Tidbits: January Edition

Picture / Photo Find

Something I Did

Took a vacation. Or, in other words, enjoyed winter break. As a Christmas present to everyone in the family, my brother got us Netflix. To be honest, I was pretty disgruntled about this at first. I'm used to the simple joy of physically owning the movies and shows I love - as evident by the numerous times I hugged my stack of Buster Keaton DVDs. Because graduate school is very demanding, I figured that getting Netflix would be a waste of money. I'd end up paying every month for something I couldn't use. I had this dreamy plan of finally getting it after graduation (a good year and a half away), in which I imagined I earned the privilege to watch an episode of something without being engulfed by the flames of guilt or panic (as most grad students suffer from, due to the monstrous workload that waits just around the corner). 

But nooo. My brother had to spoil my self-sacrifice. In the end, though, it's a good thing he did.

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to be reunited with shows like No Reservations and Man vs. Food. In our particular area of Florida, the Travel Channel is no longer available as a regular cable channel. This happened almost a year ago and we haven't gotten over the loss. Armchair traveling is my thing... at least until I save up enough to actually go on trips, haha. To make due with our beloved channel, my 'rents and I survived on the Food Network (as usual), Bravo (ugh), HGTV (no more houses!), and TLC (Oh, gosh). It's been grueling, haha. But now we've got 'em back. Netflix has filled the gaping travel hole in our hearts. Things are looking up.

Also - and this is a side note - the amount of stuff Netflix doesn't have is startling. My brother got me hooked on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, but the only version available is the UK version. Which turned out to be awesome, once you got used to how strange the filming is and how strangely docile Gordon Ramsey is - though still full of curse words. I think I've been influenced, actually. I ended up using a few choice words myself when I tried to get a friend to try a delicious piece of apple pie pizza (Boy, that was surprising, haha).

If I haven't ruined my mysterious, ethereal writer's persona by now, then I'm sorry. I try my best :)

Besides huddling around ye old Netflix, I read a lot of books that have been clawing for attention on my shelves. I also went to Disney a few times, stunned at how crowded it was at night when party music blasted through all the speakers (Pre-New Years Eve Special). I ate ice cream while watching the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and did not get a sore throat... because it wasn't cold out at all. Funny story. 

Now January is here and finally Florida is cold. I'm happily wearing sweaters, shivering with a huge grin on my face when walking to the mail box. Inside, it's warm, but my nose is cold to the touch. I wonder why that is. Packets of hot chocolate - the ones with extra marshmallows - are dwindling now that we have a reason to use them. It's just a cold front. A passing fancy. With only a few days left before the new semester begins, I'm frantically trying to pull everything together. Plan new lessons. Write more chapters. Obtain more sleep. Avoid the cold that is plaguing the family.  

We'll see.  

A Writer Thing

My writing spark is back! Thank you so much for the well wishes from my last post. You all made me smile. I've been writing at least 500 words a day, though some days I churn out more than that - and, thus, neglect the beeping dryer or cooking dinner. If that sounds like a lot, please don't be fooled, haha. I have a lot of projects I'm working on at once, a bad habit of mine that often happens when I can't say no to new ideas. But the projects that are most important are still getting done, so I suppose everything else will plateau soon enough. 

Seeing my friend over break did help me out immensely. We sat on her front porch and watched the leaves roll down the sidewalk. I drank so much tea and ate tasty Vegan food; I went home after a few days with a very full stomach, haha. There's something peaceful about returning to a place of old memories - in this case, my college stomping grounds. Not much time has passed since graduating college, so when my friend and I wandered around campus, it felt like we never left. December grads were lined up under the esplanades in their caps and gowns (Did I mention it was terribly hot out?). We walked past old classrooms and made heady predictions about where our fellow classmates ended up after leaving. 

I came back with a settled mind; it wasn't long before I was chipping away at a story again. I can't say that I'm completely cured of my lethargic writing mood, but it's certainly on the upswing. 

Song I Can't Stop Repeating 

"Moon to Dust" by Georgia Fields

I've had a song by Georgia Fields sitting on my computer for a while, one that I listened to a lot when I was writing Birdcage Girl - and now, with the next book, A Horse to the Moon. There's something dreamy about the melody she's created - sounds like a music box, you know?

Sadly, there aren't any official lyrics for this particular song - I don't like the mess them up myself by straining to figure out the words - whether they seem obvious or not. I'll leave the listening up to you this time.

Video I Watched Too Many Times

Let me point out that I've been looking for this commercial for a while. I had forgotten that it was for a perfume... so that's why I couldn't find it before, haha. I love the whimsical nature of this commercial, from the costumes to the magic with the boats and ocean. It's just an amazing little thing to watch.

Photos from We Heart It