Alexandra Isobel's Blog, page 13
August 9, 2015
April 25, 2015
Be Like Bacon (Francis Bacon) Knowledge is Power
Originally posted on Be Like Water:
Filed under: Mixed Tribe CAFE Tagged: inspiration, knowledge, power
April 24, 2015
CANADA HAS SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIERS!?
Yup, the JTF2, and it’s what my Chimera Team romances are based upon.
Stationed in Dwyer Hill, a small town near Ottawa; Canada’s capital, the JTF2 training compound is where the team hones their special operations skills in counter terrorism. This where they become ‘scalpels, not hammers.’
With the team motto, “Deeds not words” these soldiers are the country’s silent protectors. They’re private and committed to the protection of the country.
“We act only when asked to by the Government of Canada. We see ourselves as protectors, not avengers. We stay silent about our actions.”
Their weapons? Colt Canada series. MacmillanTAC-50 sniper rifle.
Their job? The protection of Canadian national interest and combat terrorism at home and abroad.
Their attitude? “We’re quiet professionals. We exist to serve Canada. We do what the Government asks of us, but please respect that we can’t tell everyone how we complete it. We are by our nature secretive because we need to be discreet. We don’t get recognition or fame for what we do. We do it so that Canadians can 
sleep at night.”
My CHIMERA TEAM is a top secret unit of the JTF2. The Team is made up of hand-picked members of separate JTF2 units, chosen for their elite skills to carry out highly sensitive operations for the Canadian Government. They come together, one mission at a time then disp
erse back to daily operations.
A chimera is a mythological beast, made from the parts of other animals, but does not really exist. It is wildly imaginative, an implausible fiction, and an impossible dream.
Chimera team men are expected to think the impossible, do the impossible, and make the impossible happen. They are also ordered to do it with stealth silence in the most heinous conditions.
So the question must be asked, how does a soldier live with himself after carrying out missions like that?
And how does a woman love a man who has decided to live his life like that?
ROMANTIC HEART BEATS – Chimera Team prequel story collection.
. . . download your private copy this spring
Information source: http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/operations-special-forces/jtf2.page
Filed under: BLOG Tagged: Canadian, Canadian girl, chimera team, love scene, military, military romance, Romance, soldiers
April 22, 2015
April 17, 2015
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MIXED TRIBE WOMAN
What do we do all day? We’re always on the go, seemingly forever tired, but also exhilarated by the life we lead. There is no doubt that mixed tribe women lead very busy lives.
But out of curiosity we asked: What were you doing at 9:45am – 2:45pm – 9:30pm today?
Here’s what some of us said . . . .
7:30 am, I was in the shower, and getting ready to start my day.
2:45 pm, I was on the bus making my way to the grocery store, to buy cauliflower and almonds ohh and Fresca I’m going to attempt to make some grilled cheese tomorrow cauliflower bread.. recipe looks delish!!
9:30 pm. I was filling out some Second Career paraphernalia, and getting quite discouraged. I’ve just about had it up to the tip top of my head with this crap!!
KATE – mother of one and student hopeful
Oh my dear 730am is when our troop rouse to life so yesterday fed a baby got 4 kids off to school.
At 245pm I was on a van run supporting the individuals at work then spent the next 4 hrs driving and supporting at Special Olympic bowling.
At 945pm I was cleaning common spaces in an apartment belonging to 2 individuals. Then run
to another apt to support another individual before FINALLY heading home to unwind.
ULYN. Mother of five.
Showered @ 7:30am. Opened my daycare @ 8am. 2:45
pm, started supper, laundry, art, kiddies up from nap. Went for a power walk and did some yard work, late supper/ 9:30pm TV/bed.
Nat – Home child care owner and operator.
I’m up at 5:50 to make coffee, feed cats, put out breakfast, make lunches
6:20 shower
6:45 Drive to Canterbury to drop off girls for strings rehearsal
7:30 Drive to Algonquin
8-12 teach 12-1 get a cup of tea, return emails and enter grades 1-3 Teach 3-4 see students
4 drive to Canterbury pick up Marley from school soccer 4:45 Drive to Marley’s friend’s house to pick her up for competitive soccer practice.
6-7:30 mark assignments while Marley practices
7:30 drive friend home and go home 8 make dinner, feed cats, clean lunch boxes, put in a load of laundry
9 mark assignments, email, sign forms, chat with girls while they do homework
11 Fall in to bed ahhhhhh
SANDY – Mother of three daughters.
7:30 am checking personal and business emails
2:45 getting snack ready for daycare kiddies
9:30 pm sleeping of course lol
Kelly – Creative arts teacher and photographer
7:30am I’m driving my two daughters to school.
