Go New Zealand, go!
While I am not a sports-fan—and heavy on the not—it’s hard not to love the Olympics.
Aside from all the national pride, competitive spirit and yadda, yadda, yadda, there are some seriously hot men in tight, lycra clothing parading around doing manly, sporty things like throwing stuff, hitting stuff, and swimming through stuff. And did I mention the super-clingy lycra garments? And not only do we get to see some of our own fine looking men compete, but the Olympics allow us to ogle fine looking men from over 200 countries. 200 different nationalities of healthy, hot male bodies to peruse! It’s like Christmas on your TV screens, but with lycra and six packs and rippling biceps and—okay. Now I need one of those electrode restoring energy drinks.
So why are Olympic athletes so appealing? Aside from the obvious attraction (see previous rant about hot bodies), for me it’s their single-minded determination to be the best. These guys are totally focused on the Gold. They train and sweat and train and suffer for their shot of even making the Olympic team. They are 100% dedicated to their chosen sport. I admire that kind of passion. And it’s as sexy as hell.
While I’ve never read a romance book with a hero who’s training for the Olympics, I imagine it’d be a hard sell, because let’s face it—these athletes are deadly serious about Going for Gold, and I want the heroine to be smack in the middle of the hero’s focus. I want the two of them hot and bothered with each other, not him hot and bothered as he sprints around the track for the umpteenth time at 5am in the morning, or sets off on another rowing session leaving him not enough energy to even utter the word ‘sex’ let alone participate in a wild frolic on the kitchen counter.
So I’ll have to be content with my imagination and the footage of all those manly men in lycra strutting across my big screen TV. Oh. And one last request to the Olympic organizers…Please go back to the ancient tradition of having male Olympic athletes compete au-natural. You’ll find a lot more non-sports-fans like me tuning in...
Tracey
What I’m reading this week: The Sweetest Thing – Jill Shalvis. The hero of which has a few gold medals from his sailing days. Hot stuff!
What I’m watching this week: The 2012 Olympics! Go Kiwis!
This week’s favorite quote: "You miss 100 percent of all the shots you never take." --Wayne Gretzky, former Olympic hockey player.
Hot guy of the week: Darryl Fitzgerald, part of New Zealand’s Olympic Canoe/Kayak team and wow. Doesn’t he look goooood in black?
Welcome to my Friday I-Wish-I-Were-There Blog.
Lucky husband and teenage son are headed off for a snowboarding weekend at one of New Zealand’s North Island mountains, Mt Ruapehu, on the Central Plateau, so this afternoon I’m tagging along vicariously…
Highlights:
Gorgeous mountains. Mt Ruapehu is the biggest, but its sister mountains, Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe are equally impressive. Mt Ngauruhoe was as a stand in for Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movie.
Snow. Love the snow! So pretty. Not so keen on it when it’s shoved down my back.
Skiing/Snowboarding. Like watching other people do it, but I have no desire to repeat my one klutzy experience at skiing seventeen years ago. My bones are a lot more fragile now and I no longer have to impress my then boyfriend, now husband, with my athletic prowess…
Waiouru. One of New Zealand’s little army towns, with a very cool army museum. Not to mention the opportunity to see some hot military men cruising past…
End of season solitude. My favorite experience at Mt Ruapehu’s Whakapapa ski-field was in 2008 on the last day of the ski season. We pretty much had the whole toboggan run to ourselves (great fun) and because there was hardly anyone else around we were allowed to park our 5th wheel trailer in the top parking lot over night – usually a big no-no. It was incredible sitting in our fold out chairs, drinking really good coffee and having a million dollar view of the sun setting on the mountain.
There’s something about mountains, don’t you think? I love ‘em!
Tracey.
In one week my husband became the proud owner of two new toys—a 2003 Buell Firebolt 1000cc motorbike, and a 1974 Sunbeam Rapier Fastback. The bike was all his idea and he’s been doing his best to convince me of what a bargain it is, how it’s a great investment, and how hot he’ll look in black leather. Okay, I’ll give him the last one. Then there’s the car.
