what sandra thinks

My favorite fads.
I have a lava lamp [although, in a moment of poor judgement, I chose the one with purple wax]. I have Birkenstocks [but I don’t think they fit anymore]. I like long skirts [even if my daughter makes fun of me when I wear them]. I have a worry stone [I still worry too much]. I think I might even still have a tiny box of worry dolls in my dresser [I still worry too much]. I burn incense because I genuinely love the smell [only now I buy it on Amazon].

Maybe those things were fads when I first discovered them, but they’ve stayed with me. Maybe it’s a sentimental attachment. Those things are tied to a lot of good memories.

Or maybe I’m actually a hippie. Not, like, an original one. I’m too young. But I think I would have loved being a part of that generation.

But I also still wear Doc Martens, so there’s that alt-rock wearing-all-black side to me, too. In fact, if Doc Martens are considered a fad, that’s my number one. Long black skirt, black top, black tights, black Docs.

I belong in some other time period.

p.s. — Mom jeans? What the fuck? I’m a mom and I wouldn’t wear those if you paid me. And no one else should wear them either. Newsflash: You look ridiculous. High waisted jeans/pants for women and men—horrible! Make it stop. Super short denim shorts where you can actually see the girl’s ass cheeks? No. Christ, do they have a high waist, too? 

         
©2021 what sandra thinks

My favorite escape.
As you may expect, my favorite escape is a naughty romance novel, hot coffee, and perhaps a nice warm pastry… maybe a cinnamon roll. Coldplay is playing, and I’m curled up in my favorite cozy (non-ugly) sweater, comfy yoga pants, and fuzzy socks. And no one is home. Just me. Alone. No interruptions, no distractions.

In my fantasy world, my favorite escape is a little different. I’m lounging by the ocean, it’s warm, the sun is shining, and my tall sexy cabana boy is at my beck and call to fulfill all my needs. I might still have the naughty romance novel, but I’d definitely welcome the distraction of that cabana boy. He can interrupt me any time.

p.s. — My least favorite escape would be anything that’s more work than relaxation. Some people escape by cleaning or hiking or gardening. Those aren’t escapes for me. Too much work.

         
©2021 what sandra thinks

My favorite desserts.
Hold that sugary, sweet thought.

A few days ago, I wrote an entire post for d, reread and edited it at least fifteen times, got it just how I wanted it, and then… I trashed it.

In my post for b [my favorite books], I hinted that I might write about my favorite ‘duo‘ for d, by which I really meant ‘writing team‘ [but ‘writing team’ does not start with d]. I decided to do it.

I wrote about how I discovered the two writers and about my favorite books they wrote both solo and together. I wrote about my penchant for naughty romance, as I like to call it. I included more sexy book cover pictures because why not?

But… then the day of the b post came, and I scrapped my whole d post.

After the b post published, I felt… off. I think sharing all of that was maybe too much. I felt… not good. [Wow, I have a way with words.] It was some mixture of feeling shame and feeling judged and feeling generally not good. [Yep… a way with words.]

Maybe I should have kept the books my dirty little secret.

I know the prevalent negative stereotypes about romance readers. I get defensive. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I am taking the stereotypes, with all their negative connotations [unintelligent, don’t know good writing, and most likely an old spinster cat lady wearing an ugly sweater], to heart more than anyone else is.

I guess it’s just been drilled into my head that I’m supposed to feel shame for loving ‘mindless‘ books, not ‘intellectual‘ ones. Fuck that. You know, I read a romance by James Patterson and it sucked in comparison to those I love. Isn’t he a respected author? He wrote a romance. And it sucked.

The books I love are good writing… to me. And they’re not ‘mindless‘ to me either. Some may not like them, but that doesn’t make them bad. My weird-ass husband doesn’t like cheesecake, but that most definitely doesn’t make it bad!

And I’m not an old cat lady, I don’t own any ugly sweaters, and I have an oddly high IQ considering the mess that is my life.

None of what I felt after the b post makes sense. My taste in books isn’t new information. I never hid my love for naughty romance on this blog—hell, I’ve posted my own fiction/naughty romance here. It was well-received. Or maybe everyone was just being polite.

[But I do hide the books I read from my mother because she does not need to pick up one of those books and have a heart attack when she gets to a sex scene.]

I know I shouldn’t care what anyone thinks, yet I do. I feel like I’ve lost people’s respect, and I don’t like it… even if it’s not real.

[Aside: God, I can’t imagine how I’m going to feel after my g post! That is, if I go ahead with it.]

