Who are your Operatives? My Jason Bourne Theory...

As a Co-Host of the Blogging from A-to-Z Challenge, I get to select my own minions; men and women who assist me in checking blogs on the signup list, to make sure participants are following the guidelines for our April blog hop. The “minion” term that we generally use when referring to all helpers was obviously inspired by the hilarious animated film Despicable Me.

Each Co-Host also uses a particular name or title when identifying his or her team of assistants/helpers within the overall pool. I like the idea of having a taskforce of people who are on the lookout for any funny business during the challenge -- similar to a law enforcement agency. So the action thriller movie titled The Bourne Identity and its many sequels were the basis for what has become my “Mighty Minion Bureau (MMB).”

 Those who join the MBB are considered assets who carry out a single, yet huge, mission which is to keep our April challenge vibrant and running smoothly for the enjoyment of its 1,700+ participating blogs. The MMB team roster has changed every year with the exception of one mainstay – author Sydney Aaliyah Michelle. This year she is joined by Vidya Sury and Melanie Shulz, which complete the set of operatives who are helping me meet various A-to-Z goals within the 60-day period between March and April when the challenge kicks into high gear.

The computer I use to perform most of my blogging duties such as typing in word documents is slower than the phone I use to watch YouTube videos. Yeah, read that last sentence again if you haven’t fully grasped the fact that something is DEFINITELY wrong with this picture. Yet just like all of my fellow Co-Hosts, I’m expected to keep track of a few hundred blogs or so while troubleshooting A-to-Z Challenge issues and fielding questions from random bloggers about all sorts of matters, in addition to doing the A-to-Z Challenge on my own blog -- here at The Madlab Post. So I’d really be in a major jam and stressed to the nines if it were not for the ladies in my Mighty Minion Bureau who have agreed to take on some of this load by checking portions of the A-Z signup list.

Matt Damon as Jason Bourne and Julia Stiles as Nicky ParsonsWhen it comes to reaching your goals, there are proven techniques to get results in as little as 90 days….if you spend enough time working on them every week, according to Psychology Today. Given that it takes me several hours to blog on a typical day, I wouldn’t get anything else done in my everyday life if I spent more time online or dealing with A-to-Z Challenge matters.

Plus I’d be walking around like a zombie, which would cause the quality of my output to drop in various areas of existence. So while I understand and agree with Psychology Today’s logic on reaching goals, I also know that in some cases that’s not enough; you need more than time – you need help!

Even a great soldier like Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon, wouldn’t have gotten to the truth about all the crimes committed in his past life; nor would he have made it through some of the most high risk situations, if it were not for those who helped him along the way including Nicky Parsons and Pamela Landy. Played by actress Julia Stiles, Nicky Parsons is an operative who handled logistics for the same agency that employed Bourne. Despite being interrogated by him early on in the series, she ends up helping him uncover classified information and also aids in protecting him from being assassinated on more than one occasion.

Played by actress Joan Allen, Pamela Landy is a task chief officer out to capture Jason Bourne at first and then ends up using her position to help him avoid the shady higher-ups, when she suspects that he was a pawn in a dangerous game that her colleagues want to make disappear. So yes we could all benefit from having (or making) more time to complete the tasks that stand before us. However, whatever these responsibilities may be, an extra set of hands from those near and far are what also make it possible for us to get things done much faster and with less hassle.

O is for Operatives

Who are the operatives that help YOU complete time-consuming tasks on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule?

From Texas to Shanghai - Sydney Aaliyah Michelle on Tattoos, Multiplex Theaters and Life after Law

If binge watching movies on iTunes was a sport, Georgetown University graduate Sydney Aaliyah Michelle has an early training advantage over her would-be opponents.

This contemporary romance writer from Texas, who got a tattoo commemorating her first novel “Another New Life,” is on my Mighty Minion Bureau team for the 2015 Blogging from A-to-Z Challenge. I recently promoted her to Special Agent – (the top “Asset” aka “Operative” among my helpers), as its Sydney’s third year assisting me in the April Blog Hop.

