So, this is cool...

Yeah - clearly I'm more active on Goodreads than I am here, on my very own blog.  Hey - I'm working on it!

On Facebook this week, the question was asked: if we wanted to summon you, what 3 items should be placed in the circle?  Well, obviously a bobbin, a bokken, and a book!

xo
sash

Battle Wounds

Sometimes stress needs a more immediate release than can be found in a book or at the sewing machine.  At those moments, I really need to kill things.

Usually those things are demons, undead, and other pixelated evils. 

Tromper - Survivalist Hunter

   Which I can shoot,

Bramblethorn - Protection Warrior

          Whack with a sword,

Carindre - Restoration Druid

Or leave to the devices of my allies (while I keep my guildies alive from a safe distance)

Sometimes, however, virtual violence isn't enough.  I must hit things.  With sticks.

In particular, I hit a pell (upright, padded target my darling hubby built for me) with either bokken (wooden practice sword) or tanto (knife - in this case, a wooden practice version).

I must have been extra tense this week.  I was trying to remember all the basic escrima moves. & managed to strain something in my mid/lower back.  I didn't have my notes so I was relying on muscle memory.  Clearly what my muscles didn't remember was how long it's been since I've done any escrima.  

Sheesh.

I couldn't remember beyond the first 4-5 moves.  I need to check with Sensei Craig but maybe I'll wait a couple weeks first.

Meanwhile, about those demons....

xo
sash

ohmigosh,ohmigosh,ohmigosh!!!!

Movie.  Soon. TIM frickin BURTON!!!!

Boggled Bobbin

I'm doing this:

Fancy Forest

The first class was Sunday.  Sorting & organizing & cutting.  I think there will be a lot of that going on.  Each owl has over 40 pieces.  We're gonna start with the Foxes - those only have about 12.

Clearly, I've lost my mind.

xo
sash

Books of the ******FUTURE*****

Let's ignore, for the moment, that I have several (dozens) of physical books at home that I have not yet read.

Let's also set aside the knowledge that my Kindle contains a few (scores) of books that I also have not read.

There may be some (a large stack of) untouched quilting magazines too.

Click Here For More!

Forget all that.

Because LOOK!!   

     Books from the 
        FUTURE!!!!

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I'm quite excited about the release of Adulthood is a Myth: a Sarah's Scribbles Collection. 



Here's a sample of this awesome comic & a link to check out more.

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I'm a big fan of Augusten Burroughs & this book just popped up the Goodreads New Releases email:


Expected Release Date:
29 march 2016

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And then there is this:



Yeah.

I love me some Rainbow Rowell.

This is one of a handful of selected short reads specially produced for World Book Day 

Release date (& world book day) - 
3 march 2016

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Another upcoming release is 

EDGE: A YA/New Adult Paranormal Collection

This cool collection - 20 shorts stories by best selling YA authors - will release on 5 april 2016.  I love short stories. Such a great way to meet new authors & to see how favorite authors unfold & conclude a story in a limited space.

I've been asked to give an honest review of this collection in exchange for a free copy.  There is no ARC, so I'm on the pre-order list & am super excited to read & review this set.

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It's a grey day in February.  I can't promise that the immediate future is BRIGHT, but I'm pretty sure it will be full of BOOKS, & what's better on a cloudy day than books?

xo

sash

Breakfast Club Phenomenon

The Breakfast Club Phenomenon (patent pending) is a great foundation for a story (& for most "real life" encounters).  Curtain rises on well sorted cast - Good guys over there, bad guys over here.  Slacker, bimbo, preppy, good girl, rebel... etc.  Cue the clueless adults.  Mix in one heart of gold.  

Then some sort of (varying degrees of contrived/ improbable) stuff* happens.  Opposites are tossed together.  Arch rivals* are forced to cooperate.   Hardships & madcappery reveal the nuances & quirks in each player.  Stereotypes are crushed. Prejudice tossed aside.  Unlikely pairings form, break apart, reform, etc.  Sometimes, in the end, even the adults are more/less cool/dorky than everyone thought.

Here's a new Breakfast Club Phenomenon book that I really enjoyed.  

The Improbably Theory of Ana & Zac 




Just because there is a formula, that does not mean this book are formulaic!  Not at all.  Where everyone starts, where they end up, & all the hi-jinx in between make for a fabulous read.  The plot, the setting, the epiphanies, & the individual growth - those are the core of a YA novel & a mirror of real life.

Along the way, our hearts are captured by these crazy kids because it's so very familiar.  Growing up (& continuing to grow) is so much about finding out we are more than our talents & background.  We push against & break out of the molds & shockingly, the people around us break free too - even free of the boxes that we put them in.  

de chicks can't handle de smoke.  dat's what it is.

Click on the original gang for other BCP books I like (when I get that list made)


xo
sash

* You know - stuff.  (Do my impressive literary terms intimidate you?  Make me less approachable?)
* What is the plural of nemesis?  Apparently, it's "arch rivals". (My vocabulary is second only to my spelling)

Down for the count

What's the opposite of a countdown?  

A count-up? Or maybe just...a count?

The countdown I talked about here came to an end on Sunday.  Final count: 35,388.  96 years, 10 months, 18 days.

The new count is now at 4.  4 sunrises to watch.  4 first cups of coffee.  4 days without Harold G. Schmidt alive on this planet.

At some point, I'll lose count.  Another day without him will just be, well, another day.  Without him.  I might forget to count, but I'll never forget him.

My daddy wasn't perfect, but he was amazing.  Like a character from the westerns he LOVED to read.

You rode this one to the barn, daddy.  We're gonna be ok.  You rest now.

You've certainly earned it.

Harold Glenn Schmidt
March 21, 1919 - February 7, 2016

xo

sash