So, hoping my b post is soon forgotten and I can be respected again, I went to plan b for my d post. I think it’s boring and predictable, which is why it was plan b. But I don’t have a plan c, and even if I did, that would have been even worse.

So… let’s start again.

My favorite desserts.
Everyone knows I love cheesecake. But it has to be dense and creamy and sweet. And it has to have a sweet buttery non-dry graham cracker crust [although crusts made of other cookie-type substances can also be wonderful if done properly—see below]. I’ve had some cheesecakes that are not all of those things, and they’re just… subpar. If I’m going to splurge, it’s got to be good.

I’ve found delicious cheesecake at some unexpected places. A local grocery store bakery, for one. I ask my husband to get it for me for many ‘special‘ occasions—my birthday, Mother’s Day, Tuesday.

My mom’s cheesecake is a bit lacking in sweetness and creaminess. And I think the crust needs a little more butter. [But, my god, do not tell her! She loves that cheesecake and so did my dad. I would never bad-mouth her cheesecake to her! Although my bratty little sister did tell my mom that her carrot cake was better than Mom’s. I couldn’t believe my sister said that out loud! I honestly think both carrot cakes are equally good, and I’m not 100% sure I could tell them apart in a taste test. But I’m willing to try. Repeatedly.]

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake [best cheesecake I ever made]
[I do not have a picture of this cheesecake. I never remember to take one and the original source of this recipe doesn’t have one, either. Also, I do not do their cranberry topping because that’s just wrong. This cheesecake is amazing on its own.]

Ingredients
Crust
12 vanilla sandwich cookies (such as Vienna Fingers; 6 1/2 ounces), broken into pieces
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

Filling
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 large eggs

Instructions

For Crust:

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350° F. Wrap outside of 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with foil.
2. Blend cookies, butter and sugar in processor until crumbs stick together. Press crumbs on bottom and halfway up sides of prepared pan.
3. Bake crust 10 minutes. Set aside. Maintain oven temperature.

 For Filling:

1. Using tip of small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla beans into small saucepan; add beans. Add cream. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Set aside uncovered, and cool to room temperature. Discard beans.
2. Blend cheese, sugar and salt in processor until very smooth, stopping often to scrape down sides of work bowl. Add vanilla cream and blend. Add eggs; process 5 seconds. Scrape down sides of work bowl; process just until blended, about 5 seconds. Transfer filling to crust.
3. Bake cake until sides puff slightly and center is just set, about 50 minutes. Place uncovered hot cheesecake directly into refrigerator and chill thoroughly, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Serves 10 [fewer if I’m eating some]

My love of desserts does not end at cheesecake. I love [the aforementioned] carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I also love coffee cake [especially if it has any sort of crumb topping] and pretty much every other kind of cake. And I love cinnamon rolls. And apple pie and blueberry pie.

And donuts… do they count as dessert? Or are they breakfast? In my opinion, they are suitable for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.

p.s. — I do not like cream pie of any kind. Chocolate cream… banana cream… coconut cream [especially gross]… lemon meringue [ew]. And I hate whipped cream.

p.p.s. — I tried [several times] to edit down the portion of this post that has nothing to do with desserts. I finally gave up. It’s not getting any shorter.

p.p.p.s. — Those donuts are available on lots of products in my shop. Just felt that I should take advantage of the situation and mention it.

         
©2021 what sandra thinks

My favorite Coldplay songs.
I was going to do something like my favorite cookie (oatmeal) or my favorite color (black, obviously), but I’m trying not to be boring here.

As you may be aware [if you’re not new here and you’ve been paying attention], Coldplay is my favorite band. [Okay, I have other favorites… we’re only on C today and I’ve not been able to choose one favorite of anything yet.] It’s been a 21-year love affair and it’s not over. [Shut up. They are never breaking up.] Over the last few days, I’ve listened to their entire music catalog. Just for fun, really. I already knew which songs were my favorites.

All song titles are links to YouTube for your watching/listening enjoyment. [I thought posting all of the videos within this post was too much… so I only posted a couple here.] Obviously, I recommend hearing them all. These are listed in no particular order [except the last one… which should really be the first one… but I listed it last].

Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall. [Mylo Xyloto 2011] I used to use this as my ringtone. Whenever I hear it, I grab my phone to answer a non-existent call.
Also from Mylo Xyloto: Don’t Let It Break Your Heart.

Yellow. [Parachutes 2000] Because it’s the first Coldplay song I ever heard. And because it’s a classic. And it’s amazing. My guy Nik from WBCN [a great radio station that no longer exists] introduced me to Coldplay with this song, and it was love at first listen.
Also from Parachutes: Trouble.

