Friday, March 16, 2012

Friday Obsessions: Yo-Yo Ma, Blogging Ahead, and Peeta's Bread



Happy Friday, sweet readers!  

It's actually been a pretty decent week! I mean, I'm still in the query trenches, but I didn't have to eat any trench rats this week (translation: nothing made me cry) so we're calling that a WIN.

In less pleasant news, my ankles are the size of my head.

The upshot is that I pretty much have to sit on the couch with my feet up at the end of the day. Which means my WiP did not suffer for word-count this week.  Another WIN.

Anyway. Enough about me. Let's get on with talking about my obsessions.
(I know, I know. Self-centered, etc. But it's my blog, you see?)


Everything I was obsessed with this week. 
Because I know you want to know. 

1. Yo-Yo Ma. Very little makes me emotional, music-wise. The things that most get to me are my MS's playlists (duh) and then artists like Yo-Yo Ma, who is an unquestionable MASTER in his field, and plays so beautifully.

His treatment of Bach's cello suites is absolutely astounding, and definitely the music I listen to when I need that weird mix of neutral, calming, and energizing, all at the same time.

But, you guys. There's MORE. Watch this video of him playing. He's an expert, yeah, but check out how HARD he works to nail a piece that he's played a kajillion times - a piece that he's famous for. You can just tell that he is trying so hard to get better - AS IF HE COULD GET BETTER - each and every time.

This is inspirational, y'all. I only hope that I work this hard at everything I write.


2. Blogging-in-Advance. Probably about a month from now I'll need to take a short hiatus (a few weeks at least) from blogging. I'd like to continue to post at least twice a week. Lord knows I have a pile of drafts sitting on my dashboard, but they need to be finished and shined up before I can post them.

Also: I'm looking for guest posts. Especially from those of you who are my favorites. You know who you are. Or even IDEAS for posts I should write. No, seriously. I'm obsessed with getting a backlog done so I can just hit "publish."

Thanks. *kiss kiss*

3. Peeta's bread.
So....my Wisconsin baking bestie Amanda Stein, who runs The Challah Blog, is just as in love with The Hunger Games as I am. (Not just as in love with PEETA, mind. No one loves Peeta as much as I do. Seriously. You may think you do, but you don't. Step off.) 

Anyway. She invented a recipe for Peeta's bread - you know - the kind he burned on purpose to give to Katniss so that he could save her life and then....*sigh*

Anyway. I made some. A couple batches, actually. Want a loaf? I will trade one for a guest blog.
 (*kiss kiss*)



And last but not least, Chrome. Chessie shamed me in a word war on Wednesday - like, cleaned the internet's floor with me, and it's DIRTY down there - so I figure might as well show something for it.

Here's a part of a scene from when Havah visits the Iver, who live underneath Chrome City.


An Iver answered the door. Her clothing looked like a sack - brown and loose and tied with a sort of makeshift belt. Her hair, wiry and dark, was cropped short, like all the peoples’ seemed to be down here. Men and women, the same. 
She peered out the door, and a sheen of sweat coated her brow. Havah grimaced. There was an odd, unclean sort of smell coming from inside the little room. Sweat, and something else. Something warm, something heavy.
“Here for a routine transgression check,” the bionGuard barked at the woman.
Havah swore the woman’s lower lip trembled. “Yes,” she said softly, “of course,” and stepped backward inside.
She stared down at the ground as she gestured toward the tiny, dimly-lit room. There was a single table, three chairs, and a wide white mat on a slightly elevated surface in the corner.
“Do you…live here?” Havah asked.
The woman gave her a strange look, then a curt nod. It seemed to Havah that she didn’t breathe. That she was holding a space open with her silence. Like she was waiting for something.
Just as a bionGuard looked at the woman and said, “Thank you, Iver 3476,” A strange, high sound pierced the air.
The bionguard stopped in its tracks, and the Iver woman clapped a hand over her mouth. Her body heaved with a silent sob.
The high sound crested through the air, again, longer. Coming from nowhere.
The bionguard looked at the Iver woman, then strode straight to her cupboard, snapped the lock off, and flung open the door.
Inside stood a wide-eyed child, the space under its nose glistening with something wet. Its eyes bugged wide, as it stared at the bionguard. The child reached up a chubby hand, strangely stuck to a spindly arm, as if to touch the bion’s sleek silver face.
The bionGuard crouched down to the child’s eye level. A blue light emanated from its eyes, sweeping down over the child’s body. A scan.
“Female,” the bion announced. The Iver woman let out a keening wail and fell to her knees on the concrete floor beside Havah.