He spotted the classified for it on Trade Me (New Zealand’s version of eBay) while we were on our disastrous pick up run to collect the bike. This particular Sunbeam Rapier is the same car he sold twenty years ago, and he has regretted this decision for a long time. Apparently it’s a guy thing to hold onto a car—or in some bloke’s cases, many cars—until they disintegrate to a pile of rusty metal. So dear husband can’t blame me for selling it way back then in the 90’s, since I’d yet to come into the picture, but he can now thank me (or as he tells everyone, ‘blame my wife’) for telling him while he was going all gooey over it and panicking trying to get the sellers phone number, “Just hit the ‘Buy Now’ button for Pete’s sake.” After taking a brief looking at his new purchase, I was heard to quietly mutter a line of dialogue from ‘The Lion King’s’ Timon: “Talk about your fixer-upper.”
At least hubby now has some projects to keep him out of my hair. And I have a really good excuse to buy a lot more books. After all, if I calculate the cost of one bike, one car, and all the extra $$ it’ll take so that they’re play-worthy… Well. That’s a lot of books. I’m just saying…
Tracey
What I’m reading this week: “Serendipity” by Carly Phillips.
What I’m watching this week: Amazing Grace. An incredible story of how one man changed the slave trade in England.
This week’s favorite quote: “She told me to buy it.” – This from my dear husband who never listens to me at any other time...
Hot guy of the week: Charles Kelly from Lady Antebellum. Oh yeah. He can ‘Own the Night’ with me any night of the week…
Welcome to my Friday I-Wish-I-Were-There Blog.
Today I’m going to Sydney, Australia—a vibrant and exciting city with some world famous landmarks. My husband surprised me with a weekend getaway for our 16th Wedding Anniversary.
Highlights:
Hop on Hop off double decker bus tour. We saw most of the main sights of Sydney (after we’d finally managed to get on the correct bus!) including the Opera House, Sydney Harbour and the Harbour bridge. The weather was atrocious (hence the ‘Oompa-Loompa’ rain ponchos) but we had fun.
The Opera House. This is a stunning peace of architecture and it was fascinating being able to walk around the grounds and see it close up.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge. If the weather had’ve been nicer you would’ve found me being adventurous and climbing to the top of the span…maybe. Another icon to see close up that was cool to tick off my bucket list.
The Shows. We got tickets to see the musical ‘Fame’. It was an amazing show and I loved every second of it. Of course we had to get up and boogie with the rest of the audience once the theme song was played at the end!
Shopping. From Paddy’s market to Pitt Street mall, there’s something for everyone. Walked halfway around Sydney trying to find a certain type of ‘in’ stationary (Smiggle) for my daughter, only to find there was an outlet about a 2 minute walk from our hotel room…
Next time we visit this bustling and colourful city, I’m hoping we see a little more sunshine!
Tracey
Last night I watched one of my favorite movies, ‘Ever After’, starring Drew Barrymore. It started me thinking about why some of the movies I love the most, and enjoying watching over and over, are based on some of my childhood favorites—fairy tales. Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel, were stories I read constantly. I’d daydream about the handsome prince, and before I moved onto chapter books (and sometimes even afterwards), I’d sigh over the gorgeous color illustrations of the character’s gowns.
But it was the heart of the story, I think, that kept me returning for more. The fight of the ordinary girl, the underdog, who captured the heart of the prince. Of course she was beautiful, but somehow she was more. She was different and she was special, and the prince couldn’t help but instantly fall in love. Not much like the reality of dating, and dealing with the stream of Mr. Wrongs. And this is where the modern take on the old fairy tales hooks me.
In ‘Enchanted’, Patrick Dempsey’s character, the cynical Robert, has to explain to the dreamy Giselle about the practicalities of ‘dating’. The movie shows us how the two fall in love – nothing instantaneous here, in fact Robert thinks Giselle is nuts to begin with. There is no perfect fairytale world for Giselle in New York city – and the twist on the helpful little forest creatures is a hoot!
