M.J. Compton's Blog, page 21

MJ’s Musings: Early Bird or Night Owl?

I am what is known as an early bird. I get up early. It’s my best time to think because the distractions of the day haven’t yet attacked. But I often wonder if I am naturally an early bird or was my circadian rhythm warped by my upbringing. When I was a child, even a […]

MJ Monday: MJ’s Movies-Network

NETWORK  is a classic.  “A television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor’s ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit,” is how IMDB describes the film. Many of us who worked in TV in the late 1970’s and early 80’s found the realism unnerving.  Some consider the movie satire. Others know […]

MJ’s Musings: SEP-Match Me If You Can

MATCH ME IF YOU CAN is one of the Chicago Stars series. I have to admit, I’m not that fond of it. I enjoy it while I’m reading it, but there was nothing about the story or the characters that compel me to compulsively reread the book. In fact, I didn’t own a copy until […]

MJ Monday: MJ’s Meals–Fall Dinner

I’m going to share the recipes for one of my family’s favorite fall meals. Roasted Sweet Potato and Green Bean Salad Holiday Chicken The first recipe is one I found on line. My adult son likes it so much, he makes it for himself in his bachelor apartment. The chicken recipe originally started as a […]

MJ’s Musings: Tour of My Office

A friend asked me to do a tour of my office. She thought I’d have a lot of colorful, Boho-type décor. Sorry. The walls are dingy gray and in need of a paint job. And we’re also in the process of  rearranging some things upstairs, so I’m hoping to make some changes. In the meantime, […]

MJ Monday: MJ’s Manuscript-WIP Excerpt

  FROM: BEWARE OF THE MOON, tentatively scheduled for Oct 2019 publication “So what do you do with yourself?” Dakota squirmed in the passenger seat, disrupting the sparse air, sending his pheromones in her direction again. “I’m a chemist.” No, no, no. Do not engage with him. Sex only. “You must be smart.” Was he […]

MJ’s Musings: Atomic Habits

The speaker at a recent meeting recommended the book Atomic Habits. I put the Kindle version on hold at the library. When it finally came in, I slogged my way through it. It covered a lot of the same material as the Julia Cameron classic, The Artist’s Way. Many of the suggestions are things I incorporated into […]

MJ Monday: MJ’s Music-1776

I like musical theater. I like to listen to the sound tracks. One of my favorites is 1776. A friend had told me it was his favorite musical. We made tentative plans to see it together. A few weeks later, he passed away. Several months later, a local theater troupe put it on, so my […]

MJ’s Musings: Book Bingo-Three (Or More)’s Company

Yes indeed, this year’s Book Bingo Challenge included a square for reading a ménage book. I figured reading a paranormal-sci-fi space alien type book would work much better for this square than a standard romance. I went with No Limit, by Susan Hayes. The book is Book 5 in The Drift Series. I was pleasantly […]

MJ Monday: MJ’s Movies-Plan Nine from Outer Space.

Plan Nine from Outer Space  makes nearly all of the Worst Movies Ever Made lists. It remains my benchmark for the kind of campy monster movies I love.  Written and directed by Edward D. Wood Jr., this movie is both delightful and dreadful. Bela Lugosi died during the filming of Plan Nine. Wood replaced Lugosi […]