Entertain Me

Culture Consumption: October 2013

~ Shara ~ 13 Comments

So I’m actually trying to be ON TIME for my October list. It helps that I’ve got the house to myself at the moment, but given that I’d like to watch a movie AND go write, I should get this thing wrapped up pretty quick. Thankfully (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), there’s not a WHOLE lot to share outside of comics.

Without further adieu, let’s look at October’s entertainment tallies!

And as always, I’m happy to jabber about anything that’s on the following lists. If you want my opinion about something, just comment and ask.

Continue reading →

Stay-Cation Ideas

~ Shara ~ 10 Comments

So. The end of the year is nigh, and I’ve got a few vacation days left to schedule. We’ve already taken our trip for the year (Atlanta to see the Braves play against the Phillies in the last series of the regular season; also, the zoo!), so any remaining vacation days will likely just be days OFF, unless we decide to do a day trip somewhere. And of late, I’ve been feeling like my free time is taken up with chores and obligations. Laundry is endless, and now that I’ve established a walking routine, that takes a good chunk out of my free time too. I’m THISCLOSE to finishing my Hellblazer read and I’m getting ready to dig into House of Leaves in earnest, both items that belong on the “Stuff My Husband Makes Me Read.”

In short, I find myself lacking the time and liberty to do stuff for me. Stuff that’s not necessarily productive, but refreshing and enjoyable all the same. So while I may not be able to do the following on my remaining vacation days, I’m going to keep them in the back of my mind for future days off. I really wish I’d had this list in 2010, because not only was I recovering from gallbladder surgery, but I had a ton of vacation to use up before the end of the year (it was the last year I had more vacation time than my husband, who’d just changed jobs).

Anyway, if I had a week off to myself with no other obligations, here are some things I’d try to do:

1) Turn Mount TBR into a Slush Pile

For those of you not familiar with industry jargon, a slush pile is what magazines and editors get: unsolicited manuscripts from writers hoping to get published. Slush readers review your cover letter, read your sample, and either pass your work up the line for the higher-ups to read or send you a rejection.

What I’d like to do is take my TBR pile (books I’ve bought because I thought they were interesting) and turn it into a slush pile. First, I’d divide the TBR into two piles: stuff I know I’m gonna read because it’s a sequel of something I love or its by an author I love will go in one pile to go straight back to the shelf, and the second pile will be the stuff up for slush. Then I’d take that slush pile and read the first thirty pages. Or the first chapter. Or just enough to give me an idea whether or not I’m still interested in reading the book and whether or not the writing and all that entails holds my interest. If so, yay! I’ll put the book back into Mount TBR for later consumption. If not, boo! Book goes into the rejection pile to be placed on Paperback Swap or go to a used book store at a later date.

And I’m pretty sure I’d need a full week to do this. To date, I have 267 books in the TBR pile, not including the 37 books in my Star Wars TBR pile, and that doesn’t include all the books I didn’t add to Mount TBR because they’re collector’s items or classics or nonfiction I want to have but just not read right now. And the TBR pile is hungry, and it is always growing.

BTW: TBR = To-Be-Read

2) Disney Movie Marathon!

Let’s be real: I’m a Disney fangirl. Not of all things Disney, just mostly the Princess stuff. And Oliver and Company. And The Lion King. And, well, okay, I just love Disney animated features. When Disney first started re-leasing their animated movies on DVD in the Platinum Editions (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I started collecting DVD sets. Sure, I was in college, and no, I didn’t have kids, but I was going to have those DVDs!

What would I watch? Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, Oliver & Company, The Little Mermaid, The Little Mermaid II, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, and The Lion King. Then I’d find a way to get my hands on Aladdin, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, The Lady & The Tramp, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Fox and the Hound, The Aristocats, Pocahontas, and Mulan. THEN, if I still had time, I’d just hit the Pixar collection hard, and people would probably never see or hear from me again.

Is it any wonder I’m such a fan of Once Upon a Time?

3) Favorite Movie Marathon!

Sometimes, I just want to curl up on the sofa and watch a favorite movie. It rejuvenates me, invigorates me, inspires me. Reminds me why I want to be a writer. OR sometimes those favorite movies that are just plain fun that I enjoy the hell out of. But, we’ve got so many NEW things on Netflix and Hulu and iTunes to watch that it’s hard to justify a re-watch, and even if my husband and I agree to watch something we’ve already seen, it’s rare that we’re in the mood to re-watch the same thing.

