Molly Ringle's Blog, page 25
April 3, 2012
Drat, should've used this in my Prisoner of Azkaban parody!
This gave me an LOL this morning...
Being Fred and George, they completely would tease Ron about it if they'd noticed. I assume they just never looked at the boring old dormitory while working their mischief--can't think of another explanation.
Though on the serious side, if they had noticed, they could have saved everyone a heap of trouble. Hmm.
Being Fred and George, they completely would tease Ron about it if they'd noticed. I assume they just never looked at the boring old dormitory while working their mischief--can't think of another explanation.
Though on the serious side, if they had noticed, they could have saved everyone a heap of trouble. Hmm.
March 28, 2012
LOTR and pacing problems
Regarding this useful article on the dos and don'ts of novel endings, something they could have said, expanding on "light the fuse and run," is "get it done and then get out." That is, don't let the post-climax material run too long. Even some otherwise great novels make that mistake.
I know this will alienate me forever from die-hard Tolkien fans, but I felt The Lord of the Rings (the novel, that is) went on too long after the Ring's destruction. Specifically, the scouring of the Shire didn't work for me. I see how it's important to show that the war extended even to the gentle faraway Shire, but our good professor basically already showed that with what happened to the four hobbits (actually five; Bilbo too). In terms of pacing, it felt like a big stumble or hiccup. We were winding down and watching what happened to each hero as he or she went home, then boom, we're back into battle scenes? Didn't like it. As far as I'm concerned, it's okay if Saruman does meet his doom back on his ruined tower, from a tidy arrow fired by Legolas.
For that matter, I also felt the Tom Bombadil sequence was a big hiccup or stumble on the path of getting the action started. Therefore I totally understand why Peter Jackson didn't put either of them in the film. And I utterly forgive it. Though I know my elf- and dwarf- and hobbit-costumed friends will raise an outcry at my saying so.
(Admit it, you miss the days when 90% of my LJ posts were about LOTR. It's kind of nostalgic, my posting this, isn't it?)
I know this will alienate me forever from die-hard Tolkien fans, but I felt The Lord of the Rings (the novel, that is) went on too long after the Ring's destruction. Specifically, the scouring of the Shire didn't work for me. I see how it's important to show that the war extended even to the gentle faraway Shire, but our good professor basically already showed that with what happened to the four hobbits (actually five; Bilbo too). In terms of pacing, it felt like a big stumble or hiccup. We were winding down and watching what happened to each hero as he or she went home, then boom, we're back into battle scenes? Didn't like it. As far as I'm concerned, it's okay if Saruman does meet his doom back on his ruined tower, from a tidy arrow fired by Legolas.
For that matter, I also felt the Tom Bombadil sequence was a big hiccup or stumble on the path of getting the action started. Therefore I totally understand why Peter Jackson didn't put either of them in the film. And I utterly forgive it. Though I know my elf- and dwarf- and hobbit-costumed friends will raise an outcry at my saying so.
(Admit it, you miss the days when 90% of my LJ posts were about LOTR. It's kind of nostalgic, my posting this, isn't it?)
March 19, 2012
Landscapes that murder you: linkage
Dudes, you've got to read this:
http://www.cracked.com/article_19705_the-5-most-spectacular-landscapes-earth-that-murder-you.html
I have to post this article because it's fascinating, hilarious, and terrifying all at once. Interestingly, the comments on it seem to agree with my instinct: the Strid, the innocent-looking creek in the UK that drowns everyone who touches it, is the scariest. That's precisely because it is so innocent-looking. It's also because, jeez, English landscapes aren't supposed to be deadly! Every other continent, sure--no one's surprised to find Africa featuring twice on this list--but England? Where a gentle 1,000-foot-tall hill is a mighty mountain, and serious weather means a foot of snow? Regardless, it houses The Stream That Will Suck You Under To Unknown Depths and Drown You and They Will Never Find Your Body.
Freaky.