Fix You. [X + Y 2005] Everyone loves this song. I’m not usually one to jump on the bandwagon, but in this case, I’m driving the bandwagon. It’s truly one of the greatest songs of all time. An amazing live version.
Also from X + Y: Swallowed in the Sea.

In My Place. [A Rush of Blood to the Head 2002] Inspiration for a 50,000-word story I wrote. I have posted tiny scenes from that story on this blog under different titles. This is a story I actually finished when it needed to end. Not like most of the time when I drag it out because I can’t say goodbye to my characters.
Also from A Rush of Blood to the Head: The Scientist.

Amsterdam. [A Rush of Blood to the Head 2002; live in Amsterdam 2016] I tried to keep it to one main entry per album, but I couldn’t do it. This song needs it’s own entry. And this version, performed live in (where else?) Amsterdam is my favorite.

Something Just Like This. [2017] This is a cheat because it’s ‘Coldplay & The Chainsmokers‘ and officially appears on a Chainsmokers album [though also on a Coldplay EP], but I love it. I was obsessed with it when I first heard it. I had it playing on a loop for days.

Ink. [Ghost Stories 2014] My kids and I used to listen to this on repeat. I seem to do that with a lot of Coldplay songs, but I dragged my kids into it this time. No… they came willingly. When this video was initially released, fans could make choices inside the video—kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure book. I found a link for that HERE. It’s so fun! And I love the animation.
Also from Ghost Stories: A Sky Full of Stars.

But… if I had to pick one [and you really can’t make me]… this is the one:

‘Til Kingdom Come. [X + Y 2005] The first time I heard this I cried. I’m not even sure why it hit me like that. All I know is that I immediately started writing down scenes that would later become parts of my ‘secret book‘ [which you may have heard me mention before if you know me]. And this is another song I’ve played on a loop for days at a time. I mean it. Just the one song. For days. Over and over and over again.
[This song was originally written for Johnny Cash. I’m glad Coldplay recorded it because I don’t like Johnny Cash (that’s right… I said it… I do not like him) and not having a Coldplay version of this song would be, maybe, the saddest thing ever. Off topic—I hate Johnny Cash’s version of Nine Inch Nails’ song Hurt. Hate. It.]

(One, two)
Steal my heart and hold my tongue
I feel my time, my time has come
Let me in, unlock the door
I’ve never felt this way before

And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummer begins to drum
I don’t know which way I’m going
I don’t know which way I’ve come

Hold my head inside your hands
I need someone who understands
I need someone, someone who hears
For you, I’ve waited all these years

For you I’d wait ’til kingdom come
Until my day, my day is done
And say you’ll come and set me free
Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me

In your tears and in your blood
In your fire and in your flood
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing
I wouldn’t change a single thing

And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummers begin to drum
I don’t know which way I’m going
I don’t know what I’ve become

For you I’d wait ’til kingdom come
Until my day, my day is done
And say you’ll come and set me free
Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me

Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me
[Written by Coldplay: Chris Martin, Will Champion, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman]

—

For the record, this was *really* difficult. On my first pass through their entire catalog, I picked 26 songs. Though it was trying, I managed to cut that in half… mentioning only thirteen. I’m sure most of you won’t, but I hope you’ll listen to all thirteen. And if you hate them, don’t tell me.

p.s. — My least favorite Coldplay song is… Clocks. Ugh. It’s one of the most popular and I cannot understand why. It’s just not even on my radar of good Coldplay songs. It’s just… blech. It may actually be the only Coldplay song I don’t even like a little bit.

         
©2021 what sandra thinks

My favorite books.
My favorite books are romantic, sexy stories with a laugh-out-loud sense of humor and a happy ending. I have, unfortunately, met some people who look down on me for enjoying such stories. Hopefully, you’re not one of them. I like to fall in love while laughing with a side of hot sex, and I’m not afraid to admit it.

I’m done being ridiculed for my taste in books. The crap some people believe about romance readers is just that… crap. I like this [albeit old] article.

Some would say these books are a bit formulaic but I think that’s by design. Still, they are so different. I just started reading a book last night that began with the guy getting out of prison, buying a used car from a woman who got drunk the night before and passed out in the back seat of said car [nicknamed Metallicar]. He didn’t know she was there until she woke and popped her head up from the back seat, scaring the hell out of him, half way from San Francisco to Los Angeles [at which point she proceeded to vomit out the window]. I cannot say I’ve read anything quite like it. Will there be romance and sex and laughs and a happy ending? Damn right. But it’s the journey.

