Random Things I Like This Week
by Sariah S. Wilson
I didn't get to post yesterday. May is a very busy month for us, what with it being the birthday month for our three oldest. Yesterday we went to the Cincinnati Zoo where it was blisteringly hot and extremely uncomfortable - which made everyone miserable and exhausted by the time we finally packed it in. So we got home, had our birthday celebration for the now 7-year-old and the kids went to bed. I laid down on the couch with the baby thinking that I needed to go and blog and next thing I knew, it was 1:30 in the morning and the baby wanted to eat.
I thought I'd just list some things I've been enjoying lately.
Chocodiles: For those not fortunate enough to know, Chocodiles are magical treats from Hostess. They're a Ding Dong/Twinkie hybrid, e.g., a chocolate-covered Twinkie (sheer genius, I tell you!). While watching the season finale of "Lie To Me," the sociopath asked for a box of Chocodiles a week in exchange for his cooperation. That got me thinking about Chocodiles and how much I used to love them. Turns out they don't sell them in the East or Midwest because they have a very short shelf life. You can only buy them out West. So I found a website that promised fresh Chocodiles and placed an order. That was almost two weeks ago. I don't have them yet. But I'm still looking forward to them and excited for their arrival.
Free Chocolate: Mars (the chocolate company, not the Roman god of war) is giving away coupons for free chocolate bars to the first 250,000 visitors every Friday morning between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. EST. You're allowed to get four coupons per household, and the promotion runs until September, so even if you're not among the first 250,000, you may still get a chance down the road. They do send you an email to let you know that you're going to get a coupon.
The History Channel: I'm not a fan of modern warfare. I much prefer ancient fighting, and The History Channel is chockfull of such awesomeness. My new favorite shows include:
Warriors - Hosted by Terry Schappert, a Green Beret who is obviously very skilled and very enthusiastic about what he's learning, he makes an excellent host. (Plus I love the stuff that gets him choked up, even if he is too manly to ever actually cry.) In every episode he covers different ancient warriors - Spartans, Hawaiians, Zulu, Samurais, etc. - he talks to experts on the weapons and the history and then learns how to fight and train the way the warriors did. The stuff I've been learning about ancient hand-to-hand combat is amazing. I've already planned to ask for the first season on DVD as a Christmas gift so that I can watch it over and over again. (Also because I missed the Maya episode - the one I most wanted to see!)
Battles B.C. - This comes down to appreciating military strategies, seeing how military men who lived during the time of the Bible and Book of Mormon strategized and fought (i.e., getting to appreciate that Alexander the Great was a military genius). I also like the way I've been able to extract elements from historical events that I can use in future novels. For example - I want a heroine that is a knife expert, but I couldn't figure out how to make that realistic or believable. That is, until I saw an episode that showed me exactly how I could do it by using real events.
Deadliest Warriors - This isn't a History Channel show, it's actually on Spike TV. But it falls along the same lines as the other two. It takes two random warriors from different time periods/places and pits them against one another in a fight - like a Viking versus a Samurai or a Spartan versus a ninja. Experts/historians show off their weapons and fighting techniques, and then a computer program runs 1,000 simluations between the two warriors to see who would have won, and at the end of the show two actors, dressed as the warriors, fight to show you who won the most simulations. Again, another show I've learned an incredible amount from regarding hand-to-hand fighting techniques. I'm wondering if I can deduct my satellite costs from my taxes as a writing resource.
Glee - The new dark comedy on Fox that is going to have an out-of-this-world soundtrack. My almost 2-year-old regularly demands that I replay the ending choral scene of "Don't Stop Believin.'" She loves it. I loved the humor and the music and the pairing of the main characters, who so far are essentially Troy Bolton and Tracy Flick.
Star Trek - Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto (IMO) - pitch perfect as Kirk and Spock. I'm not a convention attender or anything, but I think I have watched every incarnation of Star Trek (I gave up halfway through Enterprise, but I did watch the reruns until I saw how the show ended). I would have liked the movie a lot better had I understood the basic premise before I went and saw it, but I think I'll like it even more a second time now that I understand how these writers were playing things.
What about you? Any new favorite things you want to share with the group?
I didn't get to post yesterday. May is a very busy month for us, what with it being the birthday month for our three oldest. Yesterday we went to the Cincinnati Zoo where it was blisteringly hot and extremely uncomfortable - which made everyone miserable and exhausted by the time we finally packed it in. So we got home, had our birthday celebration for the now 7-year-old and the kids went to bed. I laid down on the couch with the baby thinking that I needed to go and blog and next thing I knew, it was 1:30 in the morning and the baby wanted to eat.
