Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 143
December 17, 2013
A Whole New Light
Yesterday, the handyman came out to do a few jobs at my house. Some of those jobs included putting up new things. One of those was a new light for my eat-in kitchen area.
The light that was here before wasn't horrible, but it was dark and heavy feeling. I like the cleaner lines of this light better.
I also had him hang a picture over the fireplace. Normally, I can do this myself, but this picture was so big that I wasn't sure I could handle it with both feet on the ground. Because I was putting it over the fireplace, I would have had to maneuver it while on a ladder. A bigger challenge than I wanted to deal with. Here's my new picture:
The light that was here before wasn't horrible, but it was dark and heavy feeling. I like the cleaner lines of this light better.
I also had him hang a picture over the fireplace. Normally, I can do this myself, but this picture was so big that I wasn't sure I could handle it with both feet on the ground. Because I was putting it over the fireplace, I would have had to maneuver it while on a ladder. A bigger challenge than I wanted to deal with. Here's my new picture:
December 15, 2013
To All a Good Flight
WestJet had a surprise for some of their passengers for Christmas. This is a really cool video and I love the narration which pulls it all together so nicely.
December 12, 2013
It's Not Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
One of the things I've noticed since moving to Atlanta is how hard it is for me to realize it's Christmas. Basically what happens is I cruise along in blissful ignorance as to what month it really is, then suddenly it dawns on me, and I panic.
I've considered why that is and I've decided it's the weather. It doesn't feel like December to me.
I'm from Minnesota and lived there most of my life. To me, December is winter coats, hats, mittens, and probably boots. This triggers my brain to go oh, yeah, send out holiday cards and buy presents.
It doesn't get that cold in Atlanta. It's felt like October most of the month so far, and while it turned cold overnight, I still wore my fall jacket to work so it's not as if it's cold enough for me to think Christmas. So last night I had the OMG, it's almost Christmas panic set in. I ordered a few gifts, but it's barely a start.
And cards? I'm leaning toward not sending them out again this year since I can't find the cards I bought and didn't use last year. That's the worst thing about moving--I can't find a lot of things although I know they're here. Somewhere.
This does make me wonder, though, how long it will take me to acclimate to the weather down here and realize what time of year it really is.
I've considered why that is and I've decided it's the weather. It doesn't feel like December to me.
I'm from Minnesota and lived there most of my life. To me, December is winter coats, hats, mittens, and probably boots. This triggers my brain to go oh, yeah, send out holiday cards and buy presents.
It doesn't get that cold in Atlanta. It's felt like October most of the month so far, and while it turned cold overnight, I still wore my fall jacket to work so it's not as if it's cold enough for me to think Christmas. So last night I had the OMG, it's almost Christmas panic set in. I ordered a few gifts, but it's barely a start.
And cards? I'm leaning toward not sending them out again this year since I can't find the cards I bought and didn't use last year. That's the worst thing about moving--I can't find a lot of things although I know they're here. Somewhere.
This does make me wonder, though, how long it will take me to acclimate to the weather down here and realize what time of year it really is.
December 10, 2013
That Touch of Mink - A Rant
Last Friday I watched a movie On Demand, and because my parents were watching, too, I couldn't turn it off in frustration. I had to sit through the entire thing. This wasn't the first time I'd seen the movie, but I was kid back then and I must have missed all the things in it that made me insane this time around. The movie? That Touch of Mink with Cary Grant and Doris Day.
For those of you who don't know, Cary Grant plays Phillip Shane, a rich and successful businessman and Doris Day plays Cathy Timberlake, a young woman looking for a job in the big city. They meet after he drives by and splashes her with water from the street. After spending part of the day together, he invites her to go to the Caribbean for some no-strings-attached sex.
Where do I start with my problems with this movie?
How about the fact that Cathy is furious about being splashed until she meets Mr. Shane and then she's simpering breathlessly about how it's her fault she was standing on the street corner?
How about the fact that Cathy decides to go to the Caribbean with him simply because he tells her she's not that type of woman?
