What has my attention this week?
(Note: All Amazon links are affiliate links.)
Book: Scotland by Fitzroy MacLean
I honestly think I got more out of this slim volume than I have any of the countless other sources I’ve read about Scotland. Their history really clicked for me within the larger context of Great Britain and the world — both the romanticized bits and the decidedly un-romantic bits. Every chapter was interesting (although I admit to glazing over a little bit when it got to modern-day politics), and I found myself underlining and annotating time and again. Thought-provoking and entertaining.
Movie: I.Q. directed by Fred Schepisi
Waahooooo!!! This is one of my favorite chick flicks. It’s just so… adorable. I love the high-concept premise: What if Albert Einstein played matchmaker for his brilliant but conflicted niece? I love the ’50s vibe and the spunky Jerry Goldsmith score. I love how, for all its camp, the script is really, really smart, with zinging, honest dialogue and great puns and irony.
Music: Pääkallonpaikka by Hb
A Twitter pal recommended this “Finnish Christian symphonic metal band” (how often do you see all those things in the same sentence?) to me years ago. They’ve got a great sound, and I happen to love songs in foreign languages, since they allow my imagination to fill in all the blanks.
Food: Talenti Gelato
So there I am, cruising down the last aisle in the grocery store, headed for the checkout (with my totally respectable organic milk and fajita meat), when, suddenly, I see it: shelf upon frozen shelf of colorful gelato. Of course, I left skid marks on the floor in my hasty stop. The hardest part, though? (Said in my Master Shifu voice.) The hardest part is choosing just one flavor. Or maybe two. In all seriousness, Talenti is good stuff. Simple ingredients and delicious taste.
Cosmetics: Cowgirl Dirt Natural Make-Up
I’m not a make-up girl. It takes too much time, I don’t like putting chemicals on my skin, and I don’t want to look at myself in the mirror every night after I wash my face and wonder what the heck happened. But for special occasions, professional appearances, and photos and video, I do use the occasional touch-up. So I was excited when a friend of a friend recommended this natural alternative to the usual chemical-and-who-knows-what-else stuff found in the cosmetics aisle in Walmart.
Cute Animal I Want This Week
Photo taken by Kim Yong Min
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Cool Scotland read. Would love to go there one day. Never heard of the I.Q. movie but I like Meg Ryan. Can’t say I’m into chic flicks unless they have a flair of comedy. Symphonic metal makes me curious ever since last week. Which caused me to jam out on my headphones for like, 2hrs. 🙂
Talenti Gelato. My first thought was, where does she find this stuff? Forgive my stupidity but that’s ice cream correct? If so, toasted almond doesn’t sound bad at all.
“I’m not a make-up girl. It takes too much time, I don’t like putting chemicals on my skin” I had a nice chuckle out this one. I was imagining you saying this with a strong country twang. But all jokes aside, I’ve taken note from your health choices. Stopped using my machismo stud-muffin deodorant Old Spice that I’ve used for 20+years. Replaced it with Tom’s Maine. Waaaah…..I wan’t my old spice back. I miss him dearly. 🙁
Is that a baby wolf? It’s uber-cute!!!
Gelato is basically Italian ice cream. It’s a little “heavier” for lack of a better word. But it’s delicious!
And fattening. It’s the only one I can find in pistachio nut. I find that flavor addictive. It isn’t overly sweet I learned to limit myself to 1/4 container per sitting. Then it started. I had to have a little more. Soon the container was empty, and I was filled with guilt. I realized that I would have to spend two hours on the treadmill just to burn off the calories I had just consumed and that this would be in addition to my normal workout.
I saw the pistachio and almost got it. Will have to try it next time!
i had the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup when I was in Kauai two years ago… I loved it so much I brought the empty container back with me, all the way to Newfoundland, just to hang onto the delicious memory 😉
All these flavors! I’m going to have to go on a diet after trying them all. :p
Meg is my actress choice for one of my protagonists – hope you’ll be putting the movie in the Story Structure Database! https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/story-structures/
Do you write rom-coms then? 😀 Unfortunately, I was sick when I watched it this time, so I didn’t pay too much attention to the structure. But I’ll definitely write up a database submission for it the next time I watch it.
No,not a rom com; I’m working on a therapy relationship, told from alternating POV. The patient is rather messed up, but has a playful, child-like side I hope will redeem her to the readers. That’s the side of Meg I like! I do watch rom-coms as therapy for my heavy writing/ sessions 😉
Actually, that sounds like brilliant casting!