Mind you, I did LOL later in the article when they refer back to "jumping the Pleasant Brook of Death." There is comedy gold throughout here. Dark-comedy gold.
http://www.cracked.com/article_19705_the-5-most-spectacular-landscapes-earth-that-murder-you.html
I have to post this article because it's fascinating, hilarious, and terrifying all at once. Interestingly, the comments on it seem to agree with my instinct: the Strid, the innocent-looking creek in the UK that drowns everyone who touches it, is the scariest. That's precisely because it is so innocent-looking. It's also because, jeez, English landscapes aren't supposed to be deadly! Every other continent, sure--no one's surprised to find Africa featuring twice on this list--but England? Where a gentle 1,000-foot-tall hill is a mighty mountain, and serious weather means a foot of snow? Regardless, it houses The Stream That Will Suck You Under To Unknown Depths and Drown You and They Will Never Find Your Body.
Freaky.
Mind you, I did LOL later in the article when they refer back to "jumping the Pleasant Brook of Death." There is comedy gold throughout here. Dark-comedy gold.
March 8, 2012
How to get the word out: for new authors
Occasionally other authors, just getting started themselves, ask me for advice on how to get the word out about their books. I assume this means I'm doing a decent job creating the illusion that I'm awesomely successful, when in truth I'm pretty darn small-time--but I am also happy lately with how the writing career has been going, and I have managed to learn a few things about what works and what doesn't.
If you aren't published yet, or are self-published but would like to be published by a regular royalty-paying press, I dedicate this paragraph to you:
When it comes to big-time publishers, well, I haven't gotten their attention myself, and apparently most people can't without an agent. But I've had a lovely experience with small presses who do mostly ebooks with some POD (print-on-demand), and highly recommend giving them a chance. I like this yearly poll of readers' and writers' favorite publishers for ideas on who to look into. My own publishers, The Wild Rose Press and Central Avenue Publishing (formerly called ireadiwrite Publishing) both placed very highly on it, and with good reason. I've enjoyed working with them both a great deal.
Now I'll address the authors who are newly published, either self-pubbed or published by a small (or even big) press, and are realizing they (the authors) are still expected to do a lot of the marketing. First of all, congratulations on the publication of your book! What do you do next? Here are some things that have worked for me:
Goodreads - sign yourself up as an author there. It's free, and it's a delightful site where avid readers hang out. So is Amazon, but Amazon has gotten huge, selling everything under the sun, while Goodreads doesn't sell anything and is dedicated solely to book discussions. Putting up a few free copies of your books on the "giveaways" section will attract lots of attention, at least making hundreds more people aware that you exist.
Book bloggers - search for blogs that review books similar to yours, and email them to ask if they'd like to review your book. Again it means giving away a free copy if they are interested, but the review generates a lot of exposure. And actually, Goodreads is a good place to find such bloggers: look at the reviews for books like yours, and click on the profiles attached to the more thoughtful and well-written reviews, and frequently you'll find a link to an official review blog listed there.
Spam everyone you know - well, don't actually spam them, of course. But make a list of the email addresses of everyone you can think of who might conceivably be interested in knowing about your writing news (I use an Excel spreadsheet), then send out a brief and cheerful update every once in a while. To help gather email addresses, stick a bit of code on your webpage that says something like "To be notified of my writing news, enter your email here. Your address will never be shared or sold," with a box where they can submit their address, which will then be automatically emailed to you. I had no idea how to do this, but asked an I.T.-guy friend, and he gave me a very simple code that did the trick. Thanks, Rich! Mine's here, if you want to see it.
First chapters - make them available for free on your webpage, or somewhere else easy to find. If people can read it and get hooked, they'll buy the book. And they'll always appreciate getting a feel for what the writing is like.
That ought to keep you busy a few days. Hope this helps! Best of luck to you. Now I suppose I should actually go, uh, write. But thanks for letting me procrastinate a little longer.
If you aren't published yet, or are self-published but would like to be published by a regular royalty-paying press, I dedicate this paragraph to you:
When it comes to big-time publishers, well, I haven't gotten their attention myself, and apparently most people can't without an agent. But I've had a lovely experience with small presses who do mostly ebooks with some POD (print-on-demand), and highly recommend giving them a chance. I like this yearly poll of readers' and writers' favorite publishers for ideas on who to look into. My own publishers, The Wild Rose Press and Central Avenue Publishing (formerly called ireadiwrite Publishing) both placed very highly on it, and with good reason. I've enjoyed working with them both a great deal.