How about the fact that while they're down there with the intention of having sex, she's still calling him Mr. Shane?
How about when Cathy develops a rash from stress and Mr. Shane goes to sit by the pool, he runs into a married man whose wife didn't want to have sex with him so he casually mentions hitting her? And when he asks Phillip what he did, he says he "popped" her one. Really? Really?
There's more, but I'll stop there. I can't even tell you how many times I muttered about Cathy being an idiot. Good lord, talk about Too Stupid To Live (TSTL).
Then there was a secondary character who was seeing a psychiatrist who's wheedling stock tips out of him, using them to profit from insider trading, and sneaking off to make his stock buys while his patient is talking. Because of his sneaking away, he misinterprets that the secondary character is involved in a gay romance. His reaction was incredible.
I do know that homosexuality was very much looked down on when the movie was made (1962), and that my reaction to this plot line is very 2013, but still it was enough to make me grit my teeth.
The rest of it, especially the portrayal of women, was also infuriating. WTF? I wasn't alive when this movie was made so I have no idea if this stuff was all considered normal behavior, but I can't believe it was. Not when I've watched many other old movies and not gotten so angry that I had to mutter to myself while I watched.
So no review, just my rant that this movie was ever made and that anyone ever watched it. What a waste of Cary Grant and Doris Day.
For those of you who don't know, Cary Grant plays Phillip Shane, a rich and successful businessman and Doris Day plays Cathy Timberlake, a young woman looking for a job in the big city. They meet after he drives by and splashes her with water from the street. After spending part of the day together, he invites her to go to the Caribbean for some no-strings-attached sex.
Where do I start with my problems with this movie?
How about the fact that Cathy is furious about being splashed until she meets Mr. Shane and then she's simpering breathlessly about how it's her fault she was standing on the street corner?
How about the fact that Cathy decides to go to the Caribbean with him simply because he tells her she's not that type of woman?
How about the fact that while they're down there with the intention of having sex, she's still calling him Mr. Shane?
How about when Cathy develops a rash from stress and Mr. Shane goes to sit by the pool, he runs into a married man whose wife didn't want to have sex with him so he casually mentions hitting her? And when he asks Phillip what he did, he says he "popped" her one. Really? Really?
There's more, but I'll stop there. I can't even tell you how many times I muttered about Cathy being an idiot. Good lord, talk about Too Stupid To Live (TSTL).
Then there was a secondary character who was seeing a psychiatrist who's wheedling stock tips out of him, using them to profit from insider trading, and sneaking off to make his stock buys while his patient is talking. Because of his sneaking away, he misinterprets that the secondary character is involved in a gay romance. His reaction was incredible.
I do know that homosexuality was very much looked down on when the movie was made (1962), and that my reaction to this plot line is very 2013, but still it was enough to make me grit my teeth.
The rest of it, especially the portrayal of women, was also infuriating. WTF? I wasn't alive when this movie was made so I have no idea if this stuff was all considered normal behavior, but I can't believe it was. Not when I've watched many other old movies and not gotten so angry that I had to mutter to myself while I watched.
So no review, just my rant that this movie was ever made and that anyone ever watched it. What a waste of Cary Grant and Doris Day.
December 8, 2013
Make It So
Cute video with Star Trek: TNG and a winter carol.
December 5, 2013
Great Idea, Bad Execution
Last week, I was browsing online, looking for some kind of To Do List that would handle complex items, like some that would take a while to accomplish and others that could be done quickly. Some that had multiple steps before they could be completed. Things like this. I didn't find anything that I liked, but I did stumble across the Project Notebook.
I clicked the Look Inside feature and checked it out. Immediately, I thought, this looks like it would be good for writing projects. The Follow Up/To Do portion would work awesomely for notes on things I realize need to be fixed as I'm writing, but won't get to until revisions.
And I definitely could see how the other sections would work for a story. Plot notes, ideas for turning points, etc.
So I ordered it, but I should have paid more attention to the binding. It's bound like a book, not like a notebook with a spiral spine. I still think the form itself is a great idea, but bound into a book is going to make the pages really hard to use.
