I am a big fan of musicals (Bye Bye Birdie is my favorite). I love plays and movies and TV shows (with the exception of Grey's Anatomy) where they break out in song. I think it's fun and joyful and damnit, it makes me so happy.
When I first heard that they were going to do a live version of The Sound Of Music (based on the original Broadway musical, not the 1965 movie) on NBC, I was thrilled. Absolutely thrilled. One of my favorite stories, brought to life on stage, in my living room, on my TV?! Heck yes! It never. Not once. Occurred to me to get upset over Craig Zadan and Neil Meron's (the dudes who did Smash, Hairspray and Chicago) casting choices. Given her voice, I thought "well hey, why not Carrie Underwood??" I'm not her biggest fan or anything. I enjoy her music and she's beautiful so why not her? Then when they announced that Stephen Moyer would be playing Captain Von Trapp, I was excited to see him play someone other than Vampire Bill for a change and I couldn't wait to hear him sing.
So, last night when I sat down with Charley and we had our popcorn and drinks (Coca Cola for me, water for him) and started to watch the show, I was so happy. I continued being happy throughout the entire broadcast. It has been 50 years since they aired a live event like this on network TV. I just felt like it was something really special. They spent an estimated 9 million dollars on this project (note: that is double the amount it cost to make the Veronica Mars movie that comes out in March).
An iconic story. A classic movie. A phenomenal play by Rodger's and Hammerstein. Big, big, big shoes to fill with the likes of Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. Tons of pressure on the cast, crew, everyone involved. As I said, this hasn't been done in years. Years. It was a big deal and I loved everything about it.
I loved it.
"But Sarah!! Carrie Underwood is no Julie Andrews!!". No, she's not. You're right. She's Carrie Underwood. She has her own style, her own (freaking amazing) voice and very little acting experience. Very little. She knows that. The producers know that. The entire world knows that (no one will let her forget it either). And you know what? She went out and did it anyway. They trusted her to head the whole operation and I thought she did a great job. She sang the shit (sorry, she did) out of every single one of those songs. And while she's not Julie Andrews and she won't be winning any Tony Awards any time soon, she did a really wonderful job for her first acting gig. Her first acting gig that involved getting on stage, in front of millions of people and singing iconic songs that a lot of people know every word to and would be judging her every single solitary step of the way. I say bravo to her! And to Stephen Moyer. I think they both did a great job.
Their performances, while not as emotionally charged as Andrews' and Plummer's, took nothing away from that original movie. It was simply a different take. ON LIVE TV. I get that people love Julie Andrews. *I* love Julie Andrews but I am not going to diminish Carrie's performance because she wasn't on par with her. She was on par with herself because they are two completely different performances. I'm going to applaud her for being brave enough to say yes to such a daunting role in the first place. Kudos to her for giving it a go. She performed her ass off for 3 straight hours on live television. She was fantastic with the Von Trapp kids and I was smiling from ear to ear during "Do Re Mi". And you know what? No one. Not one single other actress out there would have been able to pull off what Julie Andrews pulled off in that movie but there is nothing wrong with paying homage to the story. It's a great story of heartbreak, war, country and love. A great story that should be told and retold, no matter who is doing the telling.
I'm really happy NBC took the gamble and decided to do this. I do think it would have flowed a little better without all the commercials. Obviously it's network TV, so that can't happen, but they could have done a 15-20 minute intermission in the the middle of the broadcast like a regular theater performance (I'm sure Walmart wouldn't have minded that). I hope they do more things like this in the future. It's so much better than all the reality TV crap that's out there right now. Introduce kids to stuff that we loved when we were kids! Give them a fresh take on it. I see nothing wrong with that in this instance.
Anyway, all this rambling boils down to this: I loved it. I loved that it was live, I loved Carrie's singing, I loved seeing Stephen Moyer looking dapper in his suit and playing guitar. I loved his voice and every time he hugged one of the kids it gave me the warm and fuzzies. I loved the girl who played Elsa (Laura Benanti) and thought she was fantastic. I loved the sets and I love that it soared in the ratings and got 18.5 million viewers.
Also, here is a fun fact for any As The World Turns fans out there (I used to love, love ATWT. Especially the characters Carly and Jack): The boy who played Kurt Von Trapp is Joe West, who is Maura West's son (who played Carly on ATWT). Also, Michael Park, who played Jack on ATWT and was married to Maura West's character, Carly had a small part in the show last night as well. So I thought that was super neat.
I'm all done droning on and on now. Enjoy these two fantastic numbers!
Friday, December 6, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
BreakUps
Jeff and I recently experienced a break up of sorts. No, not with each other, sillies. With a TV show. It takes a lot for me to break up with a TV show. Especially one that I have watched for a really long time and invested a good portion of my evenings to but when all I do is sit and yell at the television and the stupid characters in the show, you just have to call it a day, you know?
Our recent break up was with Bones. We just couldn't take it anymore. As much as I adore David Boreanaz as Booth and John Francis Daley as Sweets (really, he was the only reason we held on as long as we did) and T.J. Thyne as Hodgins, we just could not get passed Michaela Conlin's, Angela. Every episode was the same thing. Murder, discuss how to solve the murder, oh no! We can't figure the case out... but WAIT! Angela, who is a great ARTIST will completely reconstruct the crime scene and rewrite a computer program and figure out the shoe size of the suspect all from the way the victim's nose was shaped and BOOM! Case solved. Way to go, Angela- who has no background whatsoever in Forensic Science and/or Criminology. Way to put those artistic skills to use! It wasn't just Angela though that we were sick of. I got tired of Brennan's character being so inconsistent. She would be an emotionless robot in one scene and the next, she is crying over one of the victims. Sometimes she would be super mean to everyone and the next, she is all happy happy with them. It was just frustrating. A character is supposed to progress over nine seasons and I just feel like hers went back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Their wedding episode sealed the deal for us. That's when we decided to stop watching. The second they said that the church burned down right before they were supposed to have their rehearsal dinner, I was done. Dumb. If you are going to have an episode where your two main characters (who have been pining after one another for 9 seasons) get married, THEN JUST HAVE THEM GET MARRIED. None of this annoying hoopla to spice up the episode. The church burned down? No. Don't have all the Squints running around trying to frantically solve the case so Brennan makes it to her wedding on time. It's stupid and I felt like it was disrespectful to the fans. Sure, the wedding itself was nice but that only took up about 5 minutes (if that) of the episode.