Some [maybe many? maybe most? maybe all? I don’t even know] of these books are self-published. I didn’t know this when I stumbled upon them, but when I realized it, I was glad to know I’m supporting authors who did it on their own. I’ve looked into this for my own writing, and it’s a ton of work. [And after reading so much, I realize I am not even close to good enough to put my work out there, but that’s another story. No pun intended.]

‘Authors self-publish because they couldn’t get a book deal with a traditional publisher.‘ That may still be what people think. I know because I admit that’s what I used to think before I knew better. And the truth is, we have no idea if the author ever wanted a traditional publisher in the first place.

And some of these authors are all over the NY Times Bestseller List.

Of the 200+ books on my goodreads ‘read‘ list since around the time of the initial quarantine in March 2020, I’d only not recommend about fifteen, tops.

The ones I’m mentioning here are probably not all true ‘favorites‘, but I can’t go back and refresh my memory of 200 books. [I tried but after about 20, I was, like, no way can I do this.] So some of these books are just the best I’ve read recently. But some are all-time favorites.

By the way, don’t judge a book by its cheesy or ‘cringey‘ title. But go ahead and judge by its cover. These authors clearly have great taste in cover models.

Here goes. Don’t judge me.

[Aside: These books are definitely not for kids. When I say ‘hot’ sex, well, I could probably say ‘graphic’. I, obviously, have no issue with this. But if you do, you might not want to read any of these books. Except for the last one before the p.s.]

[Aside #2: All links go to goodreads.]

Cocky Bastard, Stuck-Up Suit, Playboy Pilot, Mister Moneybags, British Bedmate, and Park Avenue Player by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward.

I loved all six of these. They are connected, sometimes in funny ways like a random YouTube viewing in one book of a character from another. Or by a recurring pet goat [true story]. And look at those covers! Damn.

After reading these six books, I discovered that the authors accept book submissions inspired by the original six. Over 150 books are out there by a bunch of different authors—and more on the way. [I have not read all 150+, but it is a goal of mine. I even made a spreadsheet. You may laugh.] This going-on-forever series is how I found many other authors to read—they all have other books unrelated to this series—so all hell broke loose.

I joined email lists and got free books, giveaways, and tons of recommendations. And I’m easy… if it has romance, humor, and naughty bits, I’m probably going to like it. I currently have 316 books in my ‘want to read‘ list on goodreads. I’ll probably never catch up since I add faster than I can read.

Okay. Now more [potentially embarrassing for me] books [with potentially embarrassing titles].

Man Candy by Melanie Harlow. Yes, cringey title. Moving on… I had to list this book if not for this exchange alone:

Irresistible, right?
She shrank back, wrinkling her nose. “What the hell is that? Your Flynn Ryder smolder?”
“Who’s Flynn Ryder?”
She rolled her eyes. “He’s from Tangled, the Rapunzel movie?”
“Sorry. I missed it. So does he get in her pants?”
“Not before she hits him over the head with a frying pan.”
“Ouch.” I leaned right and left, checking her hands. “Since I don’t see any cookware in your grasp, is it safe to come in?”

Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward. The love interest is a musician, and the authors found someone to record the song he sings near the end of the book. It’s very John-Mayer-ish. 
Hate Notes by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward. Yes, I totally love these two authors. I could recommend others by one or both of them. I love too many of them to list. I might make a whole separate post about these two writers. Hm… my favorite duo? Anyway, I love love love this book.
Junk Mail by Kendall Ryan. Yes, junk means what you think it does.
Dirty Like Me by Jaine Diamond. And the rest of the six-book [plus two-novella] series. These are hot. Rockstar hot. [What else would one expect with a band called ‘Dirty’?]
Mr. Right Now by Lila Monroe. This book is part of a series. I like them all, but because of my thing for musicians, this is the one I’m mentioning.

His Banana by Penelope Bloom. Also, Her Cherry, and the rest of this series [mostly—I could take or leave the last one]. All connected, and ‘William‘ [who appears in all six books] is hilarious.

Something New by Amanda Abram. Every once in a while I want to read a sweet YA book. I’m serious. After every other book I’ve mentioned, maybe that’s a surprise, but I loved this story. It reminds me of something I might have written when I was younger. But mine wouldn’t have been as good.

