5 on Friday - Set 2

Another Friday already! Here's my second set, a collection of songs inspired by the Olympic athletes hard at it out in British Columbia.

To see what Travis is featuring, visit him at Trav's Thoughts. It's fun to play along - just leave him a comment so he'll find your playlist.

1 - Bryan Adams - I'm Ready

CLICK HERE to listen to I'm Ready

It's easy, and I'll make it clear
There's only one thing on my mind
I'm ready
I'm ready as I'm going to be - Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance















2 - Shania Twain - Up

When everything is going wrong
Don't worry, it won't last for long
Yeah, it's all gonna come around
No, don't let it get you down
You gotta keep on holdin' on - Shania Twain, Mutt Lange




3 - Trooper - Raise a Little Hell

When it feels like your ship is sinking
And you're too tired to play the game
Nobody's going to help you
You just got to stand up alone
And dig in your heels and see how it feels
To raise a little hell of your own - Ra McGuire, Brian Smith




4 - Neil Young - Heart of Gold

I crossed the ocean for a heart of gold
I've been in my mind, it's such a fine line
That keeps me searching for a heart of gold - Neil Young




5 - k.d. lang - Hallelujah

I've been here before
I know this room and I've walked this floor
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen




Jamie says KD Lang is wonderful. After she sang at the Olympics, I went and downloaded "Songs From the 49th Parallel" Just to hear it over and over.

Travis says KD is made of awesome.

Shelley Munro says I really like Bryan Adams and Shania Twain. Both of them play on my iPod.

Thursday Thirteen - 146 - 13 Insider Views at the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies

My good friend at work - Debbie - has a daughter living in Victoria who attended the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics last Friday.





That's Debbie standing beside me, with our team member Janet, at the reception desk when Janet's beautiful Christmas cactus bloomed last year.














I asked Debbie's daughter Brenda if I could share her marvelous photos with all of you. Let's go to the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver!


- 1

Brenda and her husband have our tickets.

Thanks for bringing us along!











- 2

The interior of BC Place, frosty white and cool blue.


- 3

We need to wrap ourselves in white so that the broadcast can project images over the crowd. And we've got our drums and flashlights ready for the interactive evening.



- 4

The art work of Canada's First Nations ushers in the ceremony.



- 5

The four host First Nations - the Squamish, Musqueam, Lil'wat and the Tsleil-Waututh, whose traditional territory is home to all the Games venues - welcome the world to the games.



- 6

Northwest, Pacific, Northern Woodlands, Great Lakes and Atlantic First Nations were joined by Inuit and Métis, and their performers danced for over an hour as the athletes paraded into BC Place. Astounding.



- 7

The mourning Georgian team parade stoicly, wearing black armbands. Instead of becoming still, the First Nations dancers become more energetic, gesturing towards the Georgians with great intensity.



- 8

The Canadian team enters!



- 9

The camera crew, also in white.



- 10

Spirit Bear rises up, a rare sighting which speaks of harmony and peace. Everyone in the audience becomes stars twinkling.



- 11

The glorious moon and my favorite season - Fall - bring images of The Land of the Maple Leaf along with crazy fiddlers and step dancers.



- 12

k d lang performs a goosebump-inducing version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.


- 13

Speed-skating gold medallist Catriona Le May Doan stands resolutely without being able to join the others as they light the cauldron. Her crystal arm malfunctions and refuses to rise from the floor. However, NBA star Steve Nash, skier Nancy Greene Raine and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky touch their torch flames to the crystal arms that do assemble, and the flames race up to light the cauldron for the 21st Olympic Winter Games.

All Olympic photos by Brenda Fancey.

Debby says Awesome pics. Loved the opening ceremony. So proud of our country.

Paige Tyler says Very cool! Great pics, too! We didn't watch the opening ceremonies, but we are watching the games!

Susan Helene Gottfried says I've got it on my TiVo... need to finish watching. I got a bit sidetracked by my snowboarders.

Wordless Wednesday - 138

Ms Snarky Pants says Awwww look at your cute hockey playing Daddy! :-D

Nikita Banerjee says Nice pics!

Akelamalu says Great pictures of your Daddy Julia. :)

Through the Opera Glasses - 47 - Numerology Giveaway For the One World One Heart Blogosphere Event

I never could have imagined that joining this incredible blog event would have resulted in a record-breaking 145 comments here at A Piece of My Mind.


All I can say is...wow.

I haven't the slightest clue as to how many blogs I visited myself. Probably in the 200 range. I joined the event in the final week, and discovered blogs which posted on the official start date of Jan. 25th with over 500 comments for the One World One Heart event.

