booklikes.

Book Review

I've started the holiday season off with Let It Snow by one of my favorites, Heidi Cullinan.  A really fun and romantic read.  Heidi never disappoints.  I am in love with Marcus, the grumpy bear.  It's really too bad he doesn't swing my way.  ;)

My review of Let It Snow on Booklikes

This 'n' That

It is the day after American Thanksgiving, therefore time to change the blog's clothing to its holiday garb.  I may change it again before I'm through.  *LOL*   I love playing with this stuff.

Here in Canada we've begun to have our own sort of Black Friday bargain thingie.  It's to keep the $$ at home, they say.  So I did a bit of online shopping and got a deal on pajamas and pajama pants.  50% off.  Can't go wrong with that.  :)

And then this afternoon, groceries needed acquiring so Michael and I headed out  to do just that.  It was COLD!  A beautiful sunny day though.  We looked for turkeys - seems as if we're to be expecting a shortage, they say, so our eyes are peeled every time we head to the shops.  I'm partial to Butterballs.  Over the past 30 years, I've cooked many, many of them and they've always been great, so I'm loathe to change.  An 8 kilo Butterball was $65 today.  0.0  The equivalent Flamingo turkey was $23.  At the moment, I'm too chicken shit to go for the Flamingo and will wait and see if we can find a Butterball at a reasonable price.  

As for Nano... well, I failed that pretty spectacularly.  *LOL*  I never managed to get into a groove to write every day, which annoys the hell out of me.  But I love my idea and I'm going to continue to work on it - if at first you don't succeed and all that.  :)  One of my friends had her book accepted by a publisher this past week and I am totally thrilled for her!  I'm also envious.  Figures, right?  Maybe this will give me the impetus (kick in the ass) to get a move on.  

And it occurs to me that I've not posted a hottie of the day for a while.  Too wound up in things, I guess.  But I'll rectify that tonight.  I'm going to watch Strike Back when I finish here, so I'll post a pick of my latest obsession, Sullivan Stapleton.  Damn, he's fine.  :)  

Book Review

I've read another paranormal shifter book from Moira Rogers - Haunted Sanctuary.  It's the first in her (their) latest series, Green Pines.  I'm not a fan of shifter books normally, but I am a definite Moira Rogers fan.  Moira Rogers is a writing duo, BTW.  Bree and Donna also write under the pen name of Kit Rocha, another of my favourites.

My review on Booklikes.  

You know what? Olivia Pope pisses me off.

And Shonda Rhimes disappoints me.

I enjoy the TV show, Scandal.  Shonda Rhimes has created a world full of intriguing and amazing characters in the most extreme situations and I love watching it.  That is, until I have to put up with the 'romance' of Olivia Pope and the Worst President Ever, Fitzgerald Grant.  It puts the whole intriguing and STRONG character of Olivia in question.  And she's the Main Character.  See... she's a smart, strong, intelligent, daring woman, but every time she gets around that jerk, she gets all dewy-eyed and weak in the knees.  Her hormones and her Great Passionate Love for this weak, weak man drive her to behave like some teenage Gidget and that makes me SO angry.

Where's the outrage from the feminists and the Women of Colour?  Shonda Rhimes has given us a TERRIFIC character in Olivia Pope and I suppose... I guess this thing with Fitz, how she always takes him back, how she always gives in to him in the end, how she always turns her power over to him, how she loves him best of everyone... is supposed to show us that she's not a robot?  That she's has feelings?  That she's not a tough bitch?  Well, SORRY.... it just shows me that she gives up all her power to a man.  Shows me that even this woman of strong character, great intelligence, fiiery passion for right and wrong... it shows me that it all pales when her hormones get tickled.  That's not romance... that's not a grand passion... that's not a man respecting a woman for her strengths and putting her first.  That's a man waving his dick and a woman spreading her legs.  "Show me!" indeed.  *snort*

IT PISSES ME OFF and Shonda Rhimes should know better.

You know what? Thanks Maks!

So I had an epiphany last night while watching Dancing With The Stars.  It was during the second round of dances, when the judges were critiquing Amber and Derek's Viennese Waltz.  Maks told Amber that she was in the best hands possible because no one knew better than Derek how to put together routines etc.. to make her shine.  He was the best in the business at packaging his celeb etc.. etc...

Now, it's no secret that I'm not a Derek fan.  He's struck a wrong chord with me since his second season, I guess.  I don't buy his self-deprecating persona.  I don't buy the "aw shucks" routine at all.  I think he's very calculating, very out for Derek and furthering Derek is always in the forefront of his mind.   He seems a very personable fellow, polite and well-mannered but...