Yikkkkkes. I'll tell you right now - this isn't going to end well for anyone.  (Thanks for reading!)

Okay, sweet readers. Your turn - What were YOU obsessed with this week?

18 comments:

  1. OK, I'm behind the times, but my husband and I just started watching Deadwood and I'm kind of hooked. I needed something to bring me out of mourning for Downton Abbey!

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    1. Melissa! It's so weird to "talk" to you on my blog instead of FB. :)

      I've heard Deadwood is INCREDIBLE. Unfortunately, I heard it was also really violent and I'm a bit of a TV violence wimp. :) Report back?

      I'm saving Downton Abbey for late nights awake coming up soon...can't wait!

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  2. Wow this scene of CHROME sounds awesome! (Well, bad for the Iver, but totally intriguing for me). I totally want to read more!

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    1. Aw, thanks for the WiP love, hon! And of course for stopping by! <3

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  3. Oh, Yo-Yo Ma is sooo amazing! so amazing!

    and, mmm. what happens NEXT? nice cliff hanger lady :)

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    1. I know. I'm OBSESSED. I thought I wanted my kids to play cello, then I realized I basically had to have them signed up for Suzuki when they were born. So, that's not happening.

      Thanks for the snippet love. <3

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  4. Haha! We are everywhere. :) That's a big YES on the violence, which is also hard for me. But it's no worse than Game of Thrones...it's HBO. You will love Downton; the violence is very BBC.

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    1. Yeah. As far as sex and violence on TV go, I like the BBC variety. :)

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  5. Eeeeeeee Chrome scenes! More more more!

    (Also, I will continue to wipe the floor with you. ^_^)

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    1. I know you will. It's why I still hang out with you.

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  6. Cello suite is one of my absolute favorites! I've been trying to teach it to myself on piano. And that bread looks TO DIE FOR--I think I'll have to check out that recipe, for sure. And omg, CHROME<333! What a great scene. Those poor Iver :( Thanks for sharing!

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  7. I love Yo-Yo Ma, too. Also Josh Bell on the violin. My husband is a violin and cello maker, so I have this vainglorious daydream that someday one of those two gentlemen will decide to set aside their Strads to play one of Mark's instruments for a concert or two... ;P

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  8. 'Kay, that doesn't look like a mess to me!

    But oh, that bread... I miss bread so badly, I'm tempted to write a love song about it. And butter. More importantly, bread AND butter, together. *sigh*

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    1. That's cause I picked the prettiest part!

      OMG, G. I'm trying a gluten-free version tomorrow. It's SUCH an easy bread - a no-knead - that you could probably do it yourself...And there's not even a butter SUBSTITUTE you can have? :#

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  9. Love that scene! Such an intense ending too! *gah*

    Also, love Yo-Yo Ma, love that Suite. Somehow I never find the time to listen to classical music enough :)

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    1. I guess I just always assumed you were as prolific with your music listening as your book reading.

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  10. I love Yo-Yo Ma. Gorgeous music. And I love your scene from CHROME too - but what happens next? Aaah!

    My obsessions this week: THE BRIDES OF ROLLROCK ISLAND, coffee, blossom (spring is finally here, hurrah!) and stripping wallpaper (we're renovating our house). Hmm, that is such a random list!!

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    1. MMMMMM COFFEE.

      And I know. With the blossoms. My heart is SO happy right now. (Fun fact: Jews say a blessing when they see the first buds of springtime. It's like such a relief.)

      Thanks for the WiP love. Means a ton. :)

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