Reading, writing, and Downton... the things in my life

Hello lovely readers,

I hope you are all (who ever you are) are having a good week and are excited for the up coming weekend... I am, my mom is town and we are going to be enjoying some pampering, also doing a little bit of shopping and just enjoying some mom and daughter time. But before the weekend begins I just wanted to give you all a quick update on my life...

 

Reading

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 I tried reading Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier as it was recommend to me by my friend and while I was intrigued by the story I didn't get past 100 pages. One night I was reading in bed and the book Me Before You was sitting on my book shelf and I kept thinking I want to read that instead. So I began reading it. I will also admit while I have wanted to read this book for a while and when I saw the ad for the upcoming movie I was more intrigued... plus I love Sam Claffin (aka Finnick).

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Trailer:

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Re-watching trailer I think I am going to need tissues... Yep I am a sap. 

Writing

I think I am two or three plot points away from being done, which feels very weird and cool all at the same time. Currently I am trying to type up every thing I have written out in order to get my mind settled on how I want to finish the story. I have it outlined and I know how I want to end in my head putting words on paper feels hard. But as I have been reminded I have to keep pushing myself.

{The Future was Theirs}

I have been thinking more and more about preparing for my second draft and sharing my work. I know this goes against some advice but I am thinking of sharing the story through a blog format. I am not so concerned about being published or the money, and to me that sounds like a headache. For me it is more important to share my story with my friends and family and anyone else who reads this blog. But I am still thinking through this process.

For now I just have to finish the first draft.

Thinking about

Even though I am working on the first draft of my story my brain can't help but wander to my next story.  

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A couple of months ago I thought of a story line where a modern day girl finds a journal from the past only to find out that it is hers. Then a few weeks later I quickly jotted down this scene...

He was perched on the bench ready to jump into action, clasping the edge of the seat to make sure he didn't fall off. He eagerly awaited her to arrive on the incoming train.

Later I saw a man sitting on the T wearing a tweed jacket and sweater vest and the name Crispin came to me and wrote this out...

Crispin was wearing his best forest green collar button up with it nearly matching green tie, wool sweater vest with a red and gold diamond pattern, and his tweed jacket that had patches on the elbow. He loved that jacket, it had been his fathers and still smelled of his father's pipe tobacco. Crispin thought if gave him a scholarly look, and when her wore it he stood a bit taller. He been in the library shuffling through papers looking for some some notes on the archaeology diggings in Pakistan. His uncle had referred to it the other day and Crispin was certain his uncle had misquoted the author, however scholarly his uncle pretended to be he was always misquoting someone. Crispin had made it a game to look up the quotes to discreetly and politely correct him. He was shuffling through some papers when he caught out of the corner of his eye a movement in the garden. No one besides the gardener went out there after Aunt Edith passed away and even out of the corner of his eye he recognized this was not Marion, the crotchety old gardener, who was only kept on in respect of Aunt Edith. This movement was a woman who clearly did not want to be noticed. Crispin slammed the files shut and marched to the garden, he wasn't sure if was more curious by the woman's movement in the garden or angry someone would intrude on them. There had been tales of ghostly figures on the property and youngsters had mad it their mission to hunt these out and these escapades had happened more since Aunt Edith's death but never in the day time. Crispin was happy to finally be able to have his say in the matter once he captured the intruder.

{This is not how I pictured Crispin but I like the suit}

Not sure what is going to happen with this but I feel all these plots are intertwined.

 Watching

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I am greatly enjoying watching the last season of Downton Abbey and I am interested in seeing how it will all end. During the first season of Downton I didn't care for Edith at all but over time she has grown on me, she sometimes whines too much, I feel she is becoming more empowered. Now if only Mary could stop picking on her I would be happy. In this season I am feeling more sorry for Thomas or Mr. Barrows but I think if he had just been nicer earlier on more people would be rooting for him, but I do want him to be successful at the end of the series.

