magick musings…

…seems forever since I blogged last. Can not believe summer will be here in a few weeks. Already the grass is needing to be mowed weekly.

Life and work is busy, but good. Writing has taken a back seat in my life, but plans in the making to get back to it regularly.

I know, I know…promises, promises. But this time for real. Watch and see.

Sometimes it is good to take a sabatical and work on other aspects of your life. I keep saying timing is everything. Doesn’t mean I haven’t been doing things though.

Research ya’ know. 😎

Went to the Scarboroough Affair Renaissance Festival on Mother’s Day weekend. I have longed to do that for years and finally had the opportunity. It was a hoot.

I tasted Honeyed Mead which was wine made with…you guessed it…HONEY. Found it a little too strong for the warm day, and, since I hadn’t eaten anything yet that morning and wasn’t fond of the idea of being carried out over someone’s shoulders, I ended up drinking something called Pear Cider which was very mild and very good.

It was fascinating to see so many people getting into the spirit of the festival. The clothes, the food, the drink, the craft…even the language. You can’t imagine how many ‘Good day mi’lady’ I heard.

So cool. Until it started raining. Got my butt wet and mud all over me AND the vehicle.

Went to the movies and saw Georgia Rule. Loved it! Great characters!

Memorial Day was full by cooking steaks, learning how to make carmelized onions and mushrooms (yum!). Discovered Blue Bell chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream (double yum!). Rented six movies from blockbuster (hey, it is a holiday and can do what I want) and made a pot of chicken, sausage, and okra gumbo to eat during the work week.

I find that the longer I put the writing off, the easier it is not to get back to it. I know that I have to get back to it NO MATTER WHAT.

It is just so hard with so much going on right now. Need to find the motivation and inspiration to get back to it.

Any ideas on how to do that?

~Sandy

…james bond

Watched several movies this weekend and enjoyed them all and didn’t pick any of them. That was a good thing as the last several movies ‘I’ chose were not such good picks. Maybe that is telling me something. 😳

‘Fracture’ with Anthony Hopkins turned out to be a tiny bit predictable but enjoyable all the same. The best part was the ‘Black Moment’.

In writerspeak, the ‘Black Moment’ is the point of the story when all is lost. There is no way the main character will reach the goal or save the day. But the writers really came through and the resolution ended up being very satisfying and even surprised me. Take that, Mr. Scary Anthony Hopkins!!!

The latest James Bond movie, Casino Royale, turned out to be the favorite of the weekend. Even if it was the impetus for a major ‘discussion’. :help:

I expected, as one would with having seen most all of the James Bond movies, this one would be about the same. Cool, unflappable, tuxedo wearing, martini drinking, hunky 007 able to extricate himself out of all types of predicaments using cool tools of technology.

Not so.

Even if the ‘discussion’ was in regard to this being a prequel to all the other JB movies (he had just been elevated to 00 status) ~ I pointed out that Paradise Island wouldn’t have been built yet, there were no GPS’s on cell phones, and they didn’t make portable AED’s back then.

Okay, okay, I understand this is a Bond movie where the technology was far advanced in the world of British Intelligence but I will stick to my guns that there were NO Texas Hold’em games yet!

But, hey, I do concede that I lost the ‘discussion’ as each movie really is supposed to be a ‘stand alone’ and in present day time and that I am way too analytical. :hiding:

Having said that, I thoroughly loved the young James and thought the writers did a fabulous job portraying him as young, not-so-experienced, not-so-cool, yet still a hunky 00 agent. Having four sons I can easily relate to the character of this age and found it very believable.

The characterization of this prequel did a fantastic job to set the precedence for the mature Bonds we all know and love.

I will tell you this. It is tough being a writer and watching movies now. You see things in such a different light now.

~Sandy

…don’t fear it!

Note from Sandy: Got an email from one of my blog readers who chastised me quite sternly for not writing any of my motivational blogs. So, in that person’s honor (and you know who you are), here goes.

Tess Gerritsen recently blogged about how NOT to feel like a loser when things are not going just right in your writing career. She wrote about how hard a writing career is. How the publishing industry excels at making you feel a loser. And how she often feels like one even with almost 20 books under her belt, many of them award winning best sellers.

How could she ever feel like a loser? Beautiful, talented, successful both as an internist and a New York Times Bestselling author.

Mind boggling to say the least.

Author JA Konrath writes that ‘The secret to being a winner is confidence. Since most of us lack in this department, being sensitive artist types, we have to learn to fake confidence.’

He also goes on to give ideas on exactly how to do that. One of those pearls of wisdom struck home to me:

7. Focus on success. You’ll fail sometimes. We all do. But if you focus on the good things that happen, and push down the bad, you’ll be perceived as a winner. Perception equals reality.

I believe this advice should also follow us in every aspect of our lives. Whether in our careers, our love, our relationships, or our families.

Have you ever been so down and depressed over a situation that it is difficult to think past it? It not only colors your thinking, but your attitude and your actions.

Has fear of success or fear of continued success affected the way you present yourself to others? Even to the point of when you look in the mirror in the morning you don’t recognize the face staring back?

It’s hard looking past those negative and worrisome feelings. It’s difficult to push them down when they are all consuming and you find yourself paralyzed with what might or might not be.

It’s like what Keanu Reeves’ character in The Replacements call fear of the ‘Quicksand’. One thing goes wrong, then fear takes hold causing another, and then another until you become neck deep in the mire and unable to get out.

To be a true winner means searching deep and finding the success that even failures bring.
To be a winner means faking confidence until the real thing shows up.
To be a winner means you never quit no matter how bad the fear is.

~Sandy

…Nancy!

For a well earned, well deserved PROMOTION!

And here’s some advice sent to me when I got my promotion…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a feeling of control over her destiny…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her
dreams wants to see her in an hour…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she’s content to leave behind….

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black
lace bra…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who
lets her cry…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone
else in her family…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a
recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
How to quit a job,
Break up with a lover,
And confront a friend without ruining the friendship…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
when to try harder… and when to walk away…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that her childhood may not have been perfect…but its
over…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t
take it personally…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own even if she never wants
to or needs to…

~Sandy