You can find this self-employed event coordinator enjoying Lobster Ravioli and Sidecar cocktails.

After learning that Sydney climbed the Great Wall of China, I invited her to give us the scoop on how life has evolved since her days as a lawyer.

The Madlab Post: What advice would you give to single women who are traveling abroad for the first time?

Sydney Aaliyah Michelle: I truly enjoy traveling alone especially to a new place. It allows me to explore on my own agenda and my own timetable. Before I travel someplace alone, I do a lot of research. Read about the place your visiting, have an agenda and follow it.

When I travel alone, I don’t skimp on hotels or transportation late at night. I may walk everywhere during the day, but I don’t take any chances putting myself in situations that could be dangerous. Use common sense and you’ll be fine.

Sydney's tattoo story features her love of lotus flowers and the idea that beauty can emerge from less than ideal situations.Did any stigmas of being tattooed ever have an impact on your relationships or career?

When I got my first tattoo, my parents weren’t thrilled, but I was 21, not much for them to say.  My second one, they helped me design it. They don’t love them, but they’ve accepted them. Men love my tattoos, they are all sexy and feminine, so no issues there.

I paused for a minute before getting my most visible tattoo on my left wrist, and my current boss tried to have an issue with it. My tattoos are a part of me, but don’t effect who I am or my abilities, so if someone fired me or didn’t hire me for having tattoos, I wouldn’t want to work for them anyway. 

What area of law did you practice?

I had always wanted to go to law school, but I like the idea of being a lawyer more than actually being a lawyer. I practiced law for about 9 months working for a huge law firm doing bankruptcy litigation. I sat in a small room with 10 other people 12-14 hours a day, 6 days a week reading documents on a computer. It wasn’t the kind of life I wanted to lead.

If you were a broke, ramen noodle eating artist who needed to relocate immediately, where would you move to get back on your feet? 

I would move to Singapore. I could be a beach bum and still have enough access to modern amenities to live comfortably with not a lot of money. It is an inspiring place as well, so it would feed my creative soul. Great mix of cultures. 

How many foreign languages are you fluent in?

With all of the countries I have visited and lived, I still only speak English fluently. I have some conversational Chinese and a few words slip out when no English word can quite convey what I am trying to say.  These are my three favorite Chinese words:

Hau zho bu jian – Long time, no see.

Bu zhidao – I don’t know.

Bu ming bai – Understand.

Can you tell me about your adult contemporary romance novel "Another New Life"?

Sydney released two novels, 'Hope for Her' and 'Hope for Him,' since the debut of 'Another New Life."

Here's the book blurb...

When Miranda’s talent wins her a piano performance scholarship to the University of Texas, she arrives on campus determined to experience everything college has to offer and to keep her secrets in the past where they belong.

An easy task, until the first guy who catches her eye happens to be someone, she’s known all her life.

Eight years have passed since the last time Miranda and Troy saw each other.

Can Miranda focus on her future with Troy while preventing her past from tearing them apart all over again?

Why is The Joker from "THE DARK KNIGHT" your favorite movie villain?

Heath Ledger’s performance was incredible. If it has to be our lasting image of him, I couldn’t think of a more pivotal role to immortalize his talent.

Plus, the Joker has one of my favorite lines from any movie and he delivered it brilliantly...

 “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” 

Where do you prefer to watch movies?

I prefer to watch movies at a big, stadium seating, surround sound theater. If it’s a blockbuster, epic, anything with an 'AVENGERS character in it, I have to watch it at the theater first. Day-to-day movie watching comes from iTunes rentals. Even though I have 30 days to watch them, it’s pretty typical for me to watch three movies in a row on the final few days of the rental period.

You’re stranded on a desert island and can only have one movie and one book...what would you request?

This may be cheating a bit, but I would probably request the "LORD OF THE RINGS" Trilogy – that counts as one long movie, right? I find something new every time I watch it.

The book I would request would be “Under the Dome” by Stephen King. I think it’s pretty brilliant writing and I might find some new found kinship with the characters being stuck somewhere. 

Thank you Sydney Aaliyah Michelle for riding with me for three years straight on the alphabet wheel!