In ‘Ever After’ Danielle is a girl ahead of her time, she knows her mind and has the guts to scold the Prince of France—not to mention a lethal aim with apples. And yet she wonders how the gulf between them can ever be breached—“A bird may love a fish, signore, but where will they live?” Of course there is a happy ending where the Prince declares his love: I kneel before you not as a prince, but as a man in love... But I would feel like a king if you, Danielle De Barbarac, would be my wife.” Awww. Swoon.
“
Tangled” has another heroine who is both sympathetic, innocent and strong at the same time. Flynn Rider, the roguish, endearing hero, is the underdog who ends up winning the heart of the princess. There is witty banter, slapstick humor and let’s not forget Flynn’s ‘smolder’. Flynn had to suffer a few hard knocks before he discovered true love in this movie.
Wishing you your very own ‘Happy Ever After’!
Tracey
What I’m reading this week: “Lip Service” by Susan Mallery. With a hot but injured SEAL and a feisty red-haired heroine, is it any wonder this book starts off with a bang! (And in more ways than one).
What I’m watching this week: Ever After.
This week’s favorite quote: “When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” ― Albert Einstein
Hot guy of the week: “Come here, baby. I’ll tell you a bedtime story…”
Welcome to my Friday I-Wish-I-Were-There Blog.
Today I’m taking a slow, easy ride down into the Deep South to Juliette, Gerogia, the filming location of one of my favourite movies (and favourite books), “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.”
Highlights:
Being Starstruck. If you’ve seen the movie then you’ll know what I mean when I say it is a special moment to pull up outside the Whistle Stop café. It looks almost exactly the way I remember it from the big screen. We arrived there late on a Saturday afternoon, so unfortunately most of the little shops lining the main street of Juliette were closed.
Bear. I have no idea if that is his real name, but Bear, who worked at one of the ancient antique come souvenir shop was a real character and I enjoyed my brief conversation with him.
Atmosphere. There certainly is one when you have a meal inside the café. We loved the funky jars used as glasses for the kid’s sodas. And it was nice to just kick back and relax with our meal – and the fact that the café only had one other table of customers.
Fried Green Tomatoes. Yeah, I know it’s a cliché, but c’mon, you can’t eat at the Whistle Stop without trying a plateful! And they were yummy!
The accents. Oh I love the Southern accent – thank goodness the lovely waitress was female and not a sexy Southerner with tight jeans and a ‘good ol’ boy’ smile, or I might’ve melted to a puddle at his feet.
The BBQ pit. Had to see it. Had to buy the t-shirt: “The secret’s in the sauce…” Just had to.
The Porch. A rocking chair, a warm Southern evening with the sound of a train in the distance. Bliss.
All I can say is: I wanna go back for another helping of Fried Green Tomatoes!
Tracey
Can't believe it's Wednesday again already!
Today I’m still stuck smack-bang in the middle of the July school holidays and I’ve been conned into spending the day shopping with my eleven year old—why conned I hear you ask? The only shopping I actually enjoy involves buying books, and as much as my daughter loves those, that is not what you do on a girl’s day out shopping. Evidently. So, instead of a blog I’m going to be lazy and shop online for some eye candy. You’ll note all the eye candy has a watery theme—I think that’s because my latest work-in-progress is set on an island.
I hope you'll like…
Tracey
What I’m reading this week: Celebrity in Death – J.D Robb. Eve and Roarke rock my world, and I never tire of slipping into theirs.
What I’m watching this week: Bones. David Boreanaz. Yum. Enough said.
This week’s favorite quote: To read or not to read, that is a silly question. – Harlequin.com
Hot guy of the week: Apologies to the model, I don’t know his name. But this stunning guy is the inspiration for my current hero, Ryan ‘West’ Westlake. Is it any wonder I struggle to get any writing done while staring at him?
