Once Upon A Time

No spoilers (or at least...I'll try really, really hard to avoid them).

But I must gush.

I started watching Once Upon A Time because back when it started, I'd wanted to see it and Grimm but never had the chance.  Lo and behold, Netflix obliged by putting the entire first season on Instant View.

However -- Once Upon A Time did not pull me in until about the fifth or sixth episode.  I was dragging myself through the first few, telling myself, "Just one more".  I did think Stu would like it so I pestered him into watching it with me and...

Then we had a three day marathon.

I kid you not.  We watched six episodes the first day, twelve the next day, and four the last day.  O.o  Stu was hooked INSTANTLY.  We raved about it, discussed it, tried to guess episodes/plot twists and have become infatuated.

Going back to watch the first episodes while knowing what was coming helped me get more involved in the first part of the story.  The foreshadowing is subtle and if you're not looking for it, you'll miss it.

The only things that irk me now are the princess and fairy costumes (prom dresses) and the CG work (some of it is good but a lot of it is lacking).  HOWEVER, the acting more than makes up for it.

Especially Robert Carlyle as Rumpelstiltskin.

I know.

Every time.

I always fall for the bad guy-maybe-possibly-good-guy-who-knows-who-cares guy.  He's incredibly creepy, powerful, and mesmerizing, yet somehow the show keeps him sympathetic.  His entire storyline is just...awesome.

R.C. was in Stargate Universe (the best Stargate show, unfortunately canceled after one season) but I didn't realize where I'd seen him before until Stu pointed it out.  Other goodies?  Lee Arenberg (one of the funny pirate duo from Pirates of the Caribbean) and "Toby" from West Wing.  Also Ginnifer Goodwin.

Anyway.

Rumpelstiltskin = the reason I watch the show.  Seriously.  He's incredible.  The more involved you get with the story, the deeper you are pulled into it, the feeling of "This is going to be SO BAD" attacks and won't let you go.  We gasped, cried, laughed, booed and cheered through the season.  Mostly for Rumpelstiltskin.

Although the main character, Emma, is my second favorite because a) she's an unexpected badass, b) she has some awesome one-liners and c) you don't often find a strong, badass girl MC on TV today who feels real.  This might have something to do with the fact that Jane Espenson (Buffy writer!) is a part of this show (the episodes she writes are my FAVORITES).

The show re-invents and combines several fairytales and while Stu and I are usually good at puzzling out what's happening, we were blown away by some of the twists and turns (he would say, "It's going to be this!" and I would say, "I think it'll actually be this!" and Once Upon a Time would have a third option...!).  Luckily Season 2 just started and is available for free on Hulu.

I think the things I like best about the show are that they aren't afraid to raise the stakes (tremendously), they have great male and female characters who kick ass and have amazing dialogue, and they're playing with the stories in a way that no one's done before.  (It does help that ABC is owned by Disney and can homage while re-inventing the material)

It has taught me a lot about story -- specifically, how to set a main character against all odds and still have them triumph just when you thought all hope was lost (Also how to keep anti-heroes and villains sympathetic, how to include foreshadowing and how to turn the expected on its ear).  It has been a great preparation for NaNoWriMo as I plot my urban fantasy.

If you get the chance, check it out.  It rocks.

And now it's time for some fan art.  *starts scribbling*

List of Lovely Things

Lovely Things From This Week:

1. Getting a ride to work from an apartment resident who has Hello, Kitty seat covers
2. Brown sugar pop tarts
3. Letters from pen pals (with illustrations!)
4. Free tickets to the fair
5. Two free lunches AND two free dinners (both dinners courtesy of friends)
6. A late night run to Rush's with seriously silly and wonderful people
7. A new grey sweater with ruffles
8. Picking up knitting again (to knit tiny sweaters)
9. Hearing people laugh while watching a movie together
10. A four hour conversation about movies
11. A great book on writing that I needed while going through revisions on a short story
12. J.K. Rowling's interview on Pottermore and the answer to the Hufflepuff question
13. Being in a room full of writers, both young and old, none afraid of sharing their stories, no matter how "ridiculous"
14. Hugs, cuddles, and kisses from Stu

My week has been full of exhaustion (still can't sleep), frustration (a 3-day work situation I had to mediate) and several personal realizations (mostly unpleasant).  In the midst of all that, however, several wonderful little things came my way to remind me that life isn't all darkness.  There's bits of light strewn all around and keeping track of them helps me.