I have to say this was one of the most exciting blog events I've ever taken part in. Because the originator of this around-the-world-through-blogs tour is an artist, most of the bloggers I met were also artists, or jewelry makers, or crafters, knitters and crocheters. Some, like me, were writers and poets, and there was even one film blog!

My magic carpet took me to all corners of Canada and the US, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Israel, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. That means there were 17 countries I didn't get a chance to visit, if you can believe that.

In a fabulous gesture of encouragement, the blogger who started it all - Lisa Swifka - has arranged every participating blog in alphabetical order, indicating the country of origin. We can all continue to travel around the globe, which I definitely plan to do. To meet new bloggers, CLICK HERE for your passport.

And now...the moment you've all been waiting for...

If you're the owner of this blog header, you're the lucky winner of a Numerology!





Valrie, come on down!

Valrie says WOW! I was so surprised I won. Thank you and I'll be in touch soon!

Nikita Banerjee says WOW!

Akelamalu says Congratulations Valrie!

Poetry Train Monday - 139 - My Funny Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm off for a romantic dinner with my sweetie. So for today's Poetry Train, I'd like to share with you my favorite Valentine's song, My Funny Valentine by Rodgers and Hart. It's sung here by the marvellous Gordon MacRae.

For more poetry, Ride the Poetry Train!





My Funny Valentine


My funny Valentine
Sweet comic Valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable, unphotographable
Yet you're my favorite work of art

Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak, are you smart?

But don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little Valentine, stay
Each day is Valentine's Day

Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak, are you smart?

But don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little Valentine, stay
Each day is Valentine's Day

- Lorenz Hart, 1937














Travis says That is one of my all time favorite songs.

Thomma Lyn says Ha! That song has been running through my head all day, and here it is, on your blog. :)

Janet says Love that song - great choice for the day.

5 on Friday - Set 1

My blog friend Travis began a new feature at his blog, Trav's Thoughts. He's already on his third set, but this is my premiere for 5 on Friday.

I'm not good with techie stuff, so rather than figure out the cool player he's got on his blog, I'm going to stick to You Tube clips.

Travis invites anyone to play - just let him know over at his blog, so he can come and visit.

5 on Friday showcases five songs or pieces of music which express a theme of your choosing. With Valentine's Day about to unfold, how could I turn to anything else but the music that beats along with every pulse inside my veins?

Here are five of my favorite pas de deux, or dance duet, which embody the reverence, symmetry, passions, awestruck recognition and depth of emotion so raw it hurts which love brings to those lucky enough to be so blessed.

1 - Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia

Spartacus - music by Aram Khachaturian - danced by Ludmila Semenyaka and Irek Mukhamentov





2 - Bedroom pas de deux, Manon and des Grieux

Manon - music by Jules Massenet - danced by Sylvie Guillem and Zoltan Solymosi

Zoltan is so dreamy!



3 - Pas de deux, Carmen and Don José

Carmen - music by Georges Bizet - danced by Alessandra Ferri and Laurent Hilaire

The music at the 2:37 mark is a huge favorite of mine.



4 - Balcony pas de deux, Juliet and Romeo

Romeo and Juliet - music by Sergei Prokofiev - danced by Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun

I listened to this music compulsively while writing my first draft of my NaNo vampire story. The kiss and Juliet's reaction at the 7:50 mark is one of my favorite ballet moments.



5 - Pas d'action, Odette and Sigfried

Swan Lake - music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - danced by Alla Mikhalchenko and Yuri Vasyuchenko



Akelamalu says Well done with the meme Julia!

Janet says Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Travis says I absolutely love your choices!! Cheers!

Thursday Thirteen - 145 - 13 Reasons to Read Captive of Sin by Anna Campbell

I met Anna Campbell online through Christine Wells, when Christine used to be a co-contributor to my group blog, Popculturedivas.

Anna and Christine contribute to their group blog, Romance Bandits.

I quickly noticed that whenever Anna posted, the comments section immediately turned into a party and the comment numbers shot up into the 100-200 mark. No exaggeration.

This didn't happen only at the Romance Bandits - no. Whenever Anna posted at her other group blogs or did a guest post, the comment numbers shot up there, too. It's not like I was stalking her or anything. But I did follow her around slavishly to all her blog posts in the hopes of winning a copy of Captive of Sin - which I finally did! Woo hoo! Yeah, baby.

Check out a few of her bloggy gems:

The Sex is Never Just About the Sex guesting @ Vauxhall Vixens
Dust Never Sleeps @ the Romance Bandits
Christmas Reading Bonanza @ Tote Bags 'n' Blogs

1 - Captive of Sin is an Avon Historical Romance imprint from HarperCollins. It released last November in North America and more recently in Australia, Anna's home and native land.