So anyway, we are done with that show. It makes me a little sad but I am totally OK with our decision. It doesn't happen a lot but there are a few other shows I have broken up with in the past; I ditched Brothers and Sisters because their terminal cancer storyline with Kitty (Calista Flockhart) was so absurdly unbelievable that it ruined the whole idea of the show for me (also, Rob Lowe left the show but that's neither here nor there). I was so disappointed when the writing took a nose dive. I stopped watching Glee after season two because it was like watching a cartoon with no thematic structure whatsoever. It makes me so angry how quickly that series went from being one of my most favorites to something I mocked. I stopped watching One Tree Hill in season five when Dan (Paul Johansson, AKA John Sears the sonofabitch) needed a heart transplant and just as he was about to get it, the doctor dropped the cooler with the heart in it outside and a dog ate it. A DOG ATE IT. I left The Office after Steve Carell left. It just didn't feel the same to me when he was gone. I should probably break up with Grey's Anatomy for as much as I bitch about it but I can't. I am ten seasons in with that show. I can't stop now. So I will continue to complain and yell at Shonda Rhimes about her recycled storylines and stupid interns until it ends. Even though I said I would stop watching after she killed off Lexie and Mark... I am still there, every Thursday. Watching that hospital on my television. It's like a sickness.
What shows have you broken up with??
Let's end the break up section of this post with one of my favorite scenes from Beverly Hills 90210, from the season two episode entitled "Wildfire" where Brenda, Kelly, Donna and Emily Valentine (UGH) perform "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" for Hello Day:
Wasn't that fun? Also, two 90210 references at the beginning of this post. How's that for fun??
I'll talk about the Catching Fire movie now. SPOILERS AHEAD. SPOILERS AHEAD. This was my favorite book in The Hunger Games series. I read it in a day. Probably the fastest I have ever read a book. Probably the only book to make my heart pound so much that I could hear it in my ears and probably the only book where I have ever skipped ahead a couple chapters just to make sure a character is still alive. That book is stressful, emotional and so damn entertaining. It's disturbing and heartbreaking and gut wrenching. It is absolutely fantastic and I love it. The movie was no exception. It was SO true to the book. The dialogue was almost exact. The scenes were exactly what I pictured in my head while I was reading it. The coil? The lightning tree? Freaking perfect. The boils from the poisonous fog? The crazy monkeys? PERFECT. When Peeta walks into the forcefield in the arena (that's the part during the book where I had to skip ahead to make sure he didn't die)? I jumped so high in my seat and was so stressed out while Finnick was giving him CPR that I think I stopped breathing... even though I knew exactly what was going to happen. I thought Phillip Seymour Hoffman was the perfect Plutarch Heavensbee. Effie and Haymitch were phenomenal. Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks are such an asset to that franchise and I could go on for hours (hours and hours) about Stanley Tucci's, Caesar Flickerman. I mean, honestly. Have you ever seen an actor take a pretty insignificant side character and turn them into one of the best people in the films?? It doesn't happen very often. His interviews make me so happy ("This is so exciting!!"). There were a few changes. They were minor and I was totally OK with them. Peeta can swim. There were no Twill and Bonnie to tell Katniss about District 13. Plutarch isn't wearing the mockingjay watch while him and Katniss are dancing in the Capitol and I just realized they didn't do the scene from the book where Katniss goes into the woods and comes back and the fence is turned on. Like I said, minor changes and I'm totally cool with them. Before the movie started, I told Emily that they better have the pearl scene in there. They did and I was so happy. We cried a lot; Every time someone did the three finger salute? Cried. Rue's song? Bawled. That old man from district 11?? So sad! When Katniss was freaking out while Peeta was being brought back to life by Finnick? Cried. Oh, and we didn't remember Mags not being able to talk. I haven't gone back to look at the book, and feel free to correct me on this, but I thought I remembered her speaking in the book? Basically, it is not a feel good movie, that's for damn sure. But it's a fantastic movie. It was so well done and any time a director and producer and screenwriter can make you feel how the book made you feel, I call that a big, big win.
Emily kept a Kiss Count between Katniss/Gale and Katniss/Peeta. She was furious every time her and Gale kissed (which was significantly more in the movie than in the book), however, Peeta came out the winner. I don't remember what the exact score was but he definitely won, so hooray for Peeta!
And last thing about the movie... Jennifer Lawrence is the best. Everyone in the world knows it. If you are not on board the Jennifer Lawrence BFF train, then you need to get with it because that girl is the absolute greatest.
Am I excited for the Mockingjay movies? Ehhhh. Of course I will see them, but I envision them to be an exhausting six hour cry fest. That book was hella depressing, you guys. I just don't see how it will translate well to a movie... and TWO movies at that. I'm going to keep my hopes low and hopefully that will mean that they prove me wrong.
Billie Joe and Norah Jones just collaborated on a remake of the Everly Brothers album, Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, with their own album Foreverly. It is SO GOOD. Dennis and I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for this record to come out. It finally did this past Monday. I have listened to it over and over again and I absolutely adore it. Their voices sound perfect together and they have a really great chemistry. The songs are mostly mellow and a lot of them are about killing or death but man do they sound good. I think my favorite is "Long Time Gone" and every time I hear "Lightning Express" about a little boy who doesn't have money to pay for his train ticket but needs to get home to say goodbye to his dying mother, so all the other passengers on the train collectively put their money together so he can stay on, makes me choke up like I can't breathe, it is so heartbreaking. And haunting. To quote Dennis; "I think Christmas Shoes was shittlily trying to copy the brilliance of Lightning Express". Exactly. So, take a listen. I love Billie Joe anyway so maybe I am biased but his voice sounds brilliant in this genre of music. I love that I can really hear him sing, rather than all the instruments and background noises that come along with Green Day songs. Give it a listen, won't you? You won't regret it.
I have been reading S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. I have about 100 pages to go and I am really enjoying it. J.J. came up with the concept and Doug Dorst wrote the story. They worked together on all the ins and outs and said that the book is their "love letter to the written word". How cool is that? I don't want to get into the story too much but the book itself is almost like a work of art. There are so many surprises and treasures inside of it that it's like you are living the experience with the characters, rather than just standing on the sidelines reading along. It is the most clever book I have ever read. I have never seen anything like it. Also, please see the picture to the left there. If you are not an Alias fan, this is insignificant to you. If you are an Alias fan, well, you will find that little shout out as much fun as I did last night while I was reading it. I. LOVE. J.J. Abrams. I am hoping that I am just as happy with the outcome of the story as I have been with the rest of the book but in the meantime, you should all check it out... And then talk to me about it. Because it's fun.
Speaking of books... Please, please, please do not buy Charlaine Harris's poor excuse for a book entitled After Dead:What Came Next In The World Of Sookie Stackhouse. Plain and simple: It is a complete ripoff. Not only is this tiny book almost $20, it is not a story. It is an alphabetical rundown of each of the characters. About a paragraph per character. It's depressing and it seals the deal that Charlaine had no idea what she was doing when it came to ending this series. A follow up is fun, sure, however, maybe just post it on your website as a thank you to your dedicated fans. Post an epilogue at the end of the last freaking book. DO NOT make them pay $20 to find out that Jason ends up dying or that Tara and JB split up. Just tell me on your FREE site what Eric, Sookie and Sam are up to and call it a day. Oh, and believe me, I am not the only one upset by this book. I have never ever seen so many one star reviews for a book on Amazon in my life. 570 one star reviews out of 787 total. 570!!! take a gander at that when you have some time. It would make a better read than that dumb book. What a joke.
