Cakes, Comics, Vampires and A Hole.

In case you haven't noticed, I changed the design of the blog. Some people were saying the colors were making it hard to read, so I am going to try this one out. Don't be surprised if it looks different again the next time you stop by!

Since I finished re-reading the Sookie novels and the Flowers In The Attic books (apparently this is my summer for re-reading things), I have been filling my free time by watching cake shows (and trying to read Andromeda Klein, by Frank Portman). I'm not picky when it comes to these shows, I will pretty much watch all of them. Well, almost all of them...

I love Ace of Cakes (The Food Network) because I love the relaxed atmosphere of their bakery, Very rarely do you see any of them get stressed out over finishing a cake on time, or if something goes wrong during the design process. They all just go with the flow and that's awesome. Their cakes are always spot on, neat and clean. By that, I mean, they look simple and to the point. There is never anything too extravagant about the design and I love the simplicity of it. The end result is always, always impressive and by the end of the show, you just want to be friends with everyone who works at Charm City Cakes.

Since it aired, I have refused to watch Cake Boss (TLC). Why? I couldn't stand all the yelling. It wasn't until I sat down one night and forced myself to watch (because I wanted to see their process for creating/decorating the cakes), that I started to enjoy it. There, I said it, I enjoy Cake Boss. I am fascinated by how quickly Buddy can ice a cake, by the way he says "modeling chocolate" ("mwodeling chwocolate"), by the absolute busy-ness of that bakery and how many employees it takes to make it run efficiently. There are always TONS of people in the background working on different cakes and pastries. So. Much. Fun. I want to sample every delicious treat in there and help make little people sculptures right along with them. Some of the downsides to the show are his sister Mary being crazy annoying (I can't stand it when she yells at him) and at times, I find some of the cakes to be way over the top and almost gaudy looking. But I'll admit that one day, I would love to visit Carlo's bakery in person.

I have also been into Cupcake Wars (The Food Network) and Amazing Wedding Cakes (WE). I am absolutely enthralled by the decorating process and the way each bakery has their own techniques and recipes. I love it! The creativity of it all mesmerizes me and makes me want to practice, bake and eat delicious cupcakes!

I do not, repeat, DO NOT like DC Cupcakes (TLC). The two women who "ditched their corporate jobs to start a bakery" are not enjoyable to watch at all. All they do is bicker and call for their "mommy" and talk about their "signature swirl" (which any person with no baking experience could do). They are full of themselves and all of their employees seem miserable. I have no problem saying that I very strongly dislike the show and will not watch it.

Sticking with television and things I have been watching, True Blood has been A M A Z I N G this season. That is not an overstatement or an exaggeration. It has been wonderfully fun and entertaining. They have done a great job of remaining faithful to the book, plus making it more exciting at the same time. The new cast members have been phenomenal, particularly Dennis O' Hare as Russell Edgington, Joe Manganiello as Alcide Herveaux (Mmmm) and James Frain as Franklin Mott. All three have exceeded my expectations with what they have done with their characters. They were perfectly cast and have brought spunk and charisma to a show that was already exploding with it. Also, Bill is so much more enjoyable this season and I think it has to do with him being away from Sookie (can you tell I am Team Eric?). I cannot wait to see what the second half of the season brings.

Comic Con was last weekend and one of my favorite things to come out of it, was hearing J.J. Abrams thoughts on the Lost finale:
"I personally believe that Damon and Carlton kicked incredible ass and wrote an amazingly emotional finale"

Awesome.

Watching all the Comic Con coverage prompted us to take Charley to his very first comic book store. He was begging us to take him to the convention, "let's by tickets to go there!" so we figured the comic store would be the next best thing. We took him to Comic City in Novi (they also have locations in Canton and Pontiac and the owners are fantastic people, who Jeff and I have known for years). He loved it (especially the Star Wars stuff) and came away with a new fascination for Spiderman. I came away wanting the $70 Dr. Horrible figurine that they had in the display case (ahem... my 30th birthday isn't far off if anyone is looking for ideas...) and Jeff came away with a longing for the comics he used to collect every week. Ladies and gentlemen, we are grooming our Charley Bear to be a huge nerd and couldn't be more proud of it!

On a more musical note, Steven Page released his first solo single yesterday, "Indecision" (since departing BNL in February of 2009). Listening to it (3 times in a row) made me realize how much I have missed his voice and that I now have a love/hate relationship with my one time #1 musical crush. I looooove his voice and could listen to it all the live long day, but now I cannot hear it without thinking of him as the hole who broke up my favorite band and made me feel bitter. Damn him for that! The single itself is good and very reminiscent of "Bull In a China Shop" (from BNL's Barenaked Ladies Are Me). Hearing it makes his absence more noticeable on BNL's new cd, All In Good Time (obviously) and made me realize that while it is a good record, THAT'S what is missing from it (again, obviously). Maybe as more time passes, I will be able to move on from his departure from the band, but in the meantime, I can always put both of their new cds on and hit shuffle and it will be as if nothing ever even happened.