2:45pm picking them up again from school.
9:30pm finished cleaning the house and off to bed
ZEINAB – Mother of five
7:30am – getting ready for the day, usually doing hair and make-up
2:45 – behind a computer working away
9:30 – spending time with the family watching TV together
Farah – Working girl
Filed under: BLOG Tagged: mixed tribe, working women
April 13, 2015
Adaptations: April 2015
Action movies are my muse. I can’t stay away from tv and movies.
Originally posted on The Bookworm Chronicles:
I absolutely love adaptations. I know this can sometimes be a controversial subject with book lovers but not for me. I think my real love of them came from my time studying performance at university. There I became fascinated with taking a story and telling it through a different medium; whether that be book, film, TV, or on the stage.
Here are the adaptations I watched over the Easter bank holiday in April:
Emma (2009) Read TV Series Television
Four part BBC costume drama based on the classic novel by Jane Austen. I had fond memories of this from when it was first aired and was happy to find it was still as delightful as I remember. Sumptuous costumes and settings, and a wonderful cast including Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller. Perfect for a drizzly Good Friday afternoon. Great watch.
Sense and Sensibility (2008) Read
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Filed under: WRITING INSPIRATIONS
Romancing the Capital
Go Ottawa!
Originally posted on Deborah Cooke & Her Books:
This week, I’m heading out to a reader conference in Ottawa, Canada. This is the first year for Romancing the Capital, and I’m really looking forward to it. (I’m also glad that I’m not flying, as I have so much stuff to take along!)
The booksigning on Saturday is open to the public, so even if you’re not attending the conference, I hope to see you there!
Filed under: WRITING INSPIRATIONS
April 11, 2015
Bohemian–A Grapefruit Cocktail
Can’t help loving grapefruit cocktails!
Originally posted on The Sweet and Savory Bite:
I first found this cocktail at Spoke and fell in love with it a second time at Drink! Needless to say, I was determined to learn how to make it at home!
This is a slightly sweet, citrusy cocktail.
Ingredients:
1 oz gin
1.5 oz St. Germain
1.5 oz fresh squeeze grapefruit juice
1 dash of peychaud bitters
Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake away until chilled. Strain into a glass, garnish with a piece of grapefruit and serve to your loved one as I did for the husband! 
If you like a sweeter drink, then use less gin and more St. Germain or you could use bottled grapefruit juice, which often times has sugar added. I go for fresh squeezed!
What’s better than a fresh cocktail to complement your good food?!
Filed under: WRITING INSPIRATIONS
April 8, 2015
WHEN EVERYBODY WINS – DOES EVERYBODY LOSE??
“. . . how would you like it if at your job, every time you made the slightest mistake a little red light went on over your head and 18,000 people stood up and screamed at you?” -Jacques Plante. Goalie. Montreal Canadians.
I think everyone has now heard of the everyone wins sports tournaments?
Now that my son’s hockey season has drawn to a close, his league not subscribing to the everybody wins ideal, I realized while watching his last playoff game (they didn’t make the finals) how far he has come in terms of dealing with that oh so painful loss of a game.
Being an avid Senators fan since . . . well being old enough to understand and love the game of hockey, he’s grown from huge tears when the Senators lost to being able to bounce back from his own team losing. “That’s the sport, mom.”
Mind you this has been a good ten year span of time, and in between there been many bouts of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth; I still cringe with the pain of watching him, as the last shoot out player in a tie game miss the shot, but all of this has taught him how to deal with the mixed bag of emotions that come with winning and losing gracefully in sports and life.
In hind sight, I can’t really see how these lessons would have been taught as well through the everybody wins a trophy tournament ideal.
Now, he’s in his teens and a goalie, and with that position comes a new sense of . . . something (see quote up top) And as I read the mixed opinions about everybody wins tournaments, I ask:
• When do these children learn how to lose?
• Where is the motivation to achieve something extra?
• And is there something lost when you win no matter the effort put in?
Filed under: BLOG Tagged: competition, goalie, hockey, losing, winning
April 2, 2015
MORNING COFFEE
Yup, I need it. Every morning. Like comfort food. That drive thru Timmy’s . . . Canadians you know where I mean, eh?
My coffee. My audio book. My long drive to unwind my mind . . . then get it in gear for a few hours of writing.
I love the romance of coffee in the morning.
Where do you have your morning coffee?
Photos from Google+ and Pinterest.
Filed under: BLOG Tagged: celebrities, coffee, inspirations, morning coffee, Romance, writing