Just a question that I came up with while driving home from work the other day; Why does the radio still play Smashmouth? Do people actually call in and ask to hear that "All Star" song? I mean, I know that the radio plays all sorts of songs from years ago but Smashmouth? Really? Do people still like them? Why THAT song? Why not Chumbawumba? I don't get it.
It's Thanksgiving Eve. I can't wait to visit with my family tomorrow and eat ALLLL the mashed potatoes. Jeffrey has to work and that makes me sad but since this is a thankful holiday (as all holidays should be, I suppose) I will put a silver lining spin on it and not complain about the fact that my husband doesn't get to eat turkey with me on Thanksgiving because he has to work. I will instead be grateful that he has a job and that makes me happy. There. No negative Nancy's here.
Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you! (except for the spammers who relentlessly post stupid incoherent comments on past blogs with their dirty links to their dirty websites. I hope you all have bad Thanksgivings and learn how to not do dirty things).
Eat until your bellies are full, be thankful for your friends and family and all of life's wonderful treasures and shop until you drop if you so choose (just please, do not beat anyone up or get into any fights over some electronic, movie, sweater, etc. that is on sale) Just have fun!
One last thing... Please check out these Etsy sites that a couple of my friends have set up. I (and they) would be ever so grateful. Thanks!
The first is my friend Scott's shop. He'll draw a personalized coloring page of your son or daughter for your son or daughter (or you) to color. He did one of Charley battling Darth Vader and it is AWESOME.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/170235070/a-hand-made-single-character-cartoon?ref=shop_home_active
The next is my friend Liz and her fiance' Kristen's site The Urban Upcyclers: They make lots of cool wood designs. My favorite is the dog leash/treat holder. Check it out and buy a fun art design to hang in your homes.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/theurbanupcyclers?ref=af_you_favshop
Our recent break up was with Bones. We just couldn't take it anymore. As much as I adore David Boreanaz as Booth and John Francis Daley as Sweets (really, he was the only reason we held on as long as we did) and T.J. Thyne as Hodgins, we just could not get passed Michaela Conlin's, Angela. Every episode was the same thing. Murder, discuss how to solve the murder, oh no! We can't figure the case out... but WAIT! Angela, who is a great ARTIST will completely reconstruct the crime scene and rewrite a computer program and figure out the shoe size of the suspect all from the way the victim's nose was shaped and BOOM! Case solved. Way to go, Angela- who has no background whatsoever in Forensic Science and/or Criminology. Way to put those artistic skills to use! It wasn't just Angela though that we were sick of. I got tired of Brennan's character being so inconsistent. She would be an emotionless robot in one scene and the next, she is crying over one of the victims. Sometimes she would be super mean to everyone and the next, she is all happy happy with them. It was just frustrating. A character is supposed to progress over nine seasons and I just feel like hers went back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Their wedding episode sealed the deal for us. That's when we decided to stop watching. The second they said that the church burned down right before they were supposed to have their rehearsal dinner, I was done. Dumb. If you are going to have an episode where your two main characters (who have been pining after one another for 9 seasons) get married, THEN JUST HAVE THEM GET MARRIED. None of this annoying hoopla to spice up the episode. The church burned down? No. Don't have all the Squints running around trying to frantically solve the case so Brennan makes it to her wedding on time. It's stupid and I felt like it was disrespectful to the fans. Sure, the wedding itself was nice but that only took up about 5 minutes (if that) of the episode.
So anyway, we are done with that show. It makes me a little sad but I am totally OK with our decision. It doesn't happen a lot but there are a few other shows I have broken up with in the past; I ditched Brothers and Sisters because their terminal cancer storyline with Kitty (Calista Flockhart) was so absurdly unbelievable that it ruined the whole idea of the show for me (also, Rob Lowe left the show but that's neither here nor there). I was so disappointed when the writing took a nose dive. I stopped watching Glee after season two because it was like watching a cartoon with no thematic structure whatsoever. It makes me so angry how quickly that series went from being one of my most favorites to something I mocked. I stopped watching One Tree Hill in season five when Dan (Paul Johansson, AKA John Sears the sonofabitch) needed a heart transplant and just as he was about to get it, the doctor dropped the cooler with the heart in it outside and a dog ate it. A DOG ATE IT. I left The Office after Steve Carell left. It just didn't feel the same to me when he was gone. I should probably break up with Grey's Anatomy for as much as I bitch about it but I can't. I am ten seasons in with that show. I can't stop now. So I will continue to complain and yell at Shonda Rhimes about her recycled storylines and stupid interns until it ends. Even though I said I would stop watching after she killed off Lexie and Mark... I am still there, every Thursday. Watching that hospital on my television. It's like a sickness.
What shows have you broken up with??
Let's end the break up section of this post with one of my favorite scenes from Beverly Hills 90210, from the season two episode entitled "Wildfire" where Brenda, Kelly, Donna and Emily Valentine (UGH) perform "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" for Hello Day:
Wasn't that fun? Also, two 90210 references at the beginning of this post. How's that for fun??
I'll talk about the Catching Fire movie now. SPOILERS AHEAD. SPOILERS AHEAD. This was my favorite book in The Hunger Games series. I read it in a day. Probably the fastest I have ever read a book. Probably the only book to make my heart pound so much that I could hear it in my ears and probably the only book where I have ever skipped ahead a couple chapters just to make sure a character is still alive. That book is stressful, emotional and so damn entertaining. It's disturbing and heartbreaking and gut wrenching. It is absolutely fantastic and I love it. The movie was no exception. It was SO true to the book. The dialogue was almost exact. The scenes were exactly what I pictured in my head while I was reading it. The coil? The lightning tree? Freaking perfect. The boils from the poisonous fog? The crazy monkeys? PERFECT. When Peeta walks into the forcefield in the arena (that's the part during the book where I had to skip ahead to make sure he didn't die)? I jumped so high in my seat and was so stressed out while Finnick was giving him CPR that I think I stopped breathing... even though I knew exactly what was going to happen. I thought Phillip Seymour Hoffman was the perfect Plutarch Heavensbee. Effie and Haymitch were phenomenal. Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks are such an asset to that franchise and I could go on for hours (hours and hours) about Stanley Tucci's, Caesar Flickerman. I mean, honestly. Have you ever seen an actor take a pretty insignificant side character and turn them into one of the best people in the films?? It doesn't happen very often. His interviews make me so happy ("This is so exciting!!"). There were a few changes. They were minor and I was totally OK with them. Peeta can swim. There were no Twill and Bonnie to tell Katniss about District 13. Plutarch isn't wearing the mockingjay watch while him and Katniss are dancing in the Capitol and I just realized they didn't do the scene from the book where Katniss goes into the woods and comes back and the fence is turned on. Like I said, minor changes and I'm totally cool with them. Before the movie started, I told Emily that they better have the pearl scene in there. They did and I was so happy. We cried a lot; Every time someone did the three finger salute? Cried. Rue's song? Bawled. That old man from district 11?? So sad! When Katniss was freaking out while Peeta was being brought back to life by Finnick? Cried. Oh, and we didn't remember Mags not being able to talk. I haven't gone back to look at the book, and feel free to correct me on this, but I thought I remembered her speaking in the book? Basically, it is not a feel good movie, that's for damn sure. But it's a fantastic movie. It was so well done and any time a director and producer and screenwriter can make you feel how the book made you feel, I call that a big, big win.