Now I'll address the authors who are newly published, either self-pubbed or published by a small (or even big) press, and are realizing they (the authors) are still expected to do a lot of the marketing. First of all, congratulations on the publication of your book! What do you do next? Here are some things that have worked for me:
Goodreads - sign yourself up as an author there. It's free, and it's a delightful site where avid readers hang out. So is Amazon, but Amazon has gotten huge, selling everything under the sun, while Goodreads doesn't sell anything and is dedicated solely to book discussions. Putting up a few free copies of your books on the "giveaways" section will attract lots of attention, at least making hundreds more people aware that you exist.
Book bloggers - search for blogs that review books similar to yours, and email them to ask if they'd like to review your book. Again it means giving away a free copy if they are interested, but the review generates a lot of exposure. And actually, Goodreads is a good place to find such bloggers: look at the reviews for books like yours, and click on the profiles attached to the more thoughtful and well-written reviews, and frequently you'll find a link to an official review blog listed there.
Spam everyone you know - well, don't actually spam them, of course. But make a list of the email addresses of everyone you can think of who might conceivably be interested in knowing about your writing news (I use an Excel spreadsheet), then send out a brief and cheerful update every once in a while. To help gather email addresses, stick a bit of code on your webpage that says something like "To be notified of my writing news, enter your email here. Your address will never be shared or sold," with a box where they can submit their address, which will then be automatically emailed to you. I had no idea how to do this, but asked an I.T.-guy friend, and he gave me a very simple code that did the trick. Thanks, Rich! Mine's here, if you want to see it.
First chapters - make them available for free on your webpage, or somewhere else easy to find. If people can read it and get hooked, they'll buy the book. And they'll always appreciate getting a feel for what the writing is like.
That ought to keep you busy a few days. Hope this helps! Best of luck to you. Now I suppose I should actually go, uh, write. But thanks for letting me procrastinate a little longer.
February 29, 2012
Tribute to Davy Jones
If you've known me long enough, you already know I've been a Monkees fan since I discovered them in middle school on those Nickelodeon re-runs. (Look! One of my oldest LJ icons is a Monkees icon.) And because I was so young and tender when discovering them, I kind of imprinted upon them; I can't view them unsentimentally or objectively, much as you wouldn't be able to view objectively the dog you grew up with. Therefore it goes without saying that I'm stunned and, mostly, very very sad about the death of Davy Jones.
He was my first crush in the band, and a crush at that age sticks with you as part of what makes up your fabric. I'll always be fond of Davy, even if, had we all been the same age and not born tragically thirty years apart, I would have broken up with him eventually and tried for Mike (or "Nez" as the true fans say)--perhaps after a two-week summer fling with Micky. But I don't know; Davy's English accent might have kept me around a while.
Now, obviously he was cute, ready-made to be the TV heartthrob of 14-year-old girls in the '60s...
On the goofy, weird TV show invented to advertise the band, whenever they needed one of the boys to fall instantly in love with some girl and snog her on screen, Davy got the job nine times out of ten. Girls screamed and cried and had seizures for him in real life, nearly to the same degree as any Beatle ever enjoyed. Not bad for a bloke who stood 5'3" (in boots, he clarified with a grin once--and we know how high boot heels could be in the sixties).
Some of the songs they gave him to sing were the absolute sappiest, so gloppy and sticky-sweet you wanted to pour them over your pancakes. (Witness "The Day We Fall in Love," "I'll Be True to You (Yes I Will)" or "I Want to Be Free.") However, he was fully capable at singing, dancing, and acting--he was stage-trained and was nominated for a Tony in his youth--and clearly had fun at it. I highly recommend you have a look at this Rolling Stone tribute, as it gives several great, amusing examples of Davy Moments from the Monkees era.
Another great link from right here in Seattle: the excellent radio station KEXP serves up Monkees songs in their original state, and as covered by others; as well as vice-versa sometimes.
I feel almost as sad as if one of my own uncles or cousins had died. But the somber news today has at least revived the good times I had listening to this band, watching them on cable TV, and playing air guitar to their songs with my little sister on our front porch.
Should you care, these are from my own journal archives:
A brief list of my favorite Monkees songs, split into categories like "cute and catchy Davy songs" and "psychedelia."
A short and very silly piece of fanfic in which Davy meets Legolas, which I totally forgot I had written, until today.