I need to stop myself now. This post is getting way too long.

p.s. — My least favorite books are the ones I’m ‘supposed to’ like. The ones the ‘book snobs’ say are essential reading. The ones they say must be among your favorites. The ones they refer to as ‘great literature’ [they do not use the word ‘literature’ when referring to the books I read]. Maybe I’m not as sophisticated as they are because I rarely enjoy ‘literature’. Boring. Maybe I’m not reading the right ones, but I have little interest in doing so—the ‘book snobs’ have soured me on ‘literature’ [you have to say it with a snooty rich lady accent with your nose in the air]. I want to read what I like—what I think is good—not what I’m ‘supposed to’ think is good. Oh, and I hate history so no historical novels for me. And, well, nothing without romance. This is why Tangled was amazing and Frozen sucked.

p.p.s. — I have edited this post at least 50 times. I’m still not sure this should be my final version, but I can’t stay stuck on B for much longer… I need to move on!

p.p.p.s. — Damn… I just thought of another book I should have mentioned. No. I can’t do it. I need to stop. 

p.p.p.p.s. — Nope… I have to do it. I started this post a couple of days ago… and yesterday, I finished the book I wrote about above [the one with the prison guy and Metallicar]. I loved it! This Much Is True by Tia Louise.

         
©2021 what sandra thinks

My favorite actors.
I’ve gone ahead and made it actors, plural, because there’s no way I’m choosing one. And yes, they will all be men.

Shall I answer based on acting skill? Appearance? My new best friend? One man who is all of the above?

I’ll try to answer all four of those.

Acting:
Hugh Laurie. Maybe because House MD is, possibly, my favorite show of all time. And he has the same birthday as me. [Not the same year! And this really has nothing to do with his acting.] Also, he’s British.

Appearance:
Chris Hemsworth [obviously] No need for further explanation nor clarification. But I’ll add: Australian. Surfer.
Keanu Reeves [showing my age?] I’ve loved him since he was Ted… the first time. Also, Surfer.
Alex O’Loughlin [again, obviously… if you know me] I can’t, in good conscience, leave him out. Plus Australian. Surfer.
Henry Cavill [just…yes] He’s Superman, for fuck’s sake. Also, British.
This list could be so much longer… but you’ll probably make fun of me. Couple more…
Tom Ellis [sigh] The devil himself. He’s a bit irresistible. Also, British. Okay, Welsh. I’m down with that.
Robert Pattinson [who am I to argue with science?] And no, I’ve never seen a Twilight movie. Nor read the books. But he’s hot. It’s scientifically proven. Also, British.

To be honest, my favorite sexy actors change with my moods… or with whatever I’ve been watching lately. But Chris never drops off the top five. Or at least he hasn’t yet. Hear that actors? Show me what you’ve got! Ha. I’m clearly a very shallow, sex-deprived woman. But I showed great restraint in only showing off the abs of one of these guys.

Even Google knows Chris is the best… he is the literal poster boy for handsome.

Bestie potential:
James Corden. He makes me laugh so hard I cry. More than once, I’ve been cracking the fuck up at, like, 1 am and I’ve woken the kids. Oops. When he laughs, I laugh. He’s infectious. And not in a disease way! And, yes, I count him as an actor… he’s been in some stuff… and on Broadway, too. And hey, British.
Ryan Reynolds. But I’d probably end up falling in love with him even though he’s way too ‘boy-next-door’ cute for me. Although he sure does know how to not shave. Bonus.

All of the above:
Fuck if I know. A while ago, I would have said Johnny Depp. Honestly, he’s the only actor I can think of who would fit here. But I feel wrong saying that now in light of the abuse allegations. It appears that he’s the bad guy. [Sorry, Billie, it’s not you.]

Hmm… not an American among them. [Except Johnny Depp, but I don’t think I’m counting him.] Get me out of this country!
[Ryan Reynolds does have dual citizenship now, but he was born Canadian. Don’t test me… I know my men! And Keanu Reeves is Canadian, born in Beirut, with a Hawaiian name.]

None of these men are clean-shaven either. That’s my thing. Even for my besties.

By the way, these are in no particular order. Well, they are in the order in which I thought of them, but I did not arrange them according to my preference. I don’t think I could. I’m too busy trying to plan a get-together with James and Ryan. I wonder if Alex will be my date? Slurp.

p.s. — And now… my least favorite actors.
Jake Gyllenhaal. He’s hairy and annoying and I don’t like him.
Ryan Gosling. He is wholly unattractive and boring as fuck. Why do women like him?
I’ll stop now even though you and I both know I could go on.

         
©2021 what sandra thinks