Emily kept a Kiss Count between Katniss/Gale and Katniss/Peeta. She was furious every time her and Gale kissed (which was significantly more in the movie than in the book), however, Peeta came out the winner. I don't remember what the exact score was but he definitely won, so hooray for Peeta!
And last thing about the movie... Jennifer Lawrence is the best. Everyone in the world knows it. If you are not on board the Jennifer Lawrence BFF train, then you need to get with it because that girl is the absolute greatest.
Am I excited for the Mockingjay movies? Ehhhh. Of course I will see them, but I envision them to be an exhausting six hour cry fest. That book was hella depressing, you guys. I just don't see how it will translate well to a movie... and TWO movies at that. I'm going to keep my hopes low and hopefully that will mean that they prove me wrong.
Speaking of books... Please, please, please do not buy Charlaine Harris's poor excuse for a book entitled After Dead:What Came Next In The World Of Sookie Stackhouse. Plain and simple: It is a complete ripoff. Not only is this tiny book almost $20, it is not a story. It is an alphabetical rundown of each of the characters. About a paragraph per character. It's depressing and it seals the deal that Charlaine had no idea what she was doing when it came to ending this series. A follow up is fun, sure, however, maybe just post it on your website as a thank you to your dedicated fans. Post an epilogue at the end of the last freaking book. DO NOT make them pay $20 to find out that Jason ends up dying or that Tara and JB split up. Just tell me on your FREE site what Eric, Sookie and Sam are up to and call it a day. Oh, and believe me, I am not the only one upset by this book. I have never ever seen so many one star reviews for a book on Amazon in my life. 570 one star reviews out of 787 total. 570!!! take a gander at that when you have some time. It would make a better read than that dumb book. What a joke.
Just a question that I came up with while driving home from work the other day; Why does the radio still play Smashmouth? Do people actually call in and ask to hear that "All Star" song? I mean, I know that the radio plays all sorts of songs from years ago but Smashmouth? Really? Do people still like them? Why THAT song? Why not Chumbawumba? I don't get it.
It's Thanksgiving Eve. I can't wait to visit with my family tomorrow and eat ALLLL the mashed potatoes. Jeffrey has to work and that makes me sad but since this is a thankful holiday (as all holidays should be, I suppose) I will put a silver lining spin on it and not complain about the fact that my husband doesn't get to eat turkey with me on Thanksgiving because he has to work. I will instead be grateful that he has a job and that makes me happy. There. No negative Nancy's here.
Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you! (except for the spammers who relentlessly post stupid incoherent comments on past blogs with their dirty links to their dirty websites. I hope you all have bad Thanksgivings and learn how to not do dirty things).
Eat until your bellies are full, be thankful for your friends and family and all of life's wonderful treasures and shop until you drop if you so choose (just please, do not beat anyone up or get into any fights over some electronic, movie, sweater, etc. that is on sale) Just have fun!
One last thing... Please check out these Etsy sites that a couple of my friends have set up. I (and they) would be ever so grateful. Thanks!
The first is my friend Scott's shop. He'll draw a personalized coloring page of your son or daughter for your son or daughter (or you) to color. He did one of Charley battling Darth Vader and it is AWESOME.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/170235070/a-hand-made-single-character-cartoon?ref=shop_home_active
The next is my friend Liz and her fiance' Kristen's site The Urban Upcyclers: They make lots of cool wood designs. My favorite is the dog leash/treat holder. Check it out and buy a fun art design to hang in your homes.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/theurbanupcyclers?ref=af_you_favshop
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
33
I haven't posted in awhile. I haven't really felt like it and that makes me sad so I figured I would do my annual Birthday Wishlist (my day of birth is November 8th) to cheer myself up. As usual, the list consists of practical, silly, weird and not so practical things. You know... all the things a really good wishlist should contain. If you would like to peruse my wishlists of years past, you will find them HERE, HERE and HERE. You'll notice some repeats on each list and probably find some on this years as well. It's allowed. It's my wishlist after all. I've even gotten a few things off of each one too. Isn't that neat?!
So, if you are bored and would like to read up on my wishes for my 33rd year, have at it, friends:
1.) Tickets to American Idiot The Musical .
2.) To go to a Tragically Hip concert with Jeff and Carrie.
3.) To go to a Killers concert.
4.) For Steven Page to rejoin BNL.
5.) For a Dunkin Donuts to open up closer to my house.
6.) For the Divergent movie to be really good.
7.) To stop picking my cuticles.
8.) To have time to catch up on Doctor Who and Downton Abbey.
9.) To have time to start watching Breaking Bad.
10.) A Menchie's gift card.
11.) For the last season of True Blood to not suck.
12.) A job that I enjoy.
13.) To go back to Disney World/Islands of Adventure.
14.) A good eyeliner that doesn't smear all over my face and make me look like a raccoon an hour after I apply it.
15.) For the Catching Fire movie to be as freaking fantastic as the book was.
16.) A Frant night/date with my niece, Emily. We keep talking about it but haven't been able to make it happen.
17.) For loud people to stop being SO LOUD.
18.) To have dinner with Damon Lindelof and tell him how much I truly loved and appreciated the Lost finale.
19.) A big bag of peanut butter or pretzel M&M's. Or both?
20.) For Charley to start eating his lunches.
21.) Scarves. I've decided I am always cold so I would like to start wearing scarves. All the time.
22.) For someone to come and fix all the things wrong with my house. For free.
23.) To get a mani/pedi once a month. For free.
24.) For Miley Cyrus to go away.
25.) Very little to no snow this winter.
26.) A real Christmas tree for Christmas.
27.) To go to London and go on the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Lot Tour.
28.) To open my own book store.
29.) To go to Inn Boonsboro in Maryland with my mom and sister and stay in the Westley and Buttercup room and go to Vesta and Turn The Page and pretend like we are in a Nora Roberts book.
30.) To have a Birthday dinner with my LYBF at PF Chang's where we will eat double pan fried noodles, then drink coffee drinks, eat popcorn and laugh until we cry.
31.) For Fred and I to take a mini vacation somewhere together.
32.) To go to Nerd HQ at Comic Con with Zachary Levi and sit through all of his panels.
33.) I'm going to end my list with the one thing I have had on each list, every year since I turned 30. I will continue to add it until it happens; For Stephenie Meyer to finish and release Midnight Sun.
Mostly I just want what everyone wants for their Birthdays; Health, Love and Happiness for everyone in my life. Here's to a great 33rd year and hopefully I will start blogging on the regular again.