Rating for the content and layout of the form - 5
Rating for the binding - 1
Total rating - 3
I clicked the Look Inside feature and checked it out. Immediately, I thought, this looks like it would be good for writing projects. The Follow Up/To Do portion would work awesomely for notes on things I realize need to be fixed as I'm writing, but won't get to until revisions.
And I definitely could see how the other sections would work for a story. Plot notes, ideas for turning points, etc.
So I ordered it, but I should have paid more attention to the binding. It's bound like a book, not like a notebook with a spiral spine. I still think the form itself is a great idea, but bound into a book is going to make the pages really hard to use.
Rating for the content and layout of the form - 5
Rating for the binding - 1
Total rating - 3
December 3, 2013
Phoenix Burning Cover Copy
Phoenix Burning, my January 1, 2014 release from Nocturne Cravings, finally has official cover copy posted! I had my own version up on my website for a while, but I like what Harlequin came up with better than mine. So website is all updated with the new copy and I'm posting it here, too.
Phoenix Cahill is experiencing the Awakening, transforming from an asexual tantric vampire nestling to an adult who feeds on the orgasmic energy of her partners. Though any man will do, the only one she craves is her mysterious new neighbor. But feeding from the same man too many times could kill him, and Phoenix won't be satisfied by just one night.
Getting close to Phoenix was supposed to be only part of vampire enforcer Ivar LeBlanc's mission to find her father and bring him to justice. But the plan becomes complicated when he rescues Phoenix from an attack—and gives in to his own desire for her. Now he must choose between the woman he loves and the clan lord to whom he owes his life….As I've mentioned, Cravings is an erotic romance line and the language and situations in this story reflect this. If you like steamy sex and harder language, though, I hope you'll pick up Phoenix Burning when it comes out.
December 1, 2013
November 28, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! From my house to your house, wishing you and yours a safe and fun holiday.
November 26, 2013
Demons Work the Nightshift
My characters make my life very weird in a lot of ways. They'll give me their name while I walk down the hallway, but won't tell me which idea they belong to or if it's a completely new story. They'll go on strike if I write them doing something they feel they wouldn't do and I spin my wheels without any progress until I figure out what it is.
Of all the strange things I life with, though, I think the weirdest must be my demon characters. They pretty much refuse to be written during the day.
It's not only that they're nocturnal characters. I've written vampires who are also nocturnal, but they don't keep me waiting until late at night and then want to go for hours. No, they'll come in when I sit down to work, and while I have my usual power struggles with them, the time of day isn't one of them
Not with my demons. If I sit down at 7pm, I'll be lucky if they show up at 9pm. Usually it's more like 9:30 or 10pm. What adds to the oddity is that I always forget their working hours between stories, so I'm continually surprised.
Take this latest story I turned in. I was like three days away from deadline when I realized why I wasn't getting anything done during daylight hours. Yeah, I really am that dense. I have no doubt I'll forget again by the time I do another demon story, which I'm kind of hoping won't be for a little while. They wear me out because of how early I wake up for my day job.
I'm still trying to recover from this last couple.
Of all the strange things I life with, though, I think the weirdest must be my demon characters. They pretty much refuse to be written during the day.
It's not only that they're nocturnal characters. I've written vampires who are also nocturnal, but they don't keep me waiting until late at night and then want to go for hours. No, they'll come in when I sit down to work, and while I have my usual power struggles with them, the time of day isn't one of them
Not with my demons. If I sit down at 7pm, I'll be lucky if they show up at 9pm. Usually it's more like 9:30 or 10pm. What adds to the oddity is that I always forget their working hours between stories, so I'm continually surprised.
Take this latest story I turned in. I was like three days away from deadline when I realized why I wasn't getting anything done during daylight hours. Yeah, I really am that dense. I have no doubt I'll forget again by the time I do another demon story, which I'm kind of hoping won't be for a little while. They wear me out because of how early I wake up for my day job.
I'm still trying to recover from this last couple.