So what would I pop in? The Lord of the Rings trilogy, extended editions. Top that with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: The Extended Edition. Then I’d slap Star Wars in there, ALL SIX MOVIES, but in machete order (maybe). After those genre-defining classics, I’d pull out Moulin Rouge, Shakespeare in Love, The Princess Bride, Fight Club, The Fountain, Big Fish, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, Love Actually, Jurassic Park, King Arthur, The Last Samurai, The Last Unicorn, Newsies, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Spaceballs, The Sound of Music, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, The Truman Show, Titanic, The Three Musketeers (Disney version), Casino Royale (Daniel Craig version), 500 Days of Summer, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, The Matrix, Moon, The Orphanage, Star Trek (yes, the Abrams version), Stargate, V for Vendetta and Wall*E.

And this is just the stuff I’ve got a hard copy of. I’m probably blanking on some movies that I loved but don’t own (for the most part, we’ve stopped buying things on DVD/BluRay). Also, I’m sure this list calls into question my tastes, but at least there’s some variety to the list, right? And there are some classics here that if you don’t like, well, you might be an alien. 😉

Pretty sure this plan would take, like, a month to get through. 🙂

4) One-Season Wonder Marathon!

Then there’s television. There are shows that I absolutely love but were canceled way too soon. My husband really isn’t interesting in re-watching any of these because they didn’t end “properly,” but I say screw that: the shows were captivating in their own way, and I want to remember why I loved them so. So via Netflix or Hulu or whatever method I could get my hands on, I’d marathon Defying Gravity, Awake, Pushing Daisies, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Better Off Ted. And let’s just throw in Deadwood for good measure.

Again, that’s just the stuff I can remember.

So there are my stay-cation plans, should the stars ever align for me to take advantage of at least one of them. Which one do you like best, or at the very least, which one do you see yourself doing? What are YOUR stay-cation ideas?

Culture Consumption: September 2013

~ Shara ~ 19 Comments

I know this is dreadfully late, but for a while I was seriously considering not doing these posts. Then I realized I liked doing them, as it gave me a chance to talk about STUFF, and what I really didn’t want to do was go link-hunting. So I decided to leave out the links. If you’re really interested in something, go Google it. Or ask me in the comments and I’ll send a link your way. 🙂

Without further adieu, let’s look at September’s entertainment tallies!

And as always, I’m happy to jabber about anything that’s on the following lists. If you want my opinion about something, just comment and ask.

Continue reading →

Culture Consumption: August 2013

~ Shara ~ 16 Comments

I know, I suck at updating. I have a plan: when I finish reading my daily Hellblazer issue, I will devote my lunch break to crafting blog posts instead, which is currently when I read the daily Hellblazer issue. Sound fair? I hope so. Hopefully, I’ll get to post more soon, but in the meantime, let’s look at August’s entertainment tallies!

And as always, I’m happy to jabber about anything that’s on the following lists. If you want my opinion about something, just comment and ask.

Continue reading →

Culture Consumption: July 2013

~ Shara ~ 13 Comments

This month, instead of listing all of the books and stories I read in the month prior, I’m going to do something a little different. I’m still going to list the books and stories, but I’m also going to include the comics I read this month. And the movies I watched. And the television shows. That way if anyone wonders how my writing is going, all they’ll have to do is look at this list and immediately know the answer. 🙂

And as always, I’m happy to jabber about anything that’s on the following lists. If you want my opinion about something, just comment and ask.

Continue reading →

So Behind….

~ Shara ~ 12 Comments

Oy, it’s been a while since I’ve posted, so let’s summarize with a list:

1) My cat had a virus a couple of weeks ago. Strange to think that an indoor-only cat could get a VIRUS of all things, but as my vet explained, things can get on your shoes. I walk daily, and my cat LOVES my tennis shoes. So, after a scary bout of non-normal vomiting from my cat, the tennis shoes stay in the closet, and he’s feeling much better. After getting a couple of shots and sleeping the virus off, of course. And thank goodness. At his age (11 years) and weight (17 pounds), any irregular vomiting is something to be concerned about.

2) It’s been raining cats and dogs here. We’re lucky in that we were still able to have fun at two cookouts on the 4th of July, but the rain is ridiculous. And insulting. Somethings I feel like the Big Man Upstairs should pay attention and share the wealth: the fact the East is getting hit with a crapton of rain while the west is burning? Not cool, man… not cool.

3) Due to the rain, I haven’t been able to walk since Thursday. And Thursday morning, when I walked, I forgot to wear my glasses. That was fun. And blurry.