He was my first crush in the band, and a crush at that age sticks with you as part of what makes up your fabric. I'll always be fond of Davy, even if, had we all been the same age and not born tragically thirty years apart, I would have broken up with him eventually and tried for Mike (or "Nez" as the true fans say)--perhaps after a two-week summer fling with Micky. But I don't know; Davy's English accent might have kept me around a while.
Now, obviously he was cute, ready-made to be the TV heartthrob of 14-year-old girls in the '60s...
On the goofy, weird TV show invented to advertise the band, whenever they needed one of the boys to fall instantly in love with some girl and snog her on screen, Davy got the job nine times out of ten. Girls screamed and cried and had seizures for him in real life, nearly to the same degree as any Beatle ever enjoyed. Not bad for a bloke who stood 5'3" (in boots, he clarified with a grin once--and we know how high boot heels could be in the sixties).
Some of the songs they gave him to sing were the absolute sappiest, so gloppy and sticky-sweet you wanted to pour them over your pancakes. (Witness "The Day We Fall in Love," "I'll Be True to You (Yes I Will)" or "I Want to Be Free.") However, he was fully capable at singing, dancing, and acting--he was stage-trained and was nominated for a Tony in his youth--and clearly had fun at it. I highly recommend you have a look at this Rolling Stone tribute, as it gives several great, amusing examples of Davy Moments from the Monkees era.
Another great link from right here in Seattle: the excellent radio station KEXP serves up Monkees songs in their original state, and as covered by others; as well as vice-versa sometimes.
I feel almost as sad as if one of my own uncles or cousins had died. But the somber news today has at least revived the good times I had listening to this band, watching them on cable TV, and playing air guitar to their songs with my little sister on our front porch.
Should you care, these are from my own journal archives:
A brief list of my favorite Monkees songs, split into categories like "cute and catchy Davy songs" and "psychedelia."
A short and very silly piece of fanfic in which Davy meets Legolas, which I totally forgot I had written, until today.
February 9, 2012
Perfume giveaway extravaganza: SEVEN samples in one!
I have waaaay too many perfume samples around, yo. Obviously it's been too long since I've done a giveaway. So here goes--
SEVEN little samples to one lucky recipient! I chose a springy floral list for you today. The winner gets:
Serge Lutens, Vitriol d'Oeillet: clove, carnation, wallflower, lily, ylang-ylang
Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Fleur de Comores: blackcurrant, passionfruit, leafy green, vanilla, orange blossom, jasmine, ambergris, vetiver, musk
Odori, Iris: star anise, heliotrope flowers, Madagascar ylang ylang, iris from Florence, Oriental amber, Bourbon vanilla
Aroma M, Geisha Violet: violet, lilac, lotus, chocolate
I Profumi di Firenze, Florentia 22 (Pesca e Fiori): white peach blossom, lilac, Florentine purple iris
Rancé, Joséphine: orris, black currant, galbanum, violet leaf, cloves, white peach, jasmine, hyacinth, ylang-ylang, amber, sandalwood, bourbon vanilla and white musk
Rancé, Triomphe: mandarin, Calabrian lemon, violet leaves, apple, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, Florentine iris, sandalwood, cedar, musk, vanilla
(Clearly iris from Florence is the only iris worth smelling. Well, la-di-da.)
These are all little sample vials around 1 ml or slightly bigger. To enter, leave a comment on this post and make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. I'll choose a winner in two weeks by random number generator. To simplify my life, US entrants only, please! (My apologies to the rest of the world--but if you're in Europe, you can get most of these perfumes without difficulty, since they're largely French or Italian.)
Thanks and good luck!
SEVEN little samples to one lucky recipient! I chose a springy floral list for you today. The winner gets:
Serge Lutens, Vitriol d'Oeillet: clove, carnation, wallflower, lily, ylang-ylang
Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Fleur de Comores: blackcurrant, passionfruit, leafy green, vanilla, orange blossom, jasmine, ambergris, vetiver, musk
Odori, Iris: star anise, heliotrope flowers, Madagascar ylang ylang, iris from Florence, Oriental amber, Bourbon vanilla
Aroma M, Geisha Violet: violet, lilac, lotus, chocolate
I Profumi di Firenze, Florentia 22 (Pesca e Fiori): white peach blossom, lilac, Florentine purple iris
Rancé, Joséphine: orris, black currant, galbanum, violet leaf, cloves, white peach, jasmine, hyacinth, ylang-ylang, amber, sandalwood, bourbon vanilla and white musk
Rancé, Triomphe: mandarin, Calabrian lemon, violet leaves, apple, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, Florentine iris, sandalwood, cedar, musk, vanilla
(Clearly iris from Florence is the only iris worth smelling. Well, la-di-da.)