Now, for everyone else, tell me...

How many movies could YOU watch in a row?

Which cities or countries have YOU visited more than once?

Deniz’s Soft Spot for Welsh Actors and ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’

Moosehead Lager. J.J. BurkeAny illustrated dictionary showing examples of what it means to live life to the fullest, would be best to include a photo of Deniz Bevan at The Girdle of Melian and Simple Scarf. She frequently volunteers, travels and uses her skills and talents to help community-based initiatives while working as a freelance writer.

Deniz, who ate pide with salad and rice pudding for lunch every day for an entire year while living in Turkey, is one of my Mighty Minion Bureau assets that I got to know a little better while interrogating debriefing her on what it’s like to be a bourbon-flavored snowballs lover who reads “LORD OF THE RINGS” every year. Here, she dishes on Canadian beer, the key ingredients for best-selling homemade lip-gloss, the impact that cats have on her work and the tastiest way to get tipsy during holiday celebrations.

Who is the sexiest actor you’ve ever seen in a movie?

This is going back a ways, but Ioan Gruffudd in “SOLOMON AND GAENOR” always sticks in my mind as the ultimate in ooh-la-la!

What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a freelance copy writer?

Lately I’ve been doing more copy editing and beta reading, but even with that I’d say the biggest challenge is always to juggle work and social media promotion. It helps me to designate certain times throughout the week for social media, and to avoid it (if possible!) at all other times.

What inspired the title behind your novel, THE FACE OF A LION?

The scene that inspired the book was the image that came to me of a boy, Austin, and a cat walking towards Ephesus, from Kusadasi, Turkey. As they walk, the sea comes up behind them, and I knew that meant they were travelling back in time and that somehow it was the cat’s doing. The cat isn’t really a cat either, but takes that form in order to befriend Austin. When the cat is angry, he can appear almost lion-like in his fierceness.

Of course, it was also a slight nod to Aslan, the lion in “THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.”

What are the best Canadian beers/brewers? – Are there any we should avoid like the plague? 

I’d say go with any and all craft beers or Canadian-owned beers, like Moosehead, and avoid those that have been bought out by multinational corporations!

Deniz Bevan's cat modeling one of her knitted hats.How old are your cats, what breed/gender are they and where did you get them from?

Aww, kitties! They’re 9 and 10, regular “domestic” (i.e. “whatever!”) breeds. We did get them from a pet store, I have to admit, but I desperately wanted kittens and the SPCA had only adult cats at the time! They were a bargain at 15 and 20 dollars :-)

What garments do you enjoy knitting most – scarves, hats or socks?

Scarves, definitely! And blankets! If I can memorise the pattern and knit it over a long term without having to constantly count stitches, I’m happy. Though I do have an adorable pattern for a ruffled baby hat that I’ve given to every expecting mother I know!

If you brought a piñata to a New Year’s Eve party, what would it be filled with?

Mm, chocolate... Let’s say liquor-filled chocolates, in honour of New Year’s Eve!

Deniz Bevan preparing to setup her wares at a craft fair.Do you have any tips for artisans who want to sell their wares at craft fairs or other events?

One thing I learned at the last craft fair I attended is that it helps to have a small pile of minimally priced items. In my case it was homemade lip gloss in cute glass jars, for 25 cents each. More people commented on that than on the knitting!

Do you have a recipe for homemade lip gloss that you can share with us? 

It was my sister-in-law who taught me how to make it – Vaseline, a tiny drop of food colouring, and a couple of drops of whatever flavour you’d like (vanilla, mint, etc.). You can heat up the Vaseline in the microwave a bit to make the ingredients easier to stir. Next time I make it, I’d like to try something more organic. Maybe cocoa butter. Mmm...

Check out Deniz's A-to-Z Challenge photos!

Also, get up to date on my previous Mighty Minion Bureau feature about Dale's Movie Theater Nightmare, where he causes us to wake up and smell the bacon!

If you're looking for my most recent #atozchallenge, post, read Kill Your Babies! A Lesson from Kevin Smith, and stay tuned for what I have in store for Letter L.