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I do want Mary to be happy but I honestly don't understand why they made Henry a race car driver of course this was going to be a hang up for Mary after Matthew's death. I am actually surprised how long she has pursued him because of it... but I guess sometimes love is a risk. I think Branson was very wise (as he has always been) in the last episode.

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Also I have been binge re-watching Hart of Dixie, which I enjoyed the second time as much as I enjoyed the first time and knowing what was going I enjoyed watching the character development more. I will say right now I wish Lavon and AnnaBeth had ended up together as I thought they were perfect together. 

{AnnaBeth and Lavon}

 Plus she was good friend to both Lemon and Zoe even though they hated each other. Plus her fashion (minus some green eye shadow) was better than Lemon's... I know this shouldn't be the reason why she should be with Lavon but its true.

{One of my favorite outfits}

Overall I am happy with the ending of the show.

Video contains some spoilers up to season 3

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 Looking forward to

In March I will be going to visit my sister and family to celebrate my little ginger man's 1st birthday. I cannot believe he will be a year old. 

{Him and I over Christmas}

That is all for now hope you guys have a good weekend. 

Friday Films... Age of Adeline

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Hello Lovely Readers,

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Last weekend I watched the beautifully artistic film of Age of Adeline staring Blake Lively. Blake Lively was perfect casting she is flawlessly and classically beautiful, she looked in the 1920s style to modern day fashion. The story is one of those where you have to suspend reality and just believe it is possible. In the beginning of the film we see Adeline have a horrible car accident (it is in the trailer... so not a spoiler) and because of a bolt of lighting she is never able to age. She then has to be on the run as she worries people will want to arrest her and maybe do test on her (she lives in the MacArthur era so people might think she is a communist spy). Anyway she moves every 10 years and she is about to move when she meets Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman... Orphan Black and Nashville). Ellis is swept away by Adeline's beauty and brains (I mean she works at a library...so how awesome is that). He is also very persistent, which at first worries Adeline but then she gives in and they fall in love (that is not a spoiler as it a romantic movie). He takes her to meet his parents and his dad (Harrison Ford) instantly recognizes her as Adeline, even though she says that was her mother. From there things begin to unravel... will Adeline run again? will she tell her secret? 

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Trailer Link

Ellis and Adeline

The main reason to see this movie is to see the

costuming. As I said Blake Lively was great casting she can live in any decade and still look wonderful. She can wear any style and still look beautiful... okay I will admit I got a little bit of a girl crush on her (from watching this).

And while the story was romantic and I got a little sappy feelings from parts of it I am glad I did pay a movie ticket for it... sorry Lively. I thought the film was beautiful and the story good for the message it was trying to portray but on my budget I think I would have been upset with myself if I spent $10 dollars on a ticket. However, for a movie to watch for free on Sunday afternoon it was delightful.

The one part that really annoyed me was the voice over. It wasn't Lively's voice so it made me distant from the story and I think there could have been a way to portray what the voice was saying better. But overall I thought it was a good twist on a love story. 

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This is just a sampling of the costume design... but as I love costume design I will probably search out more movies with the same costumer. 

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NaNoWriMo... check in #3

Hello Lovely Readers,

Frequently how my writing looked

I just wanted to let you know I did not get to 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo and I am okay with that. Before I started this challenge I read some bloggers about how they survived NaNoWriMo and it seemed to me they had no social life and were hanging on to sanity by a thread (okay I might be exaggerating) but I didn't want that to be me so I told myself "what ever I get done, I get done." I said this because I just wanted to focus on my writing this month and it was my first time doing this challenge. Also I still wanted to keep a life...though I'm sure my roommate felt a bit neglected sometimes (sorry).

For this month I set myself little goals, one to type up whatever I have already written out and two to work through some scenes that I was struggling with. I am happy to say I accomplished those goals.