These are all little sample vials around 1 ml or slightly bigger. To enter, leave a comment on this post and make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. I'll choose a winner in two weeks by random number generator. To simplify my life, US entrants only, please! (My apologies to the rest of the world--but if you're in Europe, you can get most of these perfumes without difficulty, since they're largely French or Italian.)
Thanks and good luck!
February 4, 2012
More reviews: tea with Juliet
BOOK REVIEW:
Juliet, Anne Fortier. I fell in love with Romeo and Juliet at age 13 in high school (Shakespeare version--which evidently is *not* the original, though that shouldn't have surprised me since I now remember the whole thing was based on the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe anyway). If I'd discovered R & J at a more mature age, I would have been annoyed at the two star-crossed lovers being OMG SO IN LOVE after, like, ten minutes and then going so far as to die over it. But hey, pretty poetry.
So it was refreshing that Anne Fortier gives her version of the medieval couple--Giuletta and Romeo, in Siena (not Verona)--a longer and more interesting courtship, with even more family complications and ultimate tragedies than Shakespeare gave them. As for her modern-day pair (Julie and Alessandro), I found them too grumpy and snarky with each other for the first three-quarters of the book, and wished they'd have more fun. There *is* a lot of humor in the narrative, even in the retelling of a tragedy, which I appreciated, and I would have liked to see Julie partake of the humor a bit more. I almost liked her bitchy sister better. Almost. Sometimes. Anyway, one thing for which I'll take a star off a book is when I wouldn't really want to hang out with the characters, and that was the case for most of these characters a lot of the time. But luckily not all the time. Eva Maria was fun, and she can invite me to her awesome castello anytime.
Great plotting, though: I thought I had the twists figured out, but I was wrong on most counts, and pleasantly surprised. By the "mortal peril" section toward the end, I was drawn in and turning pages with deep interest, and really did want Julie and Alessandro to break the Giuletta curse and end up together. So, full marks for a very cool story idea and one heck of a gorgeous setting. Someone get me to bella Toscano prontamente!
TEA REVIEWS:
Sky Between the Branches full-leaf loose green tea, from The Republic of Tea. What it said in the catalog regarding this tea (and on the canister too): "Gu Zhang Mao Jian Tea. This pure and delicate green tea is only harvested ten days each spring on the banks of the Qiushui River in the Wuyi mountains in China. Renowned for its tender, silver tips and unique, chestnut character, this leaf rarely makes its way beyond China's borders."
Okay, with a description and a name like that, I had to order it. My thoughts: the loose leaves are pretty, shriveled up into little green squiggles. I don't know what chestnut tastes like, so I can't comment on that, but the aroma and flavor remind me of summery vegetal things: mowed grass that's been piled up to dry and gotten wet again a few days later in the rain; a persistent hint of dried apricot. These are barely-there flavors, however. It's a gentle and light green tea, easy to like and hard to be offended by, and as such I wouldn't have guessed it was so amazingly exclusive from its flavor alone. This doesn't have the magnificent floral bouquet of jasmine green, or the robust toastiness of matcha green. Those are my two favorite green teas; can you tell? But I certainly like Sky Between the Branches and will finish the canister.
Yerba Maté Latte full-leaf tea, by The Republic of Tea. Ingredients: Roasted yerba maté, cocoa, rooibos, almond pieces, cactus flowers, sunflowers, and blue bottle flowers. I've never tried yerba maté before, and approached it with a little trepidation. Was it going to taste like dead leaves and mud from a forest floor in Argentina? Since I didn't have a gourd handy to drink it from, was my whole experience going to be null and void?