4) Oh, yes, I had a 4.5 day weekend. Full of RAIN. But I made up for that by reading for the Hugos and watching Netflix like a boss.

5) Did you know there’s a movie called Trollhunter and it’s not a SyFy Original Movie? Did you know it’s actually good? Frightening, I know, but if you get a chance to watch, give it a shot: it’s actually a foreign film. I thought the make-up of the trolls was a tick too Jim Henson-ish for my tastes, but the effects and story? Surprisingly enjoyable.

6) I was writing daily, and then I stopped. I blame vacation time. And lots of reading. It’s a pendulum, I swear: if I’m reading a lot, I’m not writing, and if I’m writing a lot, I’m not reading.

7) On the 4th of July, I finally got to try dandelion wine for the first time. Surprisingly sweet, and very enjoyable.

8) That’s all I’ve got for now. Tomorrow is Monday, which means getting back to the grind. Yay?

June Reading

~ Shara ~ 30 Comments

I’m not sure where June went, exactly, but I want it back. No, seriously. I want it back. 🙂 It’s been a bitch of a month for focusing on reading, and while it looks like I read a LOT in June, do not let this list fool you. There’s two graphic novels in this bunch, as well as a half-a-dozen short stories. It’s Hugo-Reading time, and it’s just as well: I don’t seem to have much patience for novels right now.

Below is a list of what I managed to complete in June. There will be no forthcoming reviews, but if you want to talk about something in particular, feel free to ask in the comments. 🙂

Finished Books: June

The Boy Who Cast No Shadows (2011)
Written by: Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Genre: Short Fiction/Modern Fantasy

In Sea-Salt Tears (2012)
Written by: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Short Fiction/Urban Fantasy

Mantis Wives (2012)
Written by: Kij Johnson
Genre: Short Fiction/Science Fiction

Immersion (2012)
Written by: Aliette De Bodard
Genre: Short Fiction/Science Fiction

Mono No Aware (2012)
Written by: Ken Liu
Genre: Short Fiction/Science Fiction

The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013)
Written by: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Pages: 192 (Hardcover)

For a Few Demons More (2007)
Written by: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 360 (Mass Market Paperback)

Porn & Revolution in the Peaceable Kingdom (2013)
Written by: Micaela Morrissette
Genre: Short Fiction/Science Fiction

The Stuff of Legend: Omnibus One (2012)
Written by: Matt Raicht
Genre: Graphic Novel/Epic Fantasy
Pages: 260 (Hardcover)

Bronze Gods (2013)
Written by: A.A. Aguirre
Genre: Steampunk/Urban Fantasy
Pages: 322 (Mass Market Paperback)

Eyes of Crow (2006)
Written by: Jeri Smith-Ready
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Pages: 480 (Trade Paperback)

BONE: Full Color One Volume Edition (2011)
Written by: Jeff Smith
Genre: Graphic Novel/Epic Fantasy
Pages: 1344 (Hardcover)

The Human Division (2013)
Written by: John Scalzi
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 432 (Hardcover)

The breakdown: 5 books, 2 graphic novels (half of Bone was read last year), and 6 pieces of short fiction. So that’s not BAD, it’s just that the more I think about my own writing and world-building, the harder time I have focusing on the world-building of others. I’m also still working on my June Dare, A Brother’s Price by Wen Spencer, but right now, reading for Hugo voting has the priority. But I’ll get there, one day….

But at any rate, that was my June. How was yours? What did you read? What did you love, like, or hate? Best thing out of my month (novel-wise) was easily the new Neil Gaiman. The biggest disappointment? Surprisingly, A.A. Aguirre’s Bronze Gods. Also, Seanan McGuire fans? Click on the link for “In Sea-Salt Tears” and read it immediately. You will not be disappointed.

It’s a Matter of Focus

~ Shara ~ 8 Comments

So lately, I’ve been having trouble focusing. Not in all areas, mind you: I’m doing well keeping up with the elliptical and my daily walks. My daily installment of Hellblazer is coming along without much fuss. The husband and I have dropped both DirecTV and our land line, and we’ve been using Netflix like it’s going out of style — I’m just now getting to watch Arrested Development for the first time, and we’re working through House of Cards too. Great stuff. Also, movies: World War Z was this past weekend, and Man of Steel the weekend before.

So it’s not like I don’t have plenty to do outside of my day job. But I haven’t been able to focus on reading. I read a page or two, get distracted and do something else. Even if I’m wanting to read the book, my brain is still churning a million miles an hour, thinking of other things.

