magick musings…

…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

…is to express yourself in writing.

I read an article in the Sunday paper awhile back that explained keeping a journal can help you reduce stress. If something is bothering you, don’t hold it in – write it down. How writing about those things that cause so much anxiety can help lead to a much better health.

I keep a blog. Not as regularly as I used to or as often as I would like, but I still enjoy it.

But around the end of March, I realized that a blog, although it is a journal of sorts, is not necessarily a venue to write of private things ingrained into the heart and seared into one’s soul.

Now, I keep a journal on my computer that no one sees, no one reads. I write of the agony and ecstasy of life and love and family. The joys, the fun, the fears, the pain, the hopes, the happiness, and the heartbreak.

Now, instead of ranting and raving, worrying, crying, or hurting, ~ I write it all down. And it works wonders. There is something so cathartic about it.

Try it. Will save you lots of negative energy and grief over things that you can’t control, make decisions on the things you can control, and even will sometimes help you figure out the difference.

Expecting more rain this week. Hopefully without the tornados and hail that has accompanied it in the last few weeks. The only good thing about the rains lately is that North Texas has had a deluge that we have needed for the draught and help fill the lakes.

Had a wonderful weekend!

Well, off to work. Have a great Monday and get to writing! :coffee:

Happy Birthday to M ‘da Bear’ yesterday and Happy Birthday to Dennie today!

~Sandy

…holy heavens thank goodness it is friday!

Work wasn’t too bad this week despite having stayed on the road most of the time between offices and training sessions! But I love the diversity of it as it never lets me get bored.

The only downer was this week was so full of doubts and insecurities and just plain ole’ worrying about things I have no business worrying about. In all areas of my life.

Well, let me tell you I am back in my game! Gonna make the most of this time I have here on this earth with what I have.

I have declared war.

Can you believe that spring morphed back into winter then back into spring? Will be in the low 80’s this weekend and beautiful. Got a few plans that sound like fun so we’ll see what happens. Don’t want to voice it aloud and let the troll gods put a monkey wrench in it.

Actually got some writing done. Not a lot but what I did do counts. I keep reminding myself it doesn’t have to be perfect the first time around. It keeps my eyes facing forward.

Got a phone call from a friend last night who started the conversation with “If you stab a woman in the breast and she has had a boob job, would you get more blood or saline from the wound?” Then we spent 10 minutes talking about the logistics of stabbing a woman in the chest who has implants. Gotta love writers. :rotfl:

Update on the auto accident: Just found out it may only cost me out of pocket $395.00. That is good news. The bad news is it still goes on my record as we have to get the other vehicle fixed. But, hey, records are made to be broken and I will get that off it asap.

Going to be a wonderful weekend!

Have any special plans?

~Sandy

Have been working with a friend and fellow writer on her book which is technically the second in a series. My friend is a bona fide, card carrying, self admitting ‘pantser’ which actually means she grabs an idea and runs with it, the plot unfolding as she writes along. And does a wonderful job at it.

But while laboring on the revisions of this book, she decided it needed some more work (not that there is anything wrong with it as she is an awesome, talented writer), but she wanted to give it a little something extra and do some plotting on it and see what we could come up with.

So we dusted off our plotting caps and sharpened our creative imaginations and spent a few hours discussing possibilities and scenarios. And came up with some awesome ideas to add to her already rock solid story. And in the process learned that there was actually a third book to be had in the series!

Imagine our surprise!

There is nothing more exciting than getting together with people who share the same dreams, the same passions, letting the creativity flow hot and wild and coming up with ideas that gives you goose bumps in the process.

Gaw, that is my favorite part of this crazy, frustrating thing called writing. And so rewarding when it is put to paper and the story unfolds into a living breathing entity.

Like giving birth. Without the stretch marks.

In the ensuing excitement, I decided to join several of my Yellow Rose RWA friends and I enrolled in Shelley Bradley’s upcoming May online workshop called Storyboarding. This workshop teaches how to ‘allow you to plot the skeleton of a story or put all the story flesh on its bones, right down to the last freckle or drop of sweat.’

Today, while thinking about writing this post, I was reminded that plotting can also refer to life. Some plan it all out. To do lists, grocery lists, retirement goals, Christmas savings account, long term care policies, vacation plans. While others take it one day at a time adjusting to what is thrown at them. The lucky ones hit a happy medium.

So, be honest, either in your writing or just the process of living your life are you…

a plotter or pantser?

~Sandy

…we saw some green alligators and long necked geese…
…some humpy backed camels and some chimpanzees… :guitar:

Can’t get that song out of my mind. Always liked it but now it is stuck in my head.

Did something different this year. Instead of hiding Easter eggs and baking a ham and sneaking chocolate out of Easter baskets, went to the zoo.

The weather started out gray and quite nippy. At first, the walk around the park garnered only empty and silent cages. A few of the animals sleepily rose from their cozy beds, ducking back in quickly to keep warm. You could almost hear them shaking their heads thinking “And HUMANS are supposed to be the smarter ones??”

But it warmed up comfortably and had a wonderful time. Learned a few fundamental things too.

The difference between black and white rhinos.

~It’s the shape of their mouths.

The difference between alligators and crocodiles.

~It’s the shape of their snouts.

The difference in poisonous snakes and non-poisonous snakes.

~It’s the shape of their heads.

The difference between African elephants and Asian elephants.

~It’s the shape of their ears.

Evidently, shape is very important in the animal kingdom.

Entering the chimpanzee inside exhibit, there was a racket going on that rivaled a kindergarten class mainlining pure sugar. The five or six chimps were screeching, screaming, swinging from the rafters and occasionally beating up on each other.

Until the zoo keeper walked up. (Or maybe she was the chimp warden.)

With one look from her, they settled down with innocent looks of “What???? We weren’t doing anything.”

Just like my boys used to do to drive me crazy.

The most intense moment was nose to nose to a huge black gorilla with only a thin sheet of glass separating the two of us. He leaned into the glass with huge dark eyes that watched with ferocious and cunning intensity. And then he did something gross that cleared the room. Ewww!

My favorite exhibit was also the most interactive.

The Blue Bell Ice Cream Exhibit.

Unfortunately, it was also the most dangerous as the double scoop strawberry on a sugar cone probably went straight to my hips.

~Sandy

…of DWD.

That’s Driving While Distracted.

And it cost me. Big Time.

If you listened to the news this last weekend, North Texas had a deluge of thunderstorms and some major flooding in areas.

After leaving work Friday, I decided to keep my pedicure appointment. Even amidst rains of biblical proportions, a girl has her priorities, right?

I drove extra careful.

Turned my radio down.

Both hands on the wheel.

Eyes on the road.

Slowed my speed to almost a crawl.

Then my cell phone rang.

And I looked down for a nanosecond to answer it.

And everyone ahead of me picked that moment to throw on their brakes. Except yours truly here. And I plowed right into the back of the car in front of me.

It was a good thing no one was injured but the cars did have ‘owies’ and I definitely learned my lesson about Driving While Distracted. From now on, I will either use my bluetooth or just plain NOT ANSWER THE PHONE!

On the writing front. Worked on plotting Jarad’s Song which I will definitely have to rename as there is no character named Jarad and no song. :dunno: But will save the title for another plot I have perculating in the back of my mind.

Tess Gerritsen has a wonderful blog entry on writing titled ‘Any Way That Works For You’! Definitely worth a read. Made me feel a lot better!

~Sandy

According to Dr. Phil…

“The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished.”

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn’t finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished…

…off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of white zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream, a bottle of Kahula, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now.

Thanks to Nancy for bringing that to my attention!

~Sandy