Well, I did drink it from a regular old mug, but no worries on the flavor. In the canister, and brewed too, it smells scrumptious and rich, like chocolate-covered almonds, with darker tones resembling pipe tobacco. And it may be that I still don't know what yerba maté tastes like, because the cocoa, rooibos, and almond could well have accounted for that toasty, rich sweetness. Regardless, this blend is tasty, especially with a dab of honey. As for its "mateine" (caffeine, basically) levels, I didn't notice anything untoward. I felt fine after drinking it--good energy levels, general sense of well-being, as I feel with rooibos or other nice herbals--but not the "eyes propped open with toothpicks" feeling that caffeine can sometimes give me. I see how yerba maté could indeed be a comfortable and healthful thing to drink. Will try it on its own if I can find some at the store.
CHOCOLATE REVIEW: Chocolove Almonds and Sea Salt in 55% Dark Chocolate: Nom nom nom. Delicious. Not overly sweet (so glad it's not milk chocolate), perfect amount of saltiness, satisfying crunch. Only problem is the fact that I shouldn't eat a whole bar of this with every single meal. Which I would really like to do.
Juliet, Anne Fortier. I fell in love with Romeo and Juliet at age 13 in high school (Shakespeare version--which evidently is *not* the original, though that shouldn't have surprised me since I now remember the whole thing was based on the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe anyway). If I'd discovered R & J at a more mature age, I would have been annoyed at the two star-crossed lovers being OMG SO IN LOVE after, like, ten minutes and then going so far as to die over it. But hey, pretty poetry.
So it was refreshing that Anne Fortier gives her version of the medieval couple--Giuletta and Romeo, in Siena (not Verona)--a longer and more interesting courtship, with even more family complications and ultimate tragedies than Shakespeare gave them. As for her modern-day pair (Julie and Alessandro), I found them too grumpy and snarky with each other for the first three-quarters of the book, and wished they'd have more fun. There *is* a lot of humor in the narrative, even in the retelling of a tragedy, which I appreciated, and I would have liked to see Julie partake of the humor a bit more. I almost liked her bitchy sister better. Almost. Sometimes. Anyway, one thing for which I'll take a star off a book is when I wouldn't really want to hang out with the characters, and that was the case for most of these characters a lot of the time. But luckily not all the time. Eva Maria was fun, and she can invite me to her awesome castello anytime.
Great plotting, though: I thought I had the twists figured out, but I was wrong on most counts, and pleasantly surprised. By the "mortal peril" section toward the end, I was drawn in and turning pages with deep interest, and really did want Julie and Alessandro to break the Giuletta curse and end up together. So, full marks for a very cool story idea and one heck of a gorgeous setting. Someone get me to bella Toscano prontamente!
TEA REVIEWS:
Sky Between the Branches full-leaf loose green tea, from The Republic of Tea. What it said in the catalog regarding this tea (and on the canister too): "Gu Zhang Mao Jian Tea. This pure and delicate green tea is only harvested ten days each spring on the banks of the Qiushui River in the Wuyi mountains in China. Renowned for its tender, silver tips and unique, chestnut character, this leaf rarely makes its way beyond China's borders."
Okay, with a description and a name like that, I had to order it. My thoughts: the loose leaves are pretty, shriveled up into little green squiggles. I don't know what chestnut tastes like, so I can't comment on that, but the aroma and flavor remind me of summery vegetal things: mowed grass that's been piled up to dry and gotten wet again a few days later in the rain; a persistent hint of dried apricot. These are barely-there flavors, however. It's a gentle and light green tea, easy to like and hard to be offended by, and as such I wouldn't have guessed it was so amazingly exclusive from its flavor alone. This doesn't have the magnificent floral bouquet of jasmine green, or the robust toastiness of matcha green. Those are my two favorite green teas; can you tell? But I certainly like Sky Between the Branches and will finish the canister.
Yerba Maté Latte full-leaf tea, by The Republic of Tea. Ingredients: Roasted yerba maté, cocoa, rooibos, almond pieces, cactus flowers, sunflowers, and blue bottle flowers. I've never tried yerba maté before, and approached it with a little trepidation. Was it going to taste like dead leaves and mud from a forest floor in Argentina? Since I didn't have a gourd handy to drink it from, was my whole experience going to be null and void?