Working through some scenes was hard because I felt mentally blocked and sometimes I would have to tear pages out of my notebook and try again. My mom once told me "crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." I think I went crazy sometimes because I would try over and over rewriting and reworking scenes and even though the words were the same I expected the outcome to be different. I might be a naive writer but I think as a writer you have to do this.

The following scene (set in 1915 between Mattie and Kelby) I think took me five tries to write out before I felt the flow fit into my story:

"Why do men think they can only prove their worth by fighting. I do not think there is a woman alive who thinks in such a way."
"It is is is in our blood, it comes from being cavemen and hunters and gatherers, always fighting to protect our loved ones and resources,"
"Do you really think this war is about resources?"
"No but it is to protect the ones we love," he discreetly rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand.
"You are not going to go are you?"
"Not yet," he pulled back at truth of that statement. He didn't want to go, first he couldn't leave his mother alone with Shane already fighting and second he had no interest in killing men when he was more interested in healing them. However, he knew if war went on much longer he might be recruited, he was of age and in good health.

{Mattie}

"Promise me Kelby, promise me you won't go until its absolutely necessary." Mattie had just read Marcus was going to training camp to lose Kelby would be to much.
 "Absolutely necessary, I promise," he took her hand in hers and kissed the inside palm.

"Please Lord don't take him from me as well." Mattie looked into Kelby's eyes and she saw them living a long life together, but maybe that is just what she had wanted to see.

"Now it is a beautiful day, the first in a long while let us not waste it by worrying about a future we cannot know. Do you care for a ride? We can get a nice long one in before sunset, besides we must keep these horses in full form in case they are called for active duty." Kelby tried to make light of the situation but anyone who truly knew him know how it had tore his hear to lose a horse. Last month the army came for Clemson, a horse he had raised since a colt, and that had left Kelby a bit distraught.

Mattie eagerly agreed to the ride, she couldn't remember the last she had been on a horse. The country had been at war for eight months and while the paper was full of half truths and inaccurate numbers, the truth from the front lines were slowly being felt. Everyday they were told they had to make sacrifices for some that meant sugar and for others that meant sons. Any moment that felt similar to the past was a glorious feeling. The sun was so bright and welcoming, it warmed her cheeks and brightened her spirits. She was happy to put away any thoughts of Shane at the front, soon Marcus going to war, and she wanted to believe Kelby would never join them. The felicity of the ride and the beauty of the day made it hard to imagine men were being killed by the hundred in an area of Ypres, not more than six hundred kilometers away.

No one between Cranston and Southerton could imagine the horrors that the Germans were releasing on allied men. The men were praying that their day of battle would soon be over with the setting sun only had new weapon to face. A poison gas floated through the air over no mans land sinking into the trenches that were suppose to protect them from bullets and artillery was now the death of them. The pale yellow toxin burned their eyes, stung their throats, and left them suffocating for air. If they lived through that they suffered severe headaches and feeling lightheaded making them seek comfort on the ground only to breath in more gas. The men who could breath at all was jerky and shallow at best and they would climb out of the trenches against orders but in instinct to survive only to be gunned down by awaiting machine guns. "Its a death trap!" the men yelled as they retreated to a better spot. 

{Poisonous Gas}

I know this scene will need to be edited more but I was so proud of myself for writing a battle scene especially since I have not been battle or in a trench.

So while I did not get to 50,000 words... my last word count was just over 35,000 words I am proud of myself so spending so much time and energy on my story. The work I did makes me feel invigorated to keep going instead of being burned out (as I got the impression from the bloggers). As much I want to keep writing and I spent so much time working away that I didn't give myself much reading time so I for December I now want to find a better balance. AH! it is December! 

Frivolous Friday... More Historical Drama

Hello Lovely Readers,

Okay I have another guilty pleasure to share... well its not really a guilty pleasure more of an obscure reference that I keep my thoughts about it quiet, but I am here to finally introduce you all to it.