Let's end this post with a picture of Matt Bomer wearing a photoshopped party hat. Because why the heck not??
So, if you are bored and would like to read up on my wishes for my 33rd year, have at it, friends:
1.) Tickets to American Idiot The Musical .
2.) To go to a Tragically Hip concert with Jeff and Carrie.
3.) To go to a Killers concert.
4.) For Steven Page to rejoin BNL.
5.) For a Dunkin Donuts to open up closer to my house.
6.) For the Divergent movie to be really good.
7.) To stop picking my cuticles.
8.) To have time to catch up on Doctor Who and Downton Abbey.
9.) To have time to start watching Breaking Bad.
10.) A Menchie's gift card.
11.) For the last season of True Blood to not suck.
12.) A job that I enjoy.
13.) To go back to Disney World/Islands of Adventure.
14.) A good eyeliner that doesn't smear all over my face and make me look like a raccoon an hour after I apply it.
15.) For the Catching Fire movie to be as freaking fantastic as the book was.
16.) A Frant night/date with my niece, Emily. We keep talking about it but haven't been able to make it happen.
17.) For loud people to stop being SO LOUD.
18.) To have dinner with Damon Lindelof and tell him how much I truly loved and appreciated the Lost finale.
19.) A big bag of peanut butter or pretzel M&M's. Or both?
20.) For Charley to start eating his lunches.
21.) Scarves. I've decided I am always cold so I would like to start wearing scarves. All the time.
22.) For someone to come and fix all the things wrong with my house. For free.
23.) To get a mani/pedi once a month. For free.
24.) For Miley Cyrus to go away.
25.) Very little to no snow this winter.
26.) A real Christmas tree for Christmas.
27.) To go to London and go on the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Lot Tour.
28.) To open my own book store.
29.) To go to Inn Boonsboro in Maryland with my mom and sister and stay in the Westley and Buttercup room and go to Vesta and Turn The Page and pretend like we are in a Nora Roberts book.
30.) To have a Birthday dinner with my LYBF at PF Chang's where we will eat double pan fried noodles, then drink coffee drinks, eat popcorn and laugh until we cry.
31.) For Fred and I to take a mini vacation somewhere together.
32.) To go to Nerd HQ at Comic Con with Zachary Levi and sit through all of his panels.
33.) I'm going to end my list with the one thing I have had on each list, every year since I turned 30. I will continue to add it until it happens; For Stephenie Meyer to finish and release Midnight Sun.
Mostly I just want what everyone wants for their Birthdays; Health, Love and Happiness for everyone in my life. Here's to a great 33rd year and hopefully I will start blogging on the regular again.
Let's end this post with a picture of Matt Bomer wearing a photoshopped party hat. Because why the heck not??
Monday, August 19, 2013
Fairy Vampire Brides.
Well, I have had a whole night and an entire morning to process last night's season 6 (I can't believe we are six seasons down already) finale of True Blood and here is my main thought about it; I don't get it.
I don't get it.
I was going to post something about it on Facebook to get your thoughts, but for fear of stirring up spoilers for those who have not yet watched the enigma of that episode or of the entire season, I retreat to my blog. So, I'm going to throw out another SPOILER ALERT just in case because I am about to spout off about what I liked and didn't like about the season. And just a warning... This will probably be ranty and rambly and a little disjointed. Not unlike the season itself.
Here we (I) go:
I don't know what the point of this season was. The first year it was Bill and Sookie, the second year it was The Fellowship of The Sun and Maryann, season three was Sookie looking for Bill, who was with Russell Edgington, the 4th season was Eric losing his memory and those stupid witches, last season was all that Lillith crap and this season? No idea. Warlow, I guess? OK, I'll start with him... Warlow who they have been talking about for the past two seasons and finally brought to light this season (and whom I REALLY, really liked, by the way), only to see him killed, almost without any struggle at all, halfway through the finale? Warlow, who was promised Sookie thousands of years ago and was going to make her is Fairy/Vampire Bride?? Huh?
Sam and that girl? I say "that girl" because I have no idea what her name is and I don't feel like looking it up. She was Michelle's friend on Full House, I know that. That will help you know who I am talking about. I guess she was there with her friends to research Shifters and Werewolves? They were recording a fight between Alcide and his pack (UGH) and the wolves flipped out and killed two of the friends but Michelle Tanner's friend was saved by Sam. Who also saved his dead girlfriend, Luna's daughter, Emma from the pack but I don't know why the pack wanted her. I guess because she's a wolf, they figured they had a right to keep her? I don't know. Anyway, Luna died, Sam saved Emma and that girl and they went to a motel to hide. Sam and that girl have sexytimes (LITERALLY one day after Luna dies. I mean, really?!) and they decide to give Emma to her creepy grandma for safe keeping. Alcide's pack wants Sam and the girl dead (again, I don't know why) and Alcide decides to stop growling all the time and has a change of heart and lets them go. Maybe his hair was finally getting to him? Maybe his throat hurt from all the growling he's been doing, so that's why he lied to his pack and those two awful, awful girls and told them he killed them. They knew he was lying, so he left the pack. He's his OWN wolf, guys!! Then he started lurking around Sookie the last two episodes. It wasn't really explained why. He missed her, I guess. I just don't know!
Terry died. He had one of his old war companions shoot him, right after Arlene had a vampire wipe his memory of all the bad things. So we got to see him happy finally and then get dead two scenes later. It wasn't unexpected but it was sad. I really liked Terry. I thought he was a great character and he made me smile. I know a lot of people were annoyed by the super long funeral/flashback episode they did for him but I loved it. It was such great insight into all of the characters. Lafayette's was my favorite. I just thought it was really sweet.
Oh, I know! The governor and the vampire jail he had built. That was the point of the season, right?? All our favorite vamps were captured by the vampire police and analyzed and experimented on. There was a lot of standing around and Sarah Newlin was in on the captures, helping the Governor until Billith came and killed him, so she took over. Sarah Newlin makes me laugh. Sarah and Steve Newlin crack me up. I'm never disappointed when they are on the screen. We find out later that Sarah and The Governor were having the new supply of True Blood injected with "Hep-V", a serum lethal to all vampires.
I guess the point of Bill turning into Lillith was for him to save his friends once they were faced with their True Deaths and meeting the sun while in the vampire jail? He had Warlow's blood (who is half fairy, so he can walk in the sun), so he rescued the others by having them feed off his Warlow induced blood. Then he turned back into regular Bill. Oooookaaaaay.
Warlow professed his love to Sookie. They make sexytimes. She has feelings for him, considers becoming his fairy/vampire bride, ends up asking him if they can just date for awhile (LOLZ) and he.flips.out. Gets very angry, tries to make Sookie a vamp but she is saved by Jason (yay!) and her grandfather (yay.) and that is the end of Warlow. Three seasons that name or the idea of him has been on the show and now it's all done. I get it, they need to move the story along but damnit, I really loved Robert Kazinsky on the show.
