What has my attention this week?
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Reading: Order of the Stick Comic by Rich Burlew
Years back, someone on Twitter recommended this web comic to me, and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s a fun, trope-ridden fantasy romp that always makes me laugh with its inside references to the actual process of creating a story and drawing a comic.
Watching: Everest directed by Baltasar Kormákur
I swear I will never carp about Nebraska winters again. Ever. A long time ago, I caught a rerun of the Frontline documentary about the 1996 Mt. Everest tragedy, in which five climbers were killed in a brutal storm. It’s stuck with me ever since, so I was interested right from go in this star-studded dramatization. It’s a steady, straightforward film that offers no surprises (especially if you’re already familiar with the event), but it’s visceral, powerful, and inevitably heart-wrenching.
Listening: The Mask and Mirror by Loreena McKennitt
Loreena McKennitt electrifies me. Her music is perfect. Absolutely perfect. She brings a unique and rich blend of Celtic/Middle Eastern/historical instrumentation in as backup to her soul-bindingly ethereal vocals. The lyrics usually manage to be simultaneously dreamy and gritty, and the medieval aspect is always perfect for inspiring both my historical and fantasy imaginings.
Using: Quirky Lemon Spritzer
When I told my sister about this little purchase, she said, “Oh, yeah, I saw that. My first thought was: it looked dumb. My second thought was: That’s exactly the sort of thing Katie would buy.” Well… she was right—about the second part. It actually totally works and is totally awesome. No more chopping up a lemon for fish or whatever, and then dealing with the mess of squeezing it and the waste of storing the leftover bits in the fridge for months on end. Plus, it just smells so good. I just want to spritz it all over the kitchen.
Eating: Donckels Cocoa Dusted Belgian Chocolate Truffles
There’s chocolate, and then there’s chocolate. Once you try the latter, you ain’t never going back to Hershey’s. When I say in my bio that I spend my timing “drinking espresso and eating truffles,” these are the truffles I’m talking about. Rich, pure, dark. You can only order them in the cool months (for obvious reasons), so I stock up every spring—lest I have to go without and live on Dove for the summer. Just be warned: once you try them, your taste buds will never be the same.
Cute Animal I Want This Week
Photo Credit: Freeimages.com/Dan Edwards
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6 Things I’m Watching, Listening To, Eating This Week
6 Things That Have My Attention This Week
6 Things I’m Reading, Watching, Eating This Week
6 Things That Have My Attention This Week
Loreen McKennitt is really good! Have you ever listened to Enya? I like her sound as well, plus she’s an amazing artist (sings and plays all these intruments). So, you want an Orangutan with a burlap sack on its head? I think you would have bitten off more than you could chew if you owned one.
As far as food goes, I don’t crave anything right now. But I always seem to want pizza? Beside it being delicious (and a a food group — some schools were calling pizza a vegetable???), I could eat it just about any time. As long as it’s not a frozen pizza. Not that those are terrible, jut not as good as take-out. You have any good pizza places in Nebraska?
Enya’s great! I was nuts about her in my teen years. Guess I should see if she’s come out with anything new lately.
And, yeah, pizza is sadly lacking around here. I would *kill* for a gourmet pizza restaurant with deep dish crust and globs of cheese and toppings choices. Pizza Hut is really about it. #lifeinthesticks
Yeah, I recently checked on Enya and apparently she is coming out with a new album this year! Her first since 2008 or something: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Sky_Island
Hmm, yes that does sound like a dull pizza-existence. I guess you’ll have to find a really good pizza recipe. I’m sure Crazy Bob would approve. 🙂
Well, guess I haven’t missed anything Enya-wise. Thanks for the link. I’ll have to check out her new one.
1.I’m craving fresh fruit. I gave up sugar, so that’s my only sweet treat/dessert these days. I have a lot more energy now. Guess I’m ready for NaNoWriMo…
2.Loreena is one of my favorite artists.
3.I must have that lemon spritzer immediately!
4.I’ve been reading Susanna Kearsley’s novels over the last couple of weeks and enjoying them immensely.
5. Been on a Bollywood movie binge. Some of them are over the top melodramatic, but I love them, because they’re full of love, laughter, and music, and no sex/violence, so family-friendly!
6. I love your little chimp.
Good for you for giving up sugar. I’ve never been brave enough to try. :p
Which is your fave Kearsley novel?
The Winter Sea and The Firebird were beautiful stories. I’m reading Mariana now.
I’ve been trying to give up sugar 100% for years, and got to about 80% for a while, but then I recently decided to go all the way and remove it from my life. Makes a huge difference!
Winter Sea is what I want to read next–as soon as it’s available again at my library.
Good, healthy food is the reason I stay in Oregon, despite near constant drizzle for 8 or 9 months of the year. It’s green! We’re blessed with 42 farmer’s markets in and around the Portland area and many of them go late into the year. So… my favorite thing right now is GREEN. Fresh fall greens and their cousins. Yum. All those yummy “first greens” that you get in the spring are available in the fall. And organic beets. And fresh apples. Last three days I’m living on chopped greens, steamed chopped beets, fresh chopped onion and a chopped fresh apple. Add one of the multitudes of tomatoes still hanging on the vines in my yard, some seasoning, and a hefty splash of a balsamic vinaigrette. Culinary heaven. And so simple. You get that self-righteous “I’m taking such good care of myself” feeling. Plus: Yum!
That is one reason I would love to live on the coast. You’d thinking living in the heart of farm country it would be really easy to get great fresh produce here in Nebraska, but it’s actually not. And no fresh fish of course. 🙁
I literally JUST discovered your blog and found out not only are you a Christian writing F/SF but you are also an OOTS fan! I have been following that comic from early on. I look forward to reading more of your blog. As I edit my first novel (SF), I wonder whether to be a writer of Christian F/SF or an F/SF writer who is a Christian. I’m hoping to discover your take as well as learn many other things to help me hone my craft.
“Christian” is a specific genre, with its own subgenres, of course, and its own genre rules. My take is definitely more “fantasy writer who happens to be a Christian.” Gives me more story freedom. Glad you dropped by!