I thought I'd just list some things I've been enjoying lately.
Chocodiles: For those not fortunate enough to know, Chocodiles are magical treats from Hostess. They're a Ding Dong/Twinkie hybrid, e.g., a chocolate-covered Twinkie (sheer genius, I tell you!). While watching the season finale of "Lie To Me," the sociopath asked for a box of Chocodiles a week in exchange for his cooperation. That got me thinking about Chocodiles and how much I used to love them. Turns out they don't sell them in the East or Midwest because they have a very short shelf life. You can only buy them out West. So I found a website that promised fresh Chocodiles and placed an order. That was almost two weeks ago. I don't have them yet. But I'm still looking forward to them and excited for their arrival.
Free Chocolate: Mars (the chocolate company, not the Roman god of war) is giving away coupons for free chocolate bars to the first 250,000 visitors every Friday morning between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. EST. You're allowed to get four coupons per household, and the promotion runs until September, so even if you're not among the first 250,000, you may still get a chance down the road. They do send you an email to let you know that you're going to get a coupon.
The History Channel: I'm not a fan of modern warfare. I much prefer ancient fighting, and The History Channel is chockfull of such awesomeness. My new favorite shows include:
Warriors - Hosted by Terry Schappert, a Green Beret who is obviously very skilled and very enthusiastic about what he's learning, he makes an excellent host. (Plus I love the stuff that gets him choked up, even if he is too manly to ever actually cry.) In every episode he covers different ancient warriors - Spartans, Hawaiians, Zulu, Samurais, etc. - he talks to experts on the weapons and the history and then learns how to fight and train the way the warriors did. The stuff I've been learning about ancient hand-to-hand combat is amazing. I've already planned to ask for the first season on DVD as a Christmas gift so that I can watch it over and over again. (Also because I missed the Maya episode - the one I most wanted to see!)
Battles B.C. - This comes down to appreciating military strategies, seeing how military men who lived during the time of the Bible and Book of Mormon strategized and fought (i.e., getting to appreciate that Alexander the Great was a military genius). I also like the way I've been able to extract elements from historical events that I can use in future novels. For example - I want a heroine that is a knife expert, but I couldn't figure out how to make that realistic or believable. That is, until I saw an episode that showed me exactly how I could do it by using real events.
Deadliest Warriors - This isn't a History Channel show, it's actually on Spike TV. But it falls along the same lines as the other two. It takes two random warriors from different time periods/places and pits them against one another in a fight - like a Viking versus a Samurai or a Spartan versus a ninja. Experts/historians show off their weapons and fighting techniques, and then a computer program runs 1,000 simluations between the two warriors to see who would have won, and at the end of the show two actors, dressed as the warriors, fight to show you who won the most simulations. Again, another show I've learned an incredible amount from regarding hand-to-hand fighting techniques. I'm wondering if I can deduct my satellite costs from my taxes as a writing resource.
Glee - The new dark comedy on Fox that is going to have an out-of-this-world soundtrack. My almost 2-year-old regularly demands that I replay the ending choral scene of "Don't Stop Believin.'" She loves it. I loved the humor and the music and the pairing of the main characters, who so far are essentially Troy Bolton and Tracy Flick.
Star Trek - Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto (IMO) - pitch perfect as Kirk and Spock. I'm not a convention attender or anything, but I think I have watched every incarnation of Star Trek (I gave up halfway through Enterprise, but I did watch the reruns until I saw how the show ended). I would have liked the movie a lot better had I understood the basic premise before I went and saw it, but I think I'll like it even more a second time now that I understand how these writers were playing things.
What about you? Any new favorite things you want to share with the group?
Sariah Wilson — 5/24/2009 07:32:00 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Favorite things? Lazy Sundays. Curling up with my hubby and just being. Reading with my doodlebops. Swinging on the swing while it's raining.
I love Battles B.C. and Warriors. The Mayan episode was pretty good for learning more about LAMANITE fighting techniques. Terry accidentaly hit himself in the shin swinging a Maquahuitl around. For those that don't know, thats the obsidian lined club. Its pretty vicious and he only barely tagged himself with it. He bled pretty good for such a small puncture.
Since I have a chocolate allergy, my favorite foods include a lot of fruit. I will also readily admit that I have a small thing for cream slushies. :) They are snowcones with incredible flavor, topped with fresh, un-whipped dairy cream! Yummy!
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