Thanks! Robert Redford (Three Days of the Condor, Brubaker, All the President’s Men…) for the therapist 😉
That’s the fun thing about “casting” in a book: you can choose any actor from any era and put them in the same story with actors they never would have been able to act with in the same way in real life.
You do realise that we Finns totally freak out every time Finnish metal is mentioned? I had take a deep breath so I wouldn’t hop on my reindeer and fly on a lightning and crash through your window while playing a brutal solo with a flaming guitar to recommend all 9973848839299990001 bands right away. And that’s just within the symphonic metal subgenre.
You’ve been warned.
I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing? :p
We found Gelato in Chadron just the other week, too, at a gas station! Yeah, it was hard to pick just one flavor, wasn’t it? Sea Salt Caramel was DELICIOUS, though. The best ice cream I’ve ever had.
Isn’t I.Q. the cutest? I didn’t have high hopes for it at first, but I was delightfully surprised. 🙂
I was really tempted by the Sea Salt Caramel. I’ll have to get it next time. 😉
“IQ” is a terrific movie! Good choice.
Mmm, that Gelato is great. Pricey, but definitely worth it.
This week to make my sweet-tooth happy, I picked up a carton of Bryer’s (not to be confused with Dryer’s) vanilla ice cream. What I love about Bryer’s is that it’s minimal ingredient ice cream – milk, sugar, vanilla, and that’s about it! Then, if you want to be REALLY BAD, you can put whatever toppings on it that force you to run that extra mile or two the next day. 🙂
Don’t buy the gelato off Amazon. The price is ridiculous there!
You can buy a frozen treat off of Amazon???
Do they have super-fast 1 hour delivery, so it doesn’t melt? ;-p
I have no idea. But at those prices, they *better* have a good system! :p
Ok I’m not a complete moron after all. I remember having Gelato before. Wasn’t too impressed though. Not a big ice cream fan. Unless you’re talkin’ mint chocolate chip or butter pecan. Mmm.
I’ll have an occasion triple chocolate peanut butter caramel power bar. Mmm. Have you ever graced your palate with Sunbutter? One of my favorite snacks is a Sunbutter sandwich with chopped bananas and a touch of honey. Mmm. Absolutely heaven on earth, in between two pieces of bread.
Whaaa? No ice cream? o.O It’s not summer around here without lots of ice cream! (And I cheat during the other seasons too.)
I’m not anti-ice cream by any means. I’ve got a mild intolerance to dairy. I do eat it once in a blue moon. But it’s the sugar that worries me most.
Ah, yes, this does have a pretty high level of sugar. But at least it’s not corn syrup!
True. Don’t let me spoil the party though. You said you were sick too. So, what the hey. It’s good in moderation right? Just make sure you’re enveloped in a good movie, or an awesome book.
Thanks! I’m doing better now, so I’m making up for lost time. 😉
Ben, tell me more about this Sunbutter sandwich… I’ve NEVER heard of this (and I can’t decide if it sounds disgusting or delicious).
I stumbled across it a couple of years ago. Started out with almond butter (which is more expensive), then proceeded to try Sunbutter. It’s a sensationally peanut-free, treenut-free, gluten-free and dairy-free delight. They have different kinds: Natural, crunch, creamy, organic, no-sugar, no-stir creamy. I usually get natural. Crunch is a close second. Depends on what you like. It’s a nice peanut butter alternative. You can also check out Sunbutter.Com for more info.
Huh…interesting!
Hey it’s friday!
Having a jam session on my ultra-sweet Sony headphones and thought of you guys. I’m absolutely IN LOVE, with Sia’s voice. It’s so seductive and inspiring. The song is Elastic Heart. “I’ve got thick skin and an elastic heart” is the chorus. Here’s some others musicians that are inspiring.
INSPIRATION from Sia:
Writers need
1. Thick skin and an elastic heart. (to withstand critics)
2. Burn the pages (editing)
3. Free the Animal- (The beastly muse)
INSPIRATION from Imagine Dragons:
1. Gold- “when everything you touch turns to gold” (that’d be nice for our manuscripts. But admittedly to easy)
2. Smoke and Mirrors- “this is my word, heartbreaker, gatekeeper….I wanna believe, is it just smoke and mirrors?” (This is a highly reflective song that forces you to ponder on life.)
INSPIRATION from AWOLNATION
1. Sail- “Maybe I’m a different breed, maybe I’m not listening. Blame it on my ADD baby”. (Let’s be a different breed of writer. Keep writing and sail on)
Imagine Dragons is great! I haven’t heard of the other two. Will have to check them out!