More about What's Up Wednesdays
here.
WHAT I'M READING.I'm quarter of the way through
The Quick by Lauren Owen. I had absolutely zero expectations about this when I borrowed it from the library--the blurb told me absolutely nothing, so I borrowed it based on the cover. (See? Cover art matters!)
I certainly didn't expect a gay romance that was very sensitively and tenderly written set in Victorian London. And I didn't expect suddenly! Vampires! either. So there's that.
WHAT I'M WRITING (+ A WRITING GOAL).I've made a start on my paranormal. I settled on my shifter being a were-coyote because why not? And I chose my setting, made up a town on the coast of Massachusettes (seriously gorgeous area there) and wrote most of the first chapter yesterday.
WHAT WORKS FOR ME.Right now, weaving. I can just not think and weave, and it's kind of nice to have that mindless activity going. Which is not to say that weaving is mindless, because it isn't, and it can be quite difficult. At the moment, I'm working on a scarf for my good friend
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meredith_shayne to go with armwarmers that I wove for her. It's nice to sit and work on the weave--it's like a bit of a brain cleanse, because I'm not thinking/stressing/worrying/plotting books, and it clears the cobwebs in the brain meats so to speak.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW.More bullet points!
I clocked my head on the outside part of the split system airconditioner unit a few days ago and now my head is starting to hurt a LOT. I have a doctor's appointment next week, so this will be mentioned, but I'm not enjoying the bump on my noggin! Cleared out the raised garden bed yesterday, and wowsa, it's amazing how stuff I pulled up. Mum (I'm her live-in carer) held a large garbage bag for me to stuff everything into. I had this idea that I'd pull up the basil and replant it elsewhere, but I discovered that it was very deeply rooted and had become something of a small tree, so I gave up. Also because I had the feeling if I kept trying to pull it out, I'd end up sprawled on my backside on concrete and I didn't like that idea at all. So the basil wins and stays put! Have figured out the wedding gift for my niece and her fiance. One part will be hand woven by me, one part will be hand beaded by my friend M., and the last part is coming from a potter I know up in Queensland. So it's all very exciting and I hope they like everything. FINALLY watched Haider, which is the Bollywood interpretation of Hamlet and... oh. OH. I have so much love for this, I really, really do. It was a wonderful adaptation, set in 1995 in Kashmir, during a period of unrest and rebellion between the Kashmiri people and the Indian army. The two most famous soliloquys ("Alas, poor Yorick..." and "To be or not to be...") were woven into the dialogue brilliantly. Tabu, who played the Hamlet mother character, was *sensational*, and Shahid Kapoor, who played Haider (Hamlet) was phenomenal. And the actors who played the grave diggers were brilliant. This film is a definite favourite and I really think it's one of the best Bollywoods I've seen in a while. And I say this as a Bollywood fan. Less happily, my uncle in France died a few days ago. I am worried about my cousin, who is of course devestated. It's a sad loss. 
L-R: Shahid Kapoor as Haider in Haider; Scarf wip, though it's much longer now!; Mum's new Doc Marten shoes; One of my mosaic solar powered garden lights; Two bottles of one of my favourite wines, White Barossa by Kies Winery.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Date: Wed, Mar. 4th, 2015 10:17 am (UTC)Wow, The Quick certainly sounds intriguing and Haider sounds fantastic. I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Hamlet after having to study it for about four consecutive years throughout my education, but I'm all for watching a Bollywood version!
Have a lovely week!
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Date: Wed, Mar. 4th, 2015 10:21 am (UTC)It's not a bad book, and I have no idea where it's going to go next, which is a good thing in a mystery! Haider is just brilliant, I can rave about that film for days. The whole cast were just fantastic, the direction was very focused and the cinematography was amazing, especially the scenes shot in the snow. I really do recommend it a lot. :D
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Date: Wed, Mar. 4th, 2015 05:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 03:01 am (UTC)No subtitles on that one, but you get a good idea. The Rosencrantz and Guildenstern characters are fabulous in this too--they're Salman and Salman and run a video rental shop, where they gush about their favourite actor: Salman Khan!
I think a lot of people overlook Shahid Kapoor as capable of anything of this level of dramatic intensity bc he's so pretty. (And he is REALLY pretty, unf.) But he's done really intense and amazing film work before, and I highly recommend "Kaminey" which is the same director and has Shahid acting as twins. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/?ref_=nv_sr_1) If you can find that on Netflix, I highly recommend that too, as a gritty, dark look at the underworld in Mumbai and the direction is again superb.
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Date: Wed, Mar. 4th, 2015 11:08 pm (UTC)Ouch to the head. I hope you feel better.
Oooo paranormal. Good luck with that.
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 03:02 am (UTC)It's really bugging me now. I can't feel the lump anymore but I can sure feel the aching!
Thankee! I really need to do a paranormal, it's been contemp for a wee while now and I REALLY miss the paranormals!
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 04:58 am (UTC)I'm sure you do. You could have a mild concussion.
I know contemp probably sells this best but I just can't do it. I managed a short story for DSP's holiday packet but man, even that was a struggle. Good luck with the new one
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 05:05 am (UTC)Yeah, I find contemp really hard to do too. I need to have some kind of magic/myth element!
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 05:13 am (UTC)Same here. As close as I can get to contemp is probably mystery... and those are hard. I love them but they are hard.
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 05:18 am (UTC)I managed to make "Mythica" a sort of contemp, sort of because it's set in the here and now and some of the characters are part mythical creatures (a selkie, in this case) and some are aliens. But really, even that was hard.
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 05:24 am (UTC)Sounds interesting though but believe me I get that. I only made it through A Light in Winter because I set it among the standing stones in Wales and I have an interest in those
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 05:28 am (UTC)I'm the same--the location is a place that fasincates me and everything goes from there, generally. :)
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 05:33 am (UTC)Cool. I like it when the setting plays something of a role. I was glad to use the one in Wales. That's the furthest from home I've ever been. If this snow doesn't stop, it may be the furthest I ever get from home 0_0
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 06:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 06:09 am (UTC)Yeah it's something. I don't mind the snow. I minded the torrential downpour we had for 24 hours before the snow. It's got to be close to a foot out there now though. Ah well I'm off work tomorrow as a result
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Date: Thu, Mar. 5th, 2015 11:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Fri, Mar. 6th, 2015 01:43 am (UTC)Unrelated, a p/back copy of "A Shot in the Dark" is in the box for you with "Crystal Lake" and "Bone Cup." So don't buy the p/back. :)
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Date: Fri, Mar. 6th, 2015 01:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Fri, Mar. 6th, 2015 02:02 am (UTC)