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 I highly recommend it if you like historical drama especially from the Edwardian time period, a mystery that keeps you guessing, and you want to brush up on your Spanish. Yep that's right... it is a Spanish (set in Spain) basically prime-time soap opera mystery. It is on Netflix that provides subtitles or else I would have no idea what was happening. I watched a few episodes over the summer and was intrigued with it but because it was in Spanish I knew I would have to fully pay attention to it.

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The series starts off in 1905 with Julio coming to the Gran Hotel to visit his sister only to learn his sister has mysteriously disappeared so he pretends to be a waiter to investigate his sister's disappearance. We also meet Alicia the daughter of the owner of the hotel. Her father has recently passed away her mother and Diego (manager) are running the show and covering up some intriguing plot points along the way. The romantic tension between Julio and Alicia is clear from the first episode even though she is supposed to be engaged to Diego. The tension and the mystery keep this show going.

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There is also a great supporting cast like Andres who is an awesome and loyal friend to Julio. There is also Javier (Alicia's brother) who I can't decide if I want to slap him or go out for a drink with him. Javier is basically a womanizing, drunk, who makes a 1,001 mistakes (which is why I want to slap him) but yet his one liners are great and he actually is very loyal to Alicia (which is why I would want to have a drink with him). Heads up: There are some sex scenes that might make some people uncomfortable.

Javier, Julio, Alicia. Diego

I am in the 2nd of 3 seasons and I can't wait to see how it all works out. (Spoiler Alert) At the end of the first season Alicia marries Diego... which is crushing because it is clear she and Julio love each other but their class separation divides them. And when she returns from her honey moon it is clear she will not cheat on her husband (which I am happy about) but I want Julio and Alicia to end up together. So is that hoping for Diego's death? I mean while there is plenty of intrigue in this show, it does take place in Spain (a good Catholic country) and divorce can't just happen... so Diego will have to die for anything to truly happen between Julio and Alicia. I mean Julio has his shady sides but overall he is a good guy so I don't want Alicia and Diego to just be a cheating scandal. I mean just look at him:

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Looking pics for this post has given a way some plot spoilers... but I don't even care. I know the drama and mystery of this show will keep me on the edge of my toes guessing what is going to happen next.

If you are like me you will spend the whole time saying: "Just kiss already", "What?" or "Don't trust Diego?"

Outside of the drama the thing I probably love most about this show is Alicia's hair... In the first season it is pulled up but she lets some strains show, which I think shows she still has an adventurous side and is not completely prim and proper. At least so far in the second season her hair is always perfectly pinned up showing (spoiler alert) now that she is married she cannot as adventurous as she used to be... however just watching her you can see she doesn't want to be all prim and proper as she has to be. I know probably no one else notices this detail but I thought it was good to show character change.

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Once again recommend this show if you love Edwardian Drama, want to be on the edge of your seat guessing what is going to happen next, and want to brush up on your Spanish (don't worry there are subtitles on Netflix) but I find it fun to recognize words I learned in Spanish class in High School.

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It doesn't hurt that the scenery is beautiful and captivating

Frivolous Friday... Disney Princes Hot to Not

Hello my lovely readers,

I thought after my last post... this blog needed some lightheartedness, last week I was having a random conversation about Disney Princes with a friend and we started ranking them and I joked this would be a fun blog post so here I am writing it (feel free to disagree with me).

First, he is not a Disney Prince but I must say Dimitri from Anastasia (made by 21st Century Fox) probably takes the cake for one of the hottest cartoon characters... I mean Buzzfeed even has "23 Reasons why Dimitri from 'Anastaia' was a Major Heart Throb" (link) So he gets a special shout out.

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Now on to Disney Princes (I will be sticking to actual Princes either by birth or marry a Princess):

1. Flynn Ryder... I don't know if I love him more because he is voiced Zachary Levi

or if it is because of his wonderful one liners.

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Either way he is pretty awesome. 

2. Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty

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He gets major props because he didn't want to be forced to marry someone he hasn't even met even though she was a Princess.

Also there is a great scene where his father brings up his upcoming marriage (the one he doesn't want) where he has some sass..