Derek is talented.  He's a gifted choreographer and a gifted dancer.  I see his talent all the time. I'm not fond of his style, but I'm not so bull-headed as to ignore his obvious gifts.  And some people like his blond, Leonardo DiCaprio looks.  Not my taste.   But I love dance - I should love Derek's routines, right?  Well... I've realised a big part of why I don't.  And that's thanks to my honest Maks who calls 'em as he sees and feels 'em.

See.. when Maks gave Derek the compliment - and believe me, in Maks' eyes, it's a HUGE compliment - I realised what it was that turned me off routines of Derek's most of the time.  It was a calculated package devoid of what I term, warmth and soul.  It was designed to WIN, not to necessarily play to the celeb's personality.  The building blocks of the routines don't start with who the celeb is and the joy of the dance, but what will advance the celeb further.  THAT'S why I most often find Derek's performances lacking, why they leave me cold.  Because I 'm not fond of Karina either, but I don't get the same business-like, sterile feeling that I get when I watch Derek and his partner.

Many others will say I'm wrong, and biased, and blind etc... etc... etc...   But this is indeed how these routines leave me feeling more often than not.

I don't know how much of this makes sense to anyone, but... it makes sense to me.  (And obviously 140 characters wasn't going to cover it.  *LOL*)

Book Review

I've finished and reviewed the latest offering from one of my favourite m/m authors, Abigail Roux.  It's Shock & Awe and it's a shorty, combined with a freebie and both are really good.  And I think I might have another character (Yes, you Kelly Abbott) worming his way into my list of favourites.

You can find my review over on Booklikes if you're interested.  :)

You Know What? (Thoughts on books)

I have a couple of ... let's call them observations from the past week or so.  So, for instance...

When did it become a rule that books had to be meaningful to be worthwhile or a good read?  I mean, isn't it enough to tell a good story with believable characters any more?  Does there have to be an underlying message of great social awareness for it to be considered recommendable?  I don't believe so, but sometimes I think I'm in the minority.  I hate being preached to when I'm reading for relaxation and enjoyment.

There are genres for books.  Mystery, fantasay, science-fiction, romance, thriller, historical... well, you get my drift.  There are so many similarities in any given genre.  I mean, one buddy action adventure is going to be similar to another buddy action adventure.  One May-December romance is going to be similar to another May-December romance.  There are only so many basic plots in existence.  And you know, James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan are all somewhat similar characters in similar types of situations.  They're not rip-offs of one another.

I find myself wondering if more authors would try expanding themselves by writing different types of characters if they didn't see so many you aren't doing it right, and how dare you write what you aren't complaints all over the internet, in blogs, reviews, discussion forums etc...  It could be quite intimidating, don't you think?

Sometimes, a sex scene in a book is just a sex scene because the characters feel a physical pull towards each other and want to indulge in it.  It doesn't always have to be filled with underlying meaning and great import.  It can just show that these two characters like to touch each other and sometimes the urge is stronger than the urge not to.

I love Nora Roberts.  I love her series books and her stand-alones.  I think she has one of the best perspectives on how to write a male character in the whole of Romacelandia.  Her guys, heroes and supporting characters have such fun, unique, guy type voices.  Man, I would LOVE for Nora to write a m/m romance, but she's been asked if she ever would and she's said that she doesn't think she could do it justice.  I think she could.  I wish she would.  I think it'd be great!

My To Be Read pile is HUGE.  *LOL*  And ever-growing.

Book Review

I've finished another book.  It's what I call a 'shorty', only around 50 pages.  I really enjoyed it.  It was mucho fun.

You can find my review here at BookLikes.

Book Review

I've finished a short and reviewed it over at BookLikes.  Now I have to pick something else from my TBR pile.  That's the problem with finishing one, I have to decide on the next!  *LOL*

Here is my review of The Flesh Cartel #11:  Permanent Record by Rachel Haimowitz and Heidi Belleau.

Book Review

Today I decided I should link to my book reviews over at BookLikes.  I'm not a great reviewer, I can only say what my feelings are about what I've just read, so bearing that in mind...

Here is my review of Moira Roger's Wild Card.  

Dancing Monday Quickie

Just a quick post because it's Monday and that means dancing.  This was one of my favourite numbers of that season.  :)  Ah Maks and Kirstie... what a pair.