2 - Captive of Sin is Anna's fourth book. She has also published:

Claiming the Courtesan
Untouched
Tempt the Devil

Upcoming in June:

My Reckless Surrender

3 - Anna takes us into the world of Regency Noir. A phrase coined by Stephanie Laurens in a quote for Claiming the Courtesan, Regency Noir has since become a subgenre that gives the normally light Regency period a Gothic undertone, for those of us who love our heroes to be tortured.

Literally.

4 - We meet Lady Charis Weston, who gives a false name to the man who discovers her cowering in the inn stables after she escapes a brutal beating at the hands of her fortune-hunting step-brothers. Being a wealthy heiress has its advantages. But Charis has yet to experience any of them, and now doubts she will live the few weeks till she reaches her majority, when her funds will finally be at her disposal.

5 - Sir Gideon Trevithick returns from India a national hero, having survived capture as a spy and imprisonment under intolerable conditions. Named 'the bravest fellow in the empire' by Wellington and knighted by the king, all Gideon wants to do is return to his family's seat in Cornwall - and forget.

But the battered young woman he coaxes from her hiding place in the stables brings his own torment rushing to the surface.

6 - Those who know me, know I love a tortured hero. It has been ever so. As a child I was wildly attracted to the animated sight of Sleeping Beauty's Prince Philip chained up by Maleficent.



He doesn't flinch from fighting off the dragon version of the evil fairy, even when her enormous size and strength dwarfs him as he takes refuge under his shield. But Prince Philip never loses his grip on his courage or his sword, and I know he's the archetype of all of my favorite romance heroes.

Including Gideon, who was awarded the 2009 KISS Award (Knight in Shining Silver) from Romantic Times

7 - Publisher's Weekly named Captive of Sin one of their top 100 books of 2009: "Gideon tries to fight their growing attraction, believing the beautiful and warm Charis deserves better than a man so damaged by trauma and survivor's guilt, but Charis's clever plan to heal his wounded soul reveals delightful insight and leads to luscious love scenes."

8 - Remember the noir in Regency Noir. I like my characters to truly suffer on their way to a happy ending. I love to feel my heart crush in my chest in sympathy with the hero and heroine. I love brushing tears away when my heart springs back to life, just when I thought there was no possible way it could ever work out for them.

As I read about Anna's book, and as I pursued my copy with the hope-hope-hope that it would come to me, I felt the wild dream burn in my heart that a truly gutsy story with the perfect hero was waiting for me between those pages.

Once I got to the reveal about Gideon's past, I was truly impressed by the nightmare of his imprisonment. Many stories promise tortured heroes, but few actually deliver. For a woman like me who can't resist Joe Harmon from A Town Like Alice, Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo or Anton Gorodetsky from Night Watch and Day Watch, Gideon lives up to every expectation and then takes me even deeper into Noirsville.

9 - Something that really shines about this book is the youth of the heroine. In fact, I'm certain this love story is only possible because the heroine is young enough to truly believe in the healing power of her love for Gideon. A more seasoned woman would be put off by the warnings of Gideon's post traumatic stress disorder. Despite that youth, Charis, having been put through the mill herself by her own relations, has that essential common ground to answer Gideon's litany of reasons as to why she should forget him.

10 - Anna really knows how to end each chapter with a hook. Like this, for example:

"Wheels clattered on cobblestones. A moving carriage forced people out of the way.

'Come on. Run. And keep your head down.'

She scuttled at his side, floundering to keep up with a man who made no allowance for her shorter legs or her injuries.

Akash flung open the carriage door and tossed her inside. She landed against the seat with a jolt that sent pain slicing through her. Ignoring her discomfort, she slid across the seat to press her face to the carriage window.

Through the joyful hordes, Akash pushed his way toward his friend. Gideon retained that frozen, remote expression, but he didn't break away from his devotees.

She couldn't hear what Akash said to Gideon over the hubbub. She saw Gideon turn and head with jerkily precise movements toward the carriage. With visible reluctance, the crowd parted before him. Voracious hands stretched out to pluck at his clothing, delay his departure, compel his attention. Doggedly he continued his automaton-like progress.

He climbed in and sat opposite. He didn't speak. He didn't look at her. He didn't appear to know she was there at all.

Akash slammed the door on them. There was a burst of patriotic cheering outside. Someone started to sing God Save the King.

The celebrity straightened and shot Akash an angry glare. 'For Christ's sake, let us go.'