Recipe

Last night Stu wanted spaghetti (which is absolutely boring me to death right now but it's so cheap!) so instead of intruding on his sauce (I don't like meaty sauce much) I decided to concoct my own dinner.

I came up with a delicious, warm, spicy mix that's perfect for a cool Fall evening.

I present to you:

Kate's Spicy Delicious Fall "Stew" (I don't really know what to call it yet) -- serves 1

1 cup penne pasta (or whatever you fancy -- bowties, macaroni, etc.)
1/2 can Great Northern Beans (or any kind of white bean like navy, etc.)
1/3 can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
1/3 c. tomato sauce (or alfredo sauce...I was tempted to use the alfredo)
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (you could also just use spices in place of the cheese, like garlic powder, onion salt, etc.  Or you could even use feta cheese)

Cook pasta, drain, and add to (microwavable) bowl.

Mix in beans and tomatoes/chilies.

Pour tomato sauce over and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Pop in microwave for one minute.


This was so tasty -- all it needed was some crusty European bread.  I had the one bowl and quickly made another batch for lunch today.

Mmmm!!!

Snatches

The night before last I dreamed the window blinds were up and as I kept trying to talk to my husband, I caught a glimpse of someone in the window glass -- a ghost.  Her features were hidden in shadow but she had long mousey brown hair, straight, and a colored vest.

Last night I dreamed I was Leslie Knope and my friend Ann worked at a barber shop (in a trailer that was falling apart) and I gave the company her resignation (because I thought she'd be happy to be rid of the job) and I went to her office while she talked to them (she wasn't happy with me).  It was a 'boys' club' but she needed the job, apparently.  Ooops.

I had another escape dream last night as well but can't remember the details.  It seems like there was a jury, handcuffs and some running.

Also, I just realized why my D&D character has her particular backstory.  I'm a little shocked and horrified but curious to see how it will play out.  Maybe by exorcising these demons I'll finally be able to move on.

Lifesavers

As with any time of crisis, my first reaction is to read.  To dive into someone else's life for a while, to learn something that will help me in my own story, to let me escape into a place where I don't have to make all the decisions or try to see what's coming for me just down the road.

Three books have carried me through the weekend.

The first was The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (the first of the Looking Glass Wars trilogy, a re-imagining of Alice's tale).  Alyss escapes from Wonderland when her evil Aunt Redd takes back the throne.  She grows up in Victorian England, unsure if her imagination is playing tricks on her or if she is really a princess of Wonderland.  Years later, a man arrives who opens the doors back to her own world.  But this time, she feels as if she isn't part of either world.  Who is she?

Alyss thinks she's crazy, a feeling I have felt too many times.  Once confronted with the truth, however, she has to face her fears and battle it out (literally) with her Aunt.

Alyss's strength and sheer determination encourage me.  Her grasp of what's true helps me.  Her whole journey from pampered palace princess to possibly crazy teen to triumphant monarch remind me that my own journey, with its twists and turns, isn't over yet.  There's more story to come.  

The second was Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.  Just reading her author bio gave me hope.  It is her first novel.  She's a makeup artist in Hollywood.  She's in a band (with a cool name).  Someone like me is doing what they love.  The story itself is a brilliant work -- the movie rights have already been bought (she's writing a trilogy).

The setting is so perfect -- you're in the world as you read (and even after).  The characters are real, suffering from cold, hunger, and the cruelty of each other.  Reading about the two characters and their love for one another made me so grateful for my husband.  I pretty much ran to him after finishing it and wanted to hold him forever.  It reminded me just how incredibly blessed I am to have him.  Really, this book was absolutely amazing.  Dark, fantasy, but like a story that fairytales came from.  I wish I could play Alina in the movie version -- I identify with her and the feeling that parts of me are hidden even from myself.

The third book was Sharon Creech's new one, The Great Unexpected.  I just finished it this morning and am still basking in the glow of it.  Light cascades from it.  I felt like the world opened up to me after reading it, as if I'd been confined to a narrow slice for too long.  Now there's a wide, wild prairie ahead of me and all I have to do is run through it.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but her books have a crazy, deep, emotional effect on me.  They are so very, very precious and beautiful.

Thank heaven there is great literature.  

Maybe someday I'll be able to give back as a thank you to all the authors who, over the years, have shared their stories and have made my life better.