I miss Maks on Dancing.  But you know... he would not be happy on it the way things are now.  He takes his dancing far too seriously.  All the jazz and contemporary and whatever else TPTB can think up.  Even the insanity of letting the judges score after the fans have voted the week before.  (I do think the fans are letting TPTB know how they feel with their votes this season, by them keeping Bill and Jack around over more skilled dancers.)  Anyway, before I get on my soapbox and deliver a diatribe on the ruination of one of my favourite shows, I'll just say again that I miss Maks on my TV every week. 

with Chelsie Hightower

Lest We Forget

As I do every November 11th, I am posting John McCrae's In Flander's Fields.  We had to memorise this poem back in Grade... I want to say Grade 6 but it could have been earlier.  It was many, many years ago, needless to say, and I still can recite it.

Thank you to all who serve and who have served.  Bless you and Godspeed.  

Strike Back Friday

It's Friday and I've just watched episode 3 of the latest season of Strike Back for the second time.  This is the second time around that it's playing on HBO, so even though I caught the first time, I'm watching it again.  And no, not just for Sully.  *LOL*  It's a really good show, well written, action-packed, well-acted and very much on-the-edge-of-your-seat.  It's amazing how much I'm seeing this time around.  Things that I never thought were important the first time are showing up to be VERY important in the way the season ends up playing out.  So, because it's Friday and I've enjoyed my episode, I shall post a Sully pic!  Actually, it's a GIF from tonight's ep.

And tomorrow, I NaNo!

Here I Am!

I have been so lax in here for the past couple of days, but truth be told, all I've had the urge to do is tag in my RPGs and chat with my buddies.

Anyhoo, I just finished doing a tidying up of the vestibule and the 'junk' corner of the kitchen - a job very well done if I do say so myself.  I had stuff for the garbage and the recycling, but Michael tells me that they are both full.  Oops!  Wait until next week for that then!

I have to go out later to get a few groceries - it's cold and grey, a real November day and I'd rather not, but we have no bread!  *LOL*

I hope to get some NaNo writing done later.  We'll see how that all pans out.  I have to get Keiron and Jamie on the road!  :)

All things being equal, I shall check back later, but until then...

From before last night's live Top 12 Show.

I got some NaNo done - Go Me!  :)   And I only wrote the last little while this evening because there was NCIS stuff to watch with the boy and then The Voice and dammit, I need more hours in the day!

So I really have nothing much else to go on about.  My leg is achey and I'm tired, so I won't be staying up late tonight.  I shall take my book - I finally settled on Rush! by Maya Banks, an erotic romance that should be light and fun and easy reading.

Who shall I post tonight?  Matt, I think.  Lovely, handsome man with the greatest hair!  :)  And I'm SO SO glad I don't have to see all that campaigning for him to be in that Movie That Shall Not Be Named any longer.

 

Plans Awry

All my plans went awry yesterday, it seems.  Not in a bad way, just, not as I was expecting.  I ended up on the phone with my aunt for 2 hours and 41 minutes (thank you smartphone log. *LOL*)  last night.  She's off to California and Texas for 4 months, visiting her daughters while getting away from the horrible Quebec winter climate... both political and actual weather.  Anyway... there went my night!  I loved talking with her though, it had been far too long.  But the time I'd planned to spend getting some wordcount on my NaNo was nowhere to be found when I got off the phone, so... no NaNo update for yesterday.

BUT, since I have decided that the only way through this NaNo thing is to not put any stress on myself, I'm okay with it.  I'll catch up somewhere.  :)

Today I will get some done, but I have some RPG tagging to do first.  :)

Sunday Night Quickie

I've written more on my NaNo.  Not back up to the wordcount average that I'd like, but I'll get there.  I'm still in the set up stages of the story, so it's a bit of a slog (that I will indeed have to heavily edit once I'm done), but I'll get through it.  :)

And I think all I'll do now, is post my eye candy for the evening.  Alex always makes me smile.  :)

Where Did the Day Go?

What a day!  I didn't make my wordcount on NaNo today, but I didn't expect to.  I had other things to take care of, including hosting the RPG chat.  Hopefully I will make it up tomorrow or over the next couple of days.  Tomorrow will be catch-up day for a few things!

But I need to post my day's hottie.  Today it's Adam and his cute smile.  And his scruff.  And his sweaty self.

Eye Candy Bullseye

I didn't get to posting my eye candy for the day!  That will never do, so I'll take care of that right now.  Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.  That's one fine eyefull!  :)

This is for ME!