'God keep you, my friend. I'll see you soon.' He stepped back and sent Charis an elegant bow. 'Miss Watson. Your servant.'

Before Charis could respond, Tulliver whipped the horses to a pace dangerous in town streets. She clutched at the strap and stared bewildered at her companion.

He looked ill. As though he suffered intolerable pain. With a shock, she realized the set expression was endurance, not distain.

Automatically, she stretched out to take his gloved hand. 'Sir Gideon...'

'Curse you, don't touch me!'

He wrenched out of reach. But not before she felt his desperate, uncontrollable shaking."

11 - The interwoven elements of impending doom turn the stakes up as high as they can go. Charis is pursued by her dangerous step-brothers as she fights to free Gideon from his personal demons. The genteel distresses of Regency stories turning on misheard phrases or undeserved reputations, and whether or not the heroine will be invited to the soiree, are laid aside in favor of cruel gender politics, psychological character study and personal redemption.

12 - Yet Gideon, for all of his haunted agony, is not called the Hero of Rangapindhi for nothing. His compassion for Charis and his assured offer of sanctuary when they come under physical attack sets Gideon squarely in the pantheon of great romantic heroes. Gideon has made many readers' Top Hero lists, and easily makes a place for himself on mine - right next to Jo Beverley's Rothgar.

13 - I leave you with an excerpt. Enjoy!

"Half an hour ago she'd left him in the parlor. He'd been drinking brandy, and the bleakness in his eyes had made her want to weep. The desolation had always been there, but now she knew his past, it cut her to the bone.

She looked up from her troubled thoughts to see Gideon standing in the doorway. She hadn't heard him arrive. He always moved like a cat, so that was hardly surprising. His hair was ruffled, and one gloved hand negligently encircled a glass. He'd removed his neckcloth, and his shirt was open, giving her shadowy glimpses of his hard chest.

He didn't advance into the room.

She licked lips dry with nerves. His gaze fastened feverishly on the movement. His gloved hand tautened on his brandy. The warm air swirled with sudden sensual turbulence.

He cleared his throat and shifted his gaze above her head. 'I'm sleeping in the parlor. I think...I think it's best.'

With unsteady hands, she grabbed a shawl and slid out of bed. Ignoring the resistance in his face, she stepped close enough to read ravaging torment in his dark eyes. 'Don't be ridiculous, Gideon. It's cold and uncomfortable.'

He looked at her. 'After Rangapindhi, it's the height of luxury.'

'Oh, my dear, Rangapindhi is over,' she said in a low voice. It seemed a sign of progress that he mentioned his captivity without prompting. She extended one hand toward him, then let it drop to her side. 'You're free.'

His smile held no amusement. 'I'll never be free.'

This acceptance of his fate angered her. 'If you don't fight, you won't.'

His tall, lean body vibrating resentment, he stalked across to the fireplace. He tossed back his brandy and set the glass down sharply on the mantel. He focused a furious glare on her. 'Don't talk about what you don't understand.'

Her mind filled with a sudden memory of the stark desire in his face as he'd looked at her last night. Had she nerve to use that weapon to break him?

'I understand you've decided to wallow in self-pity for the remainder of your days,' she said, knowing she wasn't fair. But this wasn't about fairness.

'You have no right to say that.' A muscle jerked erratically in his cheek. He was close to losing patience. He turned away and closed his eyes as if he couldn't bear to look at her. 'I won't forgive you if you make this more a nightmare than it already is.' He flung his head up and glared at her like he hated her. His furious black eyes threatened to incinerate her where she stood. 'Damn it, Charis, I hurt you.'

'It doesn't have to be like that,' she said in a ghost of her usual voice.

'For us, it does.' He sounded heartbreakingly sure.

'I'm not giving up, Gideon.'

His mouth thinned with anger, but when he spoke, his voice was frigid. 'You will. This is a war you can't win.'

She spread her hands in helpless bewilderment. He had so much strength. Why didn't he enlist it in his own cause? 'Don't you want a real life?'

His short laugh was so harsh, it flayed like flying shards of glass. 'Of course I do.'

She fought the impulse to retreat. She'd known when she chose this path that her greatest enemy would be Gideon himself. 'Your memories aren't always in control,' she said hoarsely. 'I saw you in Portsmouth. You knocked down any man within reach. You weren't afraid to touch people then.'

'Yes, I find relief in violence.' His voice roughened into sarcasm. 'Are you suggesting I beat you?' "

- Anna Campbell, 2009

Hootin' Anni says Those photos on your sidebar of all the great lovers of our times is a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day fast approaching!!!

Travis says This is not my genre, but I'll check with my Lady and see if she might be interested. Thanks for the tip!