Here's some random thoughts I thought at one point or another during the season:
-I don't like Jason's new vampire girlfriend, Violet. I don't like her at all.
-I loved Andy's storyline with his fairy babies and really, really like Adelein.
-I really like Willa. I hope she sticks around.
-Sam and that girl are having a baby.
-I love Jason Stackhouse so much.
-Bill is so useless to me.
-Is it just me, or did the secret fairy world look like it had been decorated by the entire silk floral department of Michael's?
-It was so nice to get a break from Pam and Tara yelling at everyone all the time.
-Steve Newlin met the true death and his parting words made me laugh so much. "I love you, Jason Stackhouse!" Don't we all, Reverend Newlin. Don't. We. All.
-This was probably the grossest season to date.
We got a flashforward at the end of the episode. It was six months later. What did we discover from that?
-Sam is the mayor of Bon Temps. (Uhhh, sure)
-Sookie is with Alcide. He got a haircut. SOOKIE IS WITH ALCIDE. They were calling each other "honey" and "hon" and WHAT?
-Sam wants every citizen of Bon Temp and the surrounding areas to have a vampire chauffeur because there are tons of Hep-V infected vamps roaming the state. (I think)
-Jessica offered her protection to Andy and Adelein because she's feels awful for killing his other fairy daughters. (I love Andy a lot).
-They were testing everyone's blood... to see if they were a carrier for?? Hep-V? I don't know. I didn't understand that.
-Tara fed off her mom. (Gross)
And guys, the thing I am the most angry about. That I wanted to yell at my TV for:
THEY CHANGED THE NAME OF MERLOTTE'S TO BELLEFLEUR'S.
No.
No.
No.
Go ahead, change the story from the book. Don't keep it the same. Make the characters different. Change the love stories, but do not, DO NOT change the name of the damn bar that is the heart of the F'ing book and show. That is just wrong and makes me so angry.
And finally, the thing I have been avoiding and I'm sure you are all thinking "Hey Sarah, when are you going to mention that one part about that one vampire that we all love and whose story they left completely hanging?"
Eric.
He's not dead, you guys. He's not. Pam will save him and we will have our Sheriff back. Because there is no True Blood without Eric. You can't keep annoying characters like Bill and Tara around and not have Eric. It doesn't work that way and the fact that they are trying to make us believe that he was indeed killed off, kind of infuriates me. It's gimmicky and it's lazy storytelling. It wasn't even a heroic death. Eric Northman would not die while sunbathing naked, reading a book in Alaska (or wherever he was). No. Stop it. Don't even try it.
He's not dead. He's just not.
The episode ended with a hoard of Hep-V infected vampires descending upon Merlotte's (I will not call it Bellefleur's and you can't make me) to attack all the humans and vamps there.
Overall did I like the season? I really did. Aside from the Sam/Alcide stuff and a few minor things, I enjoyed the season a lot. Way way way way better than last year anyway. I have no idea what to expect from season seven. I'm not even going to speculate. This show has been so disjointed and all over the place, I have no expectations whatsoever.
So, what did you guys think? Am I alone in my complaints? Did you love what I loved? Was Warlow's love tree the tackiest thing you have ever seen? (Yes.)
Tell me your thoughts. Go.
I don't get it.
I was going to post something about it on Facebook to get your thoughts, but for fear of stirring up spoilers for those who have not yet watched the enigma of that episode or of the entire season, I retreat to my blog. So, I'm going to throw out another SPOILER ALERT just in case because I am about to spout off about what I liked and didn't like about the season. And just a warning... This will probably be ranty and rambly and a little disjointed. Not unlike the season itself.
Here we (I) go:
I don't know what the point of this season was. The first year it was Bill and Sookie, the second year it was The Fellowship of The Sun and Maryann, season three was Sookie looking for Bill, who was with Russell Edgington, the 4th season was Eric losing his memory and those stupid witches, last season was all that Lillith crap and this season? No idea. Warlow, I guess? OK, I'll start with him... Warlow who they have been talking about for the past two seasons and finally brought to light this season (and whom I REALLY, really liked, by the way), only to see him killed, almost without any struggle at all, halfway through the finale? Warlow, who was promised Sookie thousands of years ago and was going to make her is Fairy/Vampire Bride?? Huh?
Sam and that girl? I say "that girl" because I have no idea what her name is and I don't feel like looking it up. She was Michelle's friend on Full House, I know that. That will help you know who I am talking about. I guess she was there with her friends to research Shifters and Werewolves? They were recording a fight between Alcide and his pack (UGH) and the wolves flipped out and killed two of the friends but Michelle Tanner's friend was saved by Sam. Who also saved his dead girlfriend, Luna's daughter, Emma from the pack but I don't know why the pack wanted her. I guess because she's a wolf, they figured they had a right to keep her? I don't know. Anyway, Luna died, Sam saved Emma and that girl and they went to a motel to hide. Sam and that girl have sexytimes (LITERALLY one day after Luna dies. I mean, really?!) and they decide to give Emma to her creepy grandma for safe keeping. Alcide's pack wants Sam and the girl dead (again, I don't know why) and Alcide decides to stop growling all the time and has a change of heart and lets them go. Maybe his hair was finally getting to him? Maybe his throat hurt from all the growling he's been doing, so that's why he lied to his pack and those two awful, awful girls and told them he killed them. They knew he was lying, so he left the pack. He's his OWN wolf, guys!! Then he started lurking around Sookie the last two episodes. It wasn't really explained why. He missed her, I guess. I just don't know!
Terry died. He had one of his old war companions shoot him, right after Arlene had a vampire wipe his memory of all the bad things. So we got to see him happy finally and then get dead two scenes later. It wasn't unexpected but it was sad. I really liked Terry. I thought he was a great character and he made me smile. I know a lot of people were annoyed by the super long funeral/flashback episode they did for him but I loved it. It was such great insight into all of the characters. Lafayette's was my favorite. I just thought it was really sweet.
Oh, I know! The governor and the vampire jail he had built. That was the point of the season, right?? All our favorite vamps were captured by the vampire police and analyzed and experimented on. There was a lot of standing around and Sarah Newlin was in on the captures, helping the Governor until Billith came and killed him, so she took over. Sarah Newlin makes me laugh. Sarah and Steve Newlin crack me up. I'm never disappointed when they are on the screen. We find out later that Sarah and The Governor were having the new supply of True Blood injected with "Hep-V", a serum lethal to all vampires.
I guess the point of Bill turning into Lillith was for him to save his friends once they were faced with their True Deaths and meeting the sun while in the vampire jail? He had Warlow's blood (who is half fairy, so he can walk in the sun), so he rescued the others by having them feed off his Warlow induced blood. Then he turned back into regular Bill. Oooookaaaaay.
Warlow professed his love to Sookie. They make sexytimes. She has feelings for him, considers becoming his fairy/vampire bride, ends up asking him if they can just date for awhile (LOLZ) and he.flips.out. Gets very angry, tries to make Sookie a vamp but she is saved by Jason (yay!) and her grandfather (yay.) and that is the end of Warlow. Three seasons that name or the idea of him has been on the show and now it's all done. I get it, they need to move the story along but damnit, I really loved Robert Kazinsky on the show.