So I found this on Chuck Wendig's blog today:

You’re the first audience. Entertain yourself. Challenge yourself. Let the story lead. Let your own desires for the story lead. Fuck what anybody else thinks right now. This isn’t for them. This is for you.

This is what I need to remember for NaNo.  If I can remember this, I might be able to still that inner editor and actually have fun with this.  :)

In Which I Rant about Reading

When did we become such a society of non-risk takers?  Even worse, when did we stop allowing ourselves the pleasure of being surprised by our entertainment?  When did it become de rigeur to know everything about a book, movie, TV show before reading or watching it?   And I'm not talking about spoilers, folks.

Just look at the fervour with which people tried to suss out the details of the latest Star Trek movie.  The world was going to end if we didn't know which villain Benedict Cumberbatch was going to be portraying.  And really, did the knowing make the pain of the let down of that movie any easier?  And really, if you're reading spoilers etc.. about Scandal, then you're missing a HUGE treat when you watch the week's episode.

I read a lot.  I follow a lot of reader blogs and author blogs.  I use Twitter a lot to follow these folks too, because they're interesting and funny people for the most part.  I have come to realise that these days, part of marketing a book is to put half of it out there, all over the internet, in sample chapters or previews or teasers.  There's also a big deal about cover reveals (more on that later) and authors are interviewing all over about books that aren't even going to be out for months!  I mean seriously!  There is one series I read that the 4th book is just going to be out this week and the authors are interviewing about the following book!  And this is the norm these days, not the exception.

Don't people want to be surprised any more?  I don't want to know about what I'm going to be reading, that's no fun!  I don't want to lay down $$ for something I already know all about.  I do my best to avoid all these things, I don't read the interviews, I don't read reviews that come out before the book is available to the general public, I don't read reviews of books I know I want to purchase until after I've read the book!  And as for tweeting those little snippets of your book that was published months ago, the same snippets over and over and over again?  Well, I won't be buying that book.  Sorry, you've turned me off any interest I may have had.

There's just too much pre-release information out there in my opinion.  The surprise is gone.  The delight of discovering what your favourite author has done with your favourite character while you eagerly turn page after page long after you should have been asleep, is gone.  The anticipation of what you're going to see up on the big screen that will make you gasp or cry or laugh is gone.  It's all so damned SAFE these days.  I suppose it's a result of the internet age and ebooks and the rise of indie, small and self publishing, but, call me old-fashioned, I don't like it.

And as for covers!  Let me tell you.  A favourite book that I (and many others) term as a psycho-sexual thriller, that has SO much deep and violent shit in it... should NOT have a damned cover that looks like it's a new Harry Potter book!

NaNoWriMo Begins!

Well I have started.  I have 904 words down towards my first day count.  So far so good, but I am tired so, it's time to head up to bed.  I have an RPG thing to host tomorrow evening, but I should be able to make my quota during the day.  There's no reason for me to go out and it's going to be shitty weather anyway, so better off to stay inside and write, right?  :)

Okay, so... eye candy for the day...  it's Garrett Hedlund in a suit and a puppy!  :)

Slow Day...

Not much happening today.  I spent a lot of it mulling over names for my two MCs for NaNo and I think I've come up with a couple.  We shall see if they stick.  :)  I'm actually getting excited to start tomorrow night after the stroke of midnight.  I do have an RPG thing to help host this weekend, but that's just the evenings - I should be able to write at least my quota during the day.  1,670 words per day.  I can do it!!

There was grocery shopping done today.  More great sales on sausages...we have enough sausages to see us through the month and then some.  *LOL*   But at least the freezer is full as is the pantry.

Today was the last day of my 30-Day Book Challenge over on my BookLikes book blog.  I shall miss it.  Especially since I seem to make so little time for reading these days.  I do most of my reading up in bed before I turn out the light and it seems that I seldom  last more than 15-20 minutes before my eyes start to close.  And it's not because what I'm reading is boring... I'm LOVING it!

Anyway... time for tonight's eye candy.  It's Maks' turn.  And this is one of the hottest pics of Mr. Chmerkovskiy that I have in my collection.  DAYUM!

More Writing Help

Chuck Wendig wrote a super blog post about character creation:

THE ZERO-FUCKERY QUICK-CREATE GUIDE TO KICK-ASS CHARACTERS (AND ALL THE CRAZY PLOT STUFF THAT SURROUNDS 'EM)

This could very well come in handy very soon.  :)

I Have an Idea!

So it's been a decent day all around.  I got things in the mail that I'd been waiting for.  I had some lovely conversation with my friend Lottie over across the pond, as they say.  It was cold out, below freezing when I woke up, and I didn't have to go out!  That's a plus for me.  I got stuff done for the various blogs, games, and websites I'm involved with and my 30 Day Book Challenge (see sidebar for the link to my book blog) for today didn't get me tossed by the hordes.  *LOL*  Today was a book that everyone hated and I loved.

I came up with a viable idea for NaNoWriMo, so I think that's going to be a go.  I've been mulling over plot points and characters - both main and secondary - all evening.  I even know how I want the final scene to go before lowering the curtain.  That's good, right?  And I have to think of names before I start because I can get so damned bogged down by searching for the right names that I'll NEVER meet my daily quota of words.  To reach 50,000 words by the end of November, I'll have to produce 1,670 per day.  No screwin' around folks!

And I need a hottie for tonight.  Lemme see.  Oh, I know!  I found a great one of Sully and his smile today.  Perfect for the night I decide that I can do NaNo.  :)  God, he's such a GUY.

Sullivan Stapleton Smiles

Spell Block Tango by Todrick Hall

What a hoot!  So many familiar faces!   Great fun!

Dancing and Singing and NaNo - Oh My!

It's been a busy night.  I've watched Dancing with the Stars and thoroughly enjoyed most of it.  I was surprised by the elimination.  I figured that Snooki was good for another couple of weeks at least.  And then I watched The Voice and was totally enthralled by Tessane Chin again.  And Josh...Langdon(?).  Those two were AMAZING!!  And Adam looked damned fine!  

Been doing some blog stuff for CoP as well as modly stuff for the RPG game I play.  I also mulled over stuff for NaNo.  I have a fix on a couple of Main Characters, I think.  And maybe a way to throw them together and just see what happens when I do that. I'll think more on it when I'm laying in bed tonight.  

And I need a hot guy to post for tonight.  Who should it be?  Hmm....  OH!  Have you seen this?  Who do you think this is?  Yep, it's Lance Bass, my friends.  Very interesting indeed!  :)

Lance Bass

Took the first step...

I have created a NaNoWriMo account.  I had one a long time ago, but can't remember under what name.  *LOL*  Anyway, this is the first step on the road to madness, I think.  Anyway, it's created and we'll see if I can come up with a viable idea.  :)

If anyone out there is also doing NaNo, feel free to look me up.  I'm Evaine over there too.  Look for this icon...

Me - 1962

Oh God help me.  *LOL*

The Book Vixen: Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge: Back Up Your Blog!

I don't want to lose this info, so the best way to do that is to reblog it!

The Book Vixen: Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge: Back Up Your Blog!: Jackie at Farm Lane Books Blog did a Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge on this very topic a couple years ago. It’s a great and informative post t...

Sunday Night Gentleman

So who's the lucky fellow tonight? 

 Billy Burke.  Do you like Billy Burke from Revolution in which he plays Miles?  I refuse to admit that he was even in that sparkling vampire movie, BTW.  I will admit, when he said, "The Resistance." in last week's episode in answer to the question, "If they are the occupying force, what are we?", I got the shivers.  I love a good resistance plot line.  :)

Lazy Sunday Night

So I spent most of the day working on the other blog, getting the fic set up at the new place and all.  I thought I'd NEVER figure out how to do it, but in the end I did and it looks not too shabby!

So now I'm watching The Amazing Race.  Michael's gone out with his buddies to watch the wrestling pay-per-vew so I'm on my own for the evening.  I'm watching my Twitter feed and wondering what upheaval is going to be in the forefront tonight.  So far, the ranters have been quiet.

Other than that, I guess I'll be back later to post my hottie for the night.  ;)

Saturday with the Boys!

I watched more Strike Back.  I am obsessed!  I do love a good action show and this one... oh MAN, the action.  :)   It's non-stop.  Anyway, I need to post one of my guys for tonight.  Ah, maybe I'll do a few.  :)  'Cause I can!

Okay.. so, Strike Back, my latest crush.  Sullivan Stapleton.  That's him on the right in the shirt.  And on the left is his co-star, Phillip Winchester - you might recognise him from the show Crusoe that was on a few seasons ago.  He also played Leontes in Camelot.  Anyway, Sully is just hitting all my buttons right now.  :)

And after Sully, I think we'll go to... young Colton Haynes, he of the marvelous cheekbones.  :)  He plays Roy Harper on Arrow and he's incredibly handsome.  Incredibly.  

After Colton, a bit of a switch up and some cutie Jeremy Renner.  This man just looks made for mischief.  :)

To Follow Jeremy, let's go back to Oz for another Aussie.  That sexy Alex O'Loughlin from Hawaii 5-0.  Hot.  Steamy.  It's gotta be something in the water Down Under.  

And where there's Alex, there's Adam.  They just go together really well.  Couple of cheeky buggers they are.

And is there anything nicer than Matty coming out of the water?  Another one that is so damned handsome. 

And to finish up this mini-pic spam, it's Maks!  And one of my most favourite pictures of him.  So he's not smiling... he's about to.  And he's got those come-hither sex-on-a-stick eyes happening.  

I dunno, do I have a type?  These guys are all HUGE faves of mine.  What do they have in common?  I haven't got a clue.  *LOL*   But I have a TON of pics of them all on my hard drive.  :)  Be afraid, be very afraid!  

TV Watching

My God, I was so burnt out today.  So many things I was supposed to do, that I wanted to do... until I sat down to do them.  Then... bleurgh.  So I consigned the day to the 'do nothing' heap and watched all the TV shows I'd recorded during the week.  Including the odd, Reign.  

Reign is about young Mary, Queen of Scots and her time in France when she was engaged to Francis, at the time the Dauphin of France.  Don't be looking for a history lesson here!  *LOL*  The show is full of pretty young things, male and female as well as a healthy dose of the other-worldly.  I suppose that since it plays on the CW, it's all perfectly normal, but...  at least it's fun.  :)

I also watched Dracula last night.  It proved very interesting.  What struck me was how similar in feel (and maybe a plot point or two) it is to Elizabeth Bear's New Amsterdam.  The alternate history series about a very old vampire and a forensic sorceress.  Yes, you read that correctly, a forensic sorceress. (Read the book, it's really good steampunk mystery type stuff. *g*)  Anyway, I enjoyed Dracula and it's gone onto the 'I watch' list.

My exciting day.  :)

 

Hottie of the Evening

Now, who shall I post this evening?  I think, in celebration of the fact that he WAS NOT cast in That Movie That Will Not Be Named, I shall post...

the gorgeous Matt Bomer.  He does drenched VERY well.  :)

You Know What?

You know what word I'm sick of.  Feels.  Not the verb, the noun.  It seems that people don't have feelings any more, or emotional reactions, nor do things touch them.  They have FEELS.  *eyeroll*    It always sounds so tweeny to me.  I can excuse it in a 12-year old girl, but adults, women and men, educated women and men - it just sounds DUMB.

It annoys me.

On a different note, I'm trying out a feed for this blog.  It's a silly blog, full of pics of pretty men, rants, thoughts, things that strike my fancy, and my fancy can be a very silly place sometimes.   So if you've followed a link on Twitter, welcome!  :)

Extra! Extra!

And because I'm writing about him tonight...

He's got the sexiest, hottest scowl.  Rugged.  

Hotness

It looks like I'm going to be posting some more hotness tonight.  Don't be judging me now!  I love the pretty pictures!  

I love Maks when he laughs.  It comes from such a real place.  And it makes me very happy.

Indulge me!

I feel like posting another pic of pretty.  

One of my favourite pictures of Adam Levine.  Doin' his yoga.  DAMN the boy is fit!

More Obsessing

What?  More Sully?  SURE!

I just love that the man knows no wax!

This Works!

So I'm watching GMA this morning and they're talking about this high school football game in Texas where one team won 91 - 0 and one of the parents of a student on the losing team filed a complaint against the coaching staff of the winning team for bullying.  Even though they'd put in their 3rd string players, run out the clock, called no time outs etc...

Anyway, GMA had this child behaviorist on and she was talking about how she defines bullying and it was really good. I didn't want to lose the ideas, so her definitions is this.  The ABCD of bullying.  A - is it aggressive?  B - Is there an imBalance of power?  Boss/employee, teacher/student, senior/freshman etc..  C - Is it constant?  And D - is it Deliberate?

That's bullying folks!  Not bad reviews, not disagreeing with someone, not winning.  People need to stop diluting the real problem of bullying by applying the word to everything that makes them feel bad/sad/weepy/hurt etc...

A Wee Test with Sully

This is a first post to test and fiddle with.

This is Sullivan Stapleton.  I have a HUGE crush on him at the moment.  He stars in the TV show Strike Back from Cinemax.  He is Australian.