Well, I did drink it from a regular old mug, but no worries on the flavor. In the canister, and brewed too, it smells scrumptious and rich, like chocolate-covered almonds, with darker tones resembling pipe tobacco. And it may be that I still don't know what yerba maté tastes like, because the cocoa, rooibos, and almond could well have accounted for that toasty, rich sweetness. Regardless, this blend is tasty, especially with a dab of honey. As for its "mateine" (caffeine, basically) levels, I didn't notice anything untoward. I felt fine after drinking it--good energy levels, general sense of well-being, as I feel with rooibos or other nice herbals--but not the "eyes propped open with toothpicks" feeling that caffeine can sometimes give me. I see how yerba maté could indeed be a comfortable and healthful thing to drink. Will try it on its own if I can find some at the store.
CHOCOLATE REVIEW: Chocolove Almonds and Sea Salt in 55% Dark Chocolate: Nom nom nom. Delicious. Not overly sweet (so glad it's not milk chocolate), perfect amount of saltiness, satisfying crunch. Only problem is the fact that I shouldn't eat a whole bar of this with every single meal. Which I would really like to do.
January 25, 2012
A few random reviews
CHOCOLATE:
Ghirardelli Sea Salt Soiree squares: Amazingly, addictively good. Just the right amount of crunch from tiny salt crystals and crushed toasty almonds. Overtones of Heath Bar, only way easier to chew.
Chuao Chocolatier, Coffee & Anise bar: Finely ground espresso and star anise in a 60% cacao bar. Dark and subtle and delicious. The anise is fairly subtle, especially next to a strong flavor like espresso. I am still not deeply keen on black licorice, but I've learned to love fennel and anise. They're gentler. Will try some of Chuao's other nontraditional flavors, but only for a rare treat, given the price.
PERFUME:
Bois d'Ombrie (by Eau d'Italie): This was a "love at first sniff" scent for me, and several months later I still swoon over it. I'd call it super-old-fashioned-masculine in a sense, in that I could see Rex Harrison or some other strong-yet-refined English guy from the mid-20th-century wearing it. Leather, tobacco, and cognac are the notes I mostly get (though I might've guessed brandy, being not as familiar with cognac), with a good base of wood--smells like a cabinet in which our gentleman would keep his liquor and pipe tobacco. I hadn't noticed the iris that others mention, but now that it's pointed out, I see how it's under there, softening the whole effect just a tad. And though I'm a slip of a 21st-century American woman, I love wearing it. Mmmm.
Fire From Heaven (by CB I Hate Perfume): Wish I got woods, incense, or even patchouli. Instead what dominates for me is burning paper. A bit TOO fiery. I much prefer Burning Leaves (also by CB I Hate Perfume) for a purely-smoke accord.
A few samples I've found lovely but need to spend more time with in order to write a proper review: L'Artisan Mure et Musc (blackberry and a totally '80s clean musk), Hermes Rocabar (sexy manly orange), and Shiseido Murasaki (fresh, soft, classy green--not unlike Chanel No 19).
PRODUCE:
Organic Opal apples: They're lemon-yellow on the outside, the usual apple-whitish on the inside. Good crunch. Quite sweet with a hint of melon or pear flavor. Very juicy too, though perhaps not quite as juicy as a Honeycrisp. Recommended!
Ghirardelli Sea Salt Soiree squares: Amazingly, addictively good. Just the right amount of crunch from tiny salt crystals and crushed toasty almonds. Overtones of Heath Bar, only way easier to chew.
Chuao Chocolatier, Coffee & Anise bar: Finely ground espresso and star anise in a 60% cacao bar. Dark and subtle and delicious. The anise is fairly subtle, especially next to a strong flavor like espresso. I am still not deeply keen on black licorice, but I've learned to love fennel and anise. They're gentler. Will try some of Chuao's other nontraditional flavors, but only for a rare treat, given the price.
PERFUME:
Bois d'Ombrie (by Eau d'Italie): This was a "love at first sniff" scent for me, and several months later I still swoon over it. I'd call it super-old-fashioned-masculine in a sense, in that I could see Rex Harrison or some other strong-yet-refined English guy from the mid-20th-century wearing it. Leather, tobacco, and cognac are the notes I mostly get (though I might've guessed brandy, being not as familiar with cognac), with a good base of wood--smells like a cabinet in which our gentleman would keep his liquor and pipe tobacco. I hadn't noticed the iris that others mention, but now that it's pointed out, I see how it's under there, softening the whole effect just a tad. And though I'm a slip of a 21st-century American woman, I love wearing it. Mmmm.
Fire From Heaven (by CB I Hate Perfume): Wish I got woods, incense, or even patchouli. Instead what dominates for me is burning paper. A bit TOO fiery. I much prefer Burning Leaves (also by CB I Hate Perfume) for a purely-smoke accord.
A few samples I've found lovely but need to spend more time with in order to write a proper review: L'Artisan Mure et Musc (blackberry and a totally '80s clean musk), Hermes Rocabar (sexy manly orange), and Shiseido Murasaki (fresh, soft, classy green--not unlike Chanel No 19).
PRODUCE:
Organic Opal apples: They're lemon-yellow on the outside, the usual apple-whitish on the inside. Good crunch. Quite sweet with a hint of melon or pear flavor. Very juicy too, though perhaps not quite as juicy as a Honeycrisp. Recommended!
January 9, 2012
Not that his brother runs very fast
My older son (age 5) was humming along with that "Pumped-Up Kicks" song in the car today, and sang part of it as "...better run, better run, faster than my brother." It was very cute, especially given that his little brother was in fact in the car with us. So I didn't have the heart to tell him the real lyrics. ("Bullets," not "brother.")
I mean, if they're really talking about a school shooting, that's pretty creepy. But as countless numbers of us have done for decades with The Evil Rock Music, I'll just ignore the disturbing lyrics and focus on the catchy beat.
I mean, if they're really talking about a school shooting, that's pretty creepy. But as countless numbers of us have done for decades with The Evil Rock Music, I'll just ignore the disturbing lyrics and focus on the catchy beat.
December 31, 2011
Giveaway, and New Year's resolutions
On the "fun yet business" side of things, go here to enter to win one of my ebooks, or any of the other contenders for "Best Ebooks Read by Andrea at the Reading Lark blog in 2011" (she named two of mine - hurray!) -
http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/12/goodbye-to-2011-giveaway-1.html
And, to look ahead to 2012, I suppose we all need to frame our resolutions. I have yet to fix on a really good one for next year. But if it helps, I will share with you the two absolute best New Year's resolutions I ever made. I don't remember the exact year of either of these, but they were from sometime in the past decade.
The first was no more getting into arguments online. Yes, that means no posting obnoxiously controversial opinions either.
The second, in a similar vein, was no more indulging in road rage. (I never discharged firearms at fellow drivers, but angry passing or speeding or swerving to "get back" at annoying drivers doesn't help any of us, especially ourselves, does it now?)
Sure, I slip up on both these counts from time to time. But even following them 90% of the time has led to a dramatic reduction of my stress and irritation levels. Imagine--just imagine--the widespread peace and harmony if everyone in the world adopted merely those two simple resolutions. For the first one, Internet traffic would probably drop by half. Or maybe the time spent in flame wars would be diverted into creating and laughing at LOLcats instead. Hey, that'd still be a global improvement on the whole.
But I cite those two resolutions because anger is my biggest flaw. I suppose if you have a different main flaw, you might draw more benefit from a different resolution. Share your own ideas if you like. Happy New Year, whatever you wish to start or stop doing!
http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/12/goodbye-to-2011-giveaway-1.html
And, to look ahead to 2012, I suppose we all need to frame our resolutions. I have yet to fix on a really good one for next year. But if it helps, I will share with you the two absolute best New Year's resolutions I ever made. I don't remember the exact year of either of these, but they were from sometime in the past decade.
The first was no more getting into arguments online. Yes, that means no posting obnoxiously controversial opinions either.
The second, in a similar vein, was no more indulging in road rage. (I never discharged firearms at fellow drivers, but angry passing or speeding or swerving to "get back" at annoying drivers doesn't help any of us, especially ourselves, does it now?)
Sure, I slip up on both these counts from time to time. But even following them 90% of the time has led to a dramatic reduction of my stress and irritation levels. Imagine--just imagine--the widespread peace and harmony if everyone in the world adopted merely those two simple resolutions. For the first one, Internet traffic would probably drop by half. Or maybe the time spent in flame wars would be diverted into creating and laughing at LOLcats instead. Hey, that'd still be a global improvement on the whole.
But I cite those two resolutions because anger is my biggest flaw. I suppose if you have a different main flaw, you might draw more benefit from a different resolution. Share your own ideas if you like. Happy New Year, whatever you wish to start or stop doing!