Here's some random thoughts I thought at one point or another during the season:
-I don't like Jason's new vampire girlfriend, Violet. I don't like her at all.
-I loved Andy's storyline with his fairy babies and really, really like Adelein.
-I really like Willa. I hope she sticks around.
-Sam and that girl are having a baby.
-I love Jason Stackhouse so much.
-Bill is so useless to me.
-Is it just me, or did the secret fairy world look like it had been decorated by the entire silk floral department of Michael's?
-It was so nice to get a break from Pam and Tara yelling at everyone all the time.
-Steve Newlin met the true death and his parting words made me laugh so much. "I love you, Jason Stackhouse!" Don't we all, Reverend Newlin. Don't. We. All.
-This was probably the grossest season to date.
We got a flashforward at the end of the episode. It was six months later. What did we discover from that?
-Sam is the mayor of Bon Temps. (Uhhh, sure)
-Sookie is with Alcide. He got a haircut. SOOKIE IS WITH ALCIDE. They were calling each other "honey" and "hon" and WHAT?
-Sam wants every citizen of Bon Temp and the surrounding areas to have a vampire chauffeur because there are tons of Hep-V infected vamps roaming the state. (I think)
-Jessica offered her protection to Andy and Adelein because she's feels awful for killing his other fairy daughters. (I love Andy a lot).
-They were testing everyone's blood... to see if they were a carrier for?? Hep-V? I don't know. I didn't understand that.
-Tara fed off her mom. (Gross)
And guys, the thing I am the most angry about. That I wanted to yell at my TV for:
THEY CHANGED THE NAME OF MERLOTTE'S TO BELLEFLEUR'S.
No.
No.
No.
Go ahead, change the story from the book. Don't keep it the same. Make the characters different. Change the love stories, but do not, DO NOT change the name of the damn bar that is the heart of the F'ing book and show. That is just wrong and makes me so angry.
And finally, the thing I have been avoiding and I'm sure you are all thinking "Hey Sarah, when are you going to mention that one part about that one vampire that we all love and whose story they left completely hanging?"
Eric.
He's not dead, you guys. He's not. Pam will save him and we will have our Sheriff back. Because there is no True Blood without Eric. You can't keep annoying characters like Bill and Tara around and not have Eric. It doesn't work that way and the fact that they are trying to make us believe that he was indeed killed off, kind of infuriates me. It's gimmicky and it's lazy storytelling. It wasn't even a heroic death. Eric Northman would not die while sunbathing naked, reading a book in Alaska (or wherever he was). No. Stop it. Don't even try it.
He's not dead. He's just not.
The episode ended with a hoard of Hep-V infected vampires descending upon Merlotte's (I will not call it Bellefleur's and you can't make me) to attack all the humans and vamps there.
Overall did I like the season? I really did. Aside from the Sam/Alcide stuff and a few minor things, I enjoyed the season a lot. Way way way way better than last year anyway. I have no idea what to expect from season seven. I'm not even going to speculate. This show has been so disjointed and all over the place, I have no expectations whatsoever.
So, what did you guys think? Am I alone in my complaints? Did you love what I loved? Was Warlow's love tree the tackiest thing you have ever seen? (Yes.)
Tell me your thoughts. Go.
Friday, August 9, 2013
I Like Books.
I read a lot. You know this. Like, A LOT-A LOT. I like all kinds of books. Young Adult, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Biographies, Sci-Fi, Romance, whatever. If someone suggests a book to me or lends me one, odds are I am going to read it. I have no prejudices with my reading material. Wait. That's a lie. I have pretty much refused to read any and all books by Jodi Picoult or Nicholas Sparks. I don't read to cry. I read to be transported to new worlds, not to become depressed. So, they are always on my "No thanks" list.
So, aside from those two authors, I am pretty much game for anything. I may hem and haw about starting a book (like I did with The Hunger Games) but I will eventually get around to it and love it (like I did with The Hunger Games). Which brings me to the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. The first book (Divergent) came out in 2011 but I first heard about it from my niece, Emily, last year. She was reading it with her friends. Let me do a little sidebar for just a quick minute... for those that don't know; Emily is obsessed with The Hunger Games. She loves that book series so much that she found it really hard (much like how I was after Harry Potter) to pick up and start reading a different book when she was done with it. So that made it difficult for her to get into Divergent. Throw in the fact that the story is somewhat along the same lines as HG and you have a frustrated girl. Long story short, she gave up on it so I didn't give it a second thought. Until. Until I saw that they were making a movie out of it (to be released March 21, 2014). My curiosity was piqued. Then Em's super cute BFF, Jules (who also loves The Hunger Games) kept talking about how fantastic the series was. Then my friend, Bill decided to read it and I was sold. So I broke down and bought the first book.
Quick, basic summary of the story without giving spoilers:
It is set in a Dystopian Society arranged into 5 different Factions. 16yr old Beatrice Prior has to decide if she wants to leave her original faction (Abnegation) or choose one of the other four (Dauntless, Ammity, Candor or Erudite) and move on from the life she has always known.
That's the most simple synopsis I can present you, without giving anything away. I always think the blurbs on the backs of books tell too much of the story when you read them, so I'm not going to quote that on here. Just know that I loved this book and the sequel (Insurgent) a whole heck of a lot. It's not very often that a book or series can get my mind racing and my heart pumping like this one did. Just like with Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games and The Night Circus, I was absolutely, completely enthralled by this story. Immersed in it. It has so much heart and a whole lot of action and it makes you question the type of person you really are. It made me think and it made me connect to the characters so much that it left me hungry for more. It is absolutely similar to HG but it's also very different. The third and final book in the series (Allegiant) comes out on October 22nd. I'm pretty excited about it. They are also releasing a series of four short stories told from the perspective of one of the other characters in the book. I would tell you which character the stories are told from but that would give things away. IF you choose to start the series, you will probably be able to figure it out without googling it.
Anyway, that's today's recommendation. Divergent by Veronica Roth. Also, let me mention that once I finished reading those first two books in her series, I decided to do what any social media savvy gal would do and seek out as much information about her as I could (without being stalker-y) and I discovered that she is 24 years old. She is 24 years old. I know I just repeated myself. That is how much my mind is blown that someone in her early 20's could write such a fascinating story and have it published by the time she was 22. 24 years old and there is a movie being made based off of HER book. HER idea. HER story. Boggles my mind. My mind is boggled. I am amazed and wowed and envious and 100 percent admiring of her talent. So inspiringly awesome.
It also makes me feel like I have failed at life.
Read it.
Sticking with this book themed post...