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I like a Prince (even in cartoon form) who stands up for himself.

Plus he fights a scary dragon for the woman he loves. 

It also doesn't hurt that Buzzfeed has cast him to be played by Ryan Reynolds in real life. 

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3. Aladdin

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I think Aladdin gets props because he is the only Prince who changes to get the Princess.
Disney Princess get a lot of bad talk because people think that the girls have to change to get the guy (which I don't see as true) but in that vain I think it cute Aladdin changes for Jasmine.

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Besides he has a magic carpet that can travel the world...so you would save lots of money on plane tickets.

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4. Prince Eric

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Sometimes Prince Eric gets on my nerves because he seems like an idiot for searching for a girl with a voice when he clearly likes Ariel. Of course my feminist side does say he only likes her for her looks. Though when he thinks he will lose Ariel he does go and fight for her.
Let's just say his eyes and hair are both awesome.

On the not hot side...
5. Prince Charming from Cinderella

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The only reason I don't think he is not hot is because you don't really get to know him as a character.
I mean he barely speaks and talk about a guy falling for a girl just for her looks.

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When I was younger I loved Cinderella but after seeing Ever After I liked that twist on the classic story and Dougary Scott made a great Prince Charming.

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6. Prince Adam from Beauty and the Beast

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I know my friend that I was discussing this post with disagreed with me on views of Prince Adam, I just personally did not find him that attractive.
As I looking for pictures for this post I came across this:

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So maybe I need to reevaluate my thinking.
Though I am excited to see Dan Stevens play the Beast...whenever that film comes out

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 Before I finish this post I have to give a shout out to Robert Phillip (played by Patrick Dempsey) in Enchanted. I know he is not technically a "Prince" but he does dress like a prince and for a man who says he doesn't dance he actually dances quite well.

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Video: "Enchanted (So Close) with Lyrics"

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I know this list is a little bias, as it really only talks about the films I like. So if you want more information most of these pictures come BuzzFeed (link) and they have their own ranking. 

Hope you have a nice weekend.

Friviolous Friday...More Drama to Love

 Hello lovely readers,

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I have become addicted to Poldark on PBS. I am the first one to admit that I have bias towards British Period Dramas... I think it very clear if you spend any time with me either on this blog or in real life. But usually my heart tends to be focused on the 19th or early 20th century. So when I heard about Poldark, which is set in the 18th century I was a little skeptical if I would like it. Well suffice I have fallen hard for it.

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The story is premise of the story is simple. Ross Poldark (Adrian Turner), served as a British solider in the American Revolution and is injured in such a way that he is believed dead. He returns two years later to England only to discover his father is dead, the mine his father owned is in ruins and the woman he loved is engaged to his cousin. Now he must make a new life for himself and restore his families business. Enter Demelza played by Eleanor Tomilson who changes Ross from an angry bitter man to one of compassion.... and yes there is great chemistry and tension between them. I don't want to give spoilers away. Though I don't think I would be the first one to say that Poldark is the Downton Abbey of the 18th century. 

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Overall: I would say the story is great and there are many moments I am holding my breath, but like I said I can easily get lost in Period Dramas. However, it is not just beautiful costumes with hopeless dramatic plots because to be honest the costumes are kind of basic (which is fitting for the story). The story is really about struggle because Ross and Demelza are trying to make the world a better place but they are held back by constrictions in society around them. Also some people don't like Ross and try to ruin him in business and personally. And I like that Ross is not only trying to raise himself up but also trying to help the men and women out around him. I really like that. 

Also the beauty of scenery is wonderful and helps you get swept up in the story line, the beauty and the struggle of it all. 

 

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But don't just take my word for it...there might be some spoilers in links below:

Poldark: why the drama is perfect Sunday night entertainment

‘Poldark’ has all the melodrama of ‘Downton Abbey

Poldark is Coming

Hope you guys take some time over the weekend to check it out!

 

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