Namely writing. But instead of THINKING about writing, my brain is pre-writing: in the past week-and-a-half my brain has been swimming in the world-building of Telepathic Soulmates***, working out details for future fixes of that draft while also trying to find the real story in the sequel, Prison Planet, for which I now have a promising arc for, thanks to my good friend Michele. And lastly, I’m writing (yes, writing) a page-a-day, but it’s what I’m calling Not a Prequel Novel. Because I’m not going into it with any sort of real STORY in mind. Rather, I want to take two characters who are supporting characters in Telepathic Soulmates and tell their story. Their story takes place chronologically before Telepathic Soulmates, so it gives me the opportunity I need and want to really explore the world-building in ways I won’t get to do in revision. So it’s fun. I think.

It is funny: when I’m REALLY into whatever I’m writing, I don’t have much brainpower for reading. Which goes a long way in explaining how, when I was book-blogging and reading all the time, I didn’t have any brainpower for writing. The book blog has been closed for month now, and I’m just now able to pore my energies into creating my own fiction instead of absorbing the fiction of others.

Don’t get me wrong: writers have to do both. I’m just trying to find the balance.

*** = as always, these titles are actually aliases for the novels I’m working on, not their REAL titles. Except for Not a Prequel Novel, because it doesn’t have a title and what I would call it would make no sense to anyone who hasn’t read Telepathic Soulmates

Today, a list!

~ Shara ~ 12 Comments

1) Yesterday, I saw two dead animals: one was a rabbit at the entrance of my neighborhood. I was all like, “Awww, cute bunny!” because I thought it was just SITTING THERE and then as I passed, it didn’t jump away, and I saw its leg. Poor bunny…. the second dead animal also was discovered in my neighborhood: a snake that ran afoul with a lawn mower. Except I didn’t know it was dead when I came upon it in the street while walking and nearly had a heart attack. I’d say “poor snake,” but… yeah. It’s a snake. Poor bastard is better.

2) The teaser trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has been released, and I’m as giddy as a schoolgirl. If I were still in college, or if I still had my ginormous crush on Legolas, I would’ve found high-def screencaps of this sucker and already made Live Journal icons out of all the Legolas shots. Because that’s how I used to roll.

3) Speaking of The Hobbit, I’m totally excited about Evangeline Lily’s character Tauriel. Yeah, she was made-up for the movies, but you know what? I’m cool with that. The books will always be the books and the movies will always be the movies, and damn it, the movies need more girls! And this one brings me a kick-ass elf. So yay. However, I have a theory: she and Legolas will somehow have a RELATIONSHIP (either closely platonic or verging on romantic or actual romance) and he’s all sELFish (see what I did there?) about not helping others except elves and she’s all like, “We have to defeat evil no matter what.” and then? MY THEORY: poor girl’s gonna die. Just you watch: she’s going to die (hopefully heroically), and that will soften Legolas’ heart enough to volunteer for the Fellowship come Frodo’s quest. JUST YOU WAIT.

4) Oh, you probably want a trailer now, don’t you? BEHOLD! The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug teaser trailer.

5) I’ve decided that when I take a day off of work, the office also has to close. Because when I’m gone, all sorts of crazy crap comes out of the wood work, and seriously, why does this stuff WAIT until I’m gone? Tuesday was DEFINITELY my Monday. I did not appreciate that. :-/

6) Fans of Johnny Cash might know that he and June Carter did have one son together: John Carter Cash (hey, John Carter… of Mars?). Well, that son has apparently written a book (by the cover, it looks to be children’s/middle-grade, but I could be wrong), and what I’ve read of the review on Tor.com indicates it’s actually really good. Color me surprised, if for no other reason that I wouldn’t expect a novelist to come out of those two singer/songwriters. 🙂

7) This week I’ve been spending my lunch breaks watching Moonrise Kingdom. I’m not done yet, but it’s weird, quirky, and has both a kitten and Edward Norton. Those latter two things alone make this movie a WIN.

8) I wish this Ariel Makeup Kit from Sephora had come out when I was still an undergrad. Not only did I have shirts and stuff in those exact colors, but I also had the balls to match my eye shadow to said shirts and rock it. Nowadays, I have some shirts to match the eye shadow and nail polish, but it’s not such a good idea for a professional look. But who am I kidding? If I had this kit, I’d totally try it!

9) I’ve decided: if I use the elliptical, then I’ll only do a single lap around the neighborhood. If I don’t use the elliptical (like on weekends or days off from work), I’ll do TWO laps around the neighborhood. Laps are, of course, weather permitting. So weather, permit it, damn it.

