Month: May 2019

MJ MJ Monday: MJ’s Movies-ROB ROY (vs. BRAVEHEART)

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Many years ago, a friend  who headed up the local cinephile society told me Rob Roy with Liam Neeson contained the best sword fight scene ever filmed. Being a huge fan of The Scarlet Pimpernel (MFTV 1982 with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour), I sincerely needed to check out Rob Roy.

The film came out the same year as Braveheart (1995), and was seemingly lost in the flash and dash of Mel Gibson, and that’s a shame. Yes, both motion pictures are historical Scottish stories, although they are set in completely different eras. Both portray the forever conflict with the “English,” but they are not at all similar.

I’ve seen Braveheart only once and remember being  not especially impressed with it. It was big. All encompassing. Broader in scope. Epic. Rob Roy tells the story of one man and his family and how the “English” occupation impacted them. The story is more intimate.  More personal.

And the sword fight scene my friend praised? Oh, wow. Again, no flash and dash. One man, weary to his soul, fighting for his honor.  The key word here is weary.

If you haven’t seen it, make an effort. Thoroughly enjoyable movie.

MJ’s Musings: Thistle Dew

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A friend of mine owns an 1809 former stage coach inn in the foothills of New York’s Adirondack Mountains.

Her dream has always been to create a warm, welcoming place where her author friends could retreat and write. She has succeeded.

For several years, personal situations kept me from attending, but about two years ago, my circumstances changed,and I became a Thistle Dew regular. I always stay in the same room. I usually write in the dining room, although sometimes I move around to keep myself fresh.

The thing is, I can write here. I am so much more productive than when I am home. At home, my husband wants to spend time with me. The house needs me to spend time with it.

A few weeks ago, when I was desperately trying to finish a book due a month later, I planned an entire weekend at home, writing. HAHAHAHAHA.  The following weekend, I went to Thistle Dew, which is about 90 minutes from home, and I wrote over 10,000 words Friday afternoon/night, all day Saturday/Sunday morning.

Two weeks later, I finished the book at Thistle Dew .

Thistle Dew isn’t all work. There is plenty of eating (always) and laughter. I love getting to know people from my local RWA chapter with whom I might not interact at our monthly meetings. We forge new friendships and learn other writers’ strength and generosity. In warmer weather (i.e. no snow), we spend evenings around the fire pit outside and watch the sky while creating fond memories. And then there was the one night three of us encountered a ghost. Nothing bad. Nothing scary. Nothing threatening. But yeah. A woo-woo filled night. (A building constructed in 1809 is bound to house leftover energy.)

I am so lucky my friend had this dream and was able to make it come true.

 

 

MJ’s Monday–Meals: Vegan Buddha Bowl #2

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Here’s another vegan variation on a Buddha Bowl my friend Kris shared with us.

Again I start with quinoa (instead of rice). 

While the quinoa is cooking according to package instructions, I drain a can of sliced beets.

I place them in a dry cast iron skillet and chop them.

I cook them on medium high heat, stirring frequently until bits are blackened.

While everything is cooking, open a can of mandarin oranges and drain them. Or peel an orange. I’m lazy. Canned mandarin oranges are shelf friendly.

Drain the quinoa.

Mix the quinoa, oranges, and beets together.

If you want, you can add precooked chicken, but quinoa is a complete protein, so adding more isn’t necessary.

Then I add my handy-dandy Sesame Ginger salad dressing

And voila. A colorful, flavorful complete meal.

MJ’s Musing: SEP-Natural Born Charmer

Many people I know consider Natural Born Charmer their favorite SEP novel. It’s definitely in my top five, but it didn’t make my top three because I really hated the end.  It has marvelous characters, a great plot, the best secondary love story in a SEP book, humor, pathos, community, texture, art, music…and a really lame ending.  For me, it was almost anticlimactic.

I went back and read the ending again, and it’s not as lame as I remember, but the problem is I remember it as lame. I simply couldn’t believe the heroine’s initial reaction when the hero “returns” to avoid a misunderstanding. And that’s where I get stuck. The heroine eventually returns to “form” and all is well, but it’s that initial bit that I remember.

I guess that’s my problem, not the book’s, but  that is why the book is only in the top five and not the top 3.