I watched The Host last weekend. You know, the movie, based on the book, by Stephenie Meyer? I read the book after it first came out. It was a decent read. I would never read it again. It had an incredibly slow start but I ended up really enjoying the overall story. I always thought it would do better as a movie than a book because the story's progression is so slow. Yeah... not so much. Snoozefest. They fast forwarded the story but kept it just as slow and mundane as the book. I liked the characters. It looked good. It was just boring. There were times when I had no clue what the people were saying because they were speaking so quietly. That does not make for a thrilling movie, let me tell you. So, I guess if you were a fan of the book, go ahead and give it a watch but otherwise... ZZzzzZZZZzzzzz
I am currently reading Austenland by Shannon Hale. It's about a girl who is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice and Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy. She goes on vacation to a resort of sorts in England where she is immersed in the world of Jane Austen. I'm only a few pages in so far but I'm enjoying it. Also, they made a movie based on the book last year and it stars Keri Russel (whom I adore).
And finally, the last few chapters of Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban are open on Pottermore. I will admit, I am still in the beginning part of Chamber of Secrets because I got so frustrated with how slowly they were opening the chapters that I kind of gave up. I still love it. I still think it's brilliant but I hate being on a roll and cruising through the chapters, only to get to the end and have the next one locked. I'll get back into it eventually. Maybe I'll wait until Goblet of Fire opens and I'll have some time to cruise through a bunch all at once.
So, aside from those two authors, I am pretty much game for anything. I may hem and haw about starting a book (like I did with The Hunger Games) but I will eventually get around to it and love it (like I did with The Hunger Games). Which brings me to the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. The first book (Divergent) came out in 2011 but I first heard about it from my niece, Emily, last year. She was reading it with her friends. Let me do a little sidebar for just a quick minute... for those that don't know; Emily is obsessed with The Hunger Games. She loves that book series so much that she found it really hard (much like how I was after Harry Potter) to pick up and start reading a different book when she was done with it. So that made it difficult for her to get into Divergent. Throw in the fact that the story is somewhat along the same lines as HG and you have a frustrated girl. Long story short, she gave up on it so I didn't give it a second thought. Until. Until I saw that they were making a movie out of it (to be released March 21, 2014). My curiosity was piqued. Then Em's super cute BFF, Jules (who also loves The Hunger Games) kept talking about how fantastic the series was. Then my friend, Bill decided to read it and I was sold. So I broke down and bought the first book.
Quick, basic summary of the story without giving spoilers:
It is set in a Dystopian Society arranged into 5 different Factions. 16yr old Beatrice Prior has to decide if she wants to leave her original faction (Abnegation) or choose one of the other four (Dauntless, Ammity, Candor or Erudite) and move on from the life she has always known.
That's the most simple synopsis I can present you, without giving anything away. I always think the blurbs on the backs of books tell too much of the story when you read them, so I'm not going to quote that on here. Just know that I loved this book and the sequel (Insurgent) a whole heck of a lot. It's not very often that a book or series can get my mind racing and my heart pumping like this one did. Just like with Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games and The Night Circus, I was absolutely, completely enthralled by this story. Immersed in it. It has so much heart and a whole lot of action and it makes you question the type of person you really are. It made me think and it made me connect to the characters so much that it left me hungry for more. It is absolutely similar to HG but it's also very different. The third and final book in the series (Allegiant) comes out on October 22nd. I'm pretty excited about it. They are also releasing a series of four short stories told from the perspective of one of the other characters in the book. I would tell you which character the stories are told from but that would give things away. IF you choose to start the series, you will probably be able to figure it out without googling it.
Anyway, that's today's recommendation. Divergent by Veronica Roth. Also, let me mention that once I finished reading those first two books in her series, I decided to do what any social media savvy gal would do and seek out as much information about her as I could (without being stalker-y) and I discovered that she is 24 years old. She is 24 years old. I know I just repeated myself. That is how much my mind is blown that someone in her early 20's could write such a fascinating story and have it published by the time she was 22. 24 years old and there is a movie being made based off of HER book. HER idea. HER story. Boggles my mind. My mind is boggled. I am amazed and wowed and envious and 100 percent admiring of her talent. So inspiringly awesome.
It also makes me feel like I have failed at life.
Read it.
Sticking with this book themed post...
I watched The Host last weekend. You know, the movie, based on the book, by Stephenie Meyer? I read the book after it first came out. It was a decent read. I would never read it again. It had an incredibly slow start but I ended up really enjoying the overall story. I always thought it would do better as a movie than a book because the story's progression is so slow. Yeah... not so much. Snoozefest. They fast forwarded the story but kept it just as slow and mundane as the book. I liked the characters. It looked good. It was just boring. There were times when I had no clue what the people were saying because they were speaking so quietly. That does not make for a thrilling movie, let me tell you. So, I guess if you were a fan of the book, go ahead and give it a watch but otherwise... ZZzzzZZZZzzzzz
I am currently reading Austenland by Shannon Hale. It's about a girl who is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice and Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy. She goes on vacation to a resort of sorts in England where she is immersed in the world of Jane Austen. I'm only a few pages in so far but I'm enjoying it. Also, they made a movie based on the book last year and it stars Keri Russel (whom I adore).
And finally, the last few chapters of Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban are open on Pottermore. I will admit, I am still in the beginning part of Chamber of Secrets because I got so frustrated with how slowly they were opening the chapters that I kind of gave up. I still love it. I still think it's brilliant but I hate being on a roll and cruising through the chapters, only to get to the end and have the next one locked. I'll get back into it eventually. Maybe I'll wait until Goblet of Fire opens and I'll have some time to cruise through a bunch all at once.
Friday, July 19, 2013
If I Had A Million Dollars...
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| This kickass photo was taken by Billiam Barker |
It's been one week (still funny and now I have the song in my head) since I saw Barenaked Ladies/Ben Folds Five (I'll get to BF5 in a minute) at Pine Knob with Carrie, Dawn and Bill (Jeffrey was supposed to go too but he came down with his 447th kidney stone. We named him Tedward. It's a long story) and while I had a fantastic time at the show, I have come to the realization that I have been in a BNL depression ever since. I went home afterward and started listening to all their CD's. I watched my DVD of all their videos with the commentary on, listening to them laugh and joke together and I watched a DVD of their Talk To The Hand concert that they recorded in Michigan in 2007. I have listened to a different album of theirs over and over again, every day for the past week. Why? Because I miss it. Terribly.
See, as you all already know (or should know by now because I talk about it all the time), Steven
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| This was in 2005. I'm trying to contain my excitement and not freak him out. |
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| Photo Credit: Bill Barker |
I miss Steven Page. I want him back in the band. I want him up there, bantering with Ed and Kevin and Tyler and Jim. I want him doing his super kick during Brian Wilson and Old Apartment. I want him singing his damn ass off during Break Your Heart. I want HIM to sing along with One Week and I want him to not be a hole anymore.
Whine. Whine. Whine. Wah. Wah. Wah. Don't get me wrong. Ed does a fantastic job carrying the band. He really does, but I can't help it. I miss the camaraderie between him and Steven.
So, if I had a million dollars what would I do with it (not realistically speaking, of course. This is purely