10) We’ve started to reach that point in summer where I may need to ignore my own hatred of how my legs are shaped and walk in shorts instead of my usual yoga pants. On the plus side, I’ll be much cooler. On the negative side, my legs are showing. Also, bugs. :-/

Do NOT Be These Guys (Except for One)

~ Shara ~ 8 Comments

Let me tell you about two people I encountered last night during the Filter concert. They are given knicknames to protect their identities, but let me implore you: do NOT be these guys. Ever.

First, I present to you Doublewide Redneck: dude wasn’t fat, but he was WIDE, the kind of guy who clearly is unconcerned if someone gets in their face and wants to start a fight. He’s a redneck because he literally had a red neck, and since I reside in the state of Tennessee, I’m allowed to bandy that term around, because I’ll use it properly rather than a catch-all term for Southerners I don’t like, thank you very much.

Doublewide Redneck wore a t-shirt that said “Drink Drank Drunk” (or something to that effect) and he had no problem shoving his way through the crowd to get where he was going. Namely, he had no problem shoving his way past me. He decided where he needed to go was RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, and it took all my willpower to not shove him in the ass with my foot. I’m not kidding. I figured, if it started a fight, I’d be all right: the venue’s security would most certainly take my side (a girl’s) over a drinking dude wearing a “drink drank drunk” t-shirt, and aside from my hubby and his very BIG (not fat, TALL and not a guy you want to mess with) best friend, I was also surrounded by two other very well built guys whom I’m pretty sure would back me up, especially since the guy to my right also got shoved out of the way by Doublewide Redneck.

Doublewide Redneck stood there for a few songs, oblivious to the holes I was burning into his back with my eyes, and decided to leave. This time, he pushed through on my OTHER side, and I rather refused to step out of the way out of principle. If he’d said “Excuse me,” I would’ve happily done so, but this guy was shoving his way through the crowd like it was his god-given right that we all get out of his way. I didn’t see him for the rest of the night.

Don’t be Doublewide Redneck.

Second is far more harmless but still scary: Sweaty Shirtless Dude. Sweaty Shirtless Dude gets into the MUSIC man and starts writhing around in ecstasy shortly after the first song starts and takes off his t-shirt immediately. He’s SO INTO IT that you’re afraid his pants and other clothing will come off in short order. Anyone navigating their way around this guy, especially girls, do their very best to make sure not a single part of their body comes in contact with Sweaty Shirtless Dude. This guy dances like a wet noodle during mating season. And somehow, he managed to do so, in front of me, for the entire Filter set.

Until I sat down on a couch to rest my weary back and feet. But then suddenly he was in my line of vision AGAIN, but before I could bemoan this development to my hubby sitting next to me, Sweaty Shirtless Dude disappeared. Cool. My hubby got up during his favorite song to stand among the crowd (brave, brave man) and I continued to chill on the couch, enjoying the music but not feeling the NEED to watch it happen (I’m a “music should be heard and not seen” sort of gal). But then, towards the end of Filter’s set, here comes Sweaty Shirtless Dude, and he points to the empty seat beside me and without waiting for a yay or nay from me, SITS DOWN. NEXT TO ME. Still Sweaty. Still Shirtless.

Ew.

I nearly pop up to leave, but figured that’d be TOO obvious and rude, so I wait a minute, then grab my empty drink and toss it (clearly showing Sweaty Shirtless Dude I was leaving to throw away garbage, not to get away from him and what has become a seriously RANK body odor). I join my group, Filter wraps up, and that is the end of Shirtless Sweaty Dude.

Don’t be Sweaty Shirtless Dude. Who, incidentally, was there with a date. Brave, brave girl.

I do, however, want to give props to The Mullet Man, whose mullet was a thing of perfection if such a hairstyle is your cup of tea. I did not get a picture, but my friend did. If I can get him to send it to me, I’ll post it here. I don’t want you to think I’m making fun of Mullet Man either. I’m not. While I would never in a billion years let hubby rock that hairstyle, if you CAN rock it, more power to you. And this guy rocked it.

You can be that guy, but only if you commit to it. I mean REALLY commit to it. 🙂

For those of you blanking on who the band Filter is (the lead singer is Robert Patrick’s, of Terminator 2 fame, brother), here’s a video of the song they’re most known for, “Take a Picture.” You may need to deal with an advert before the video, but if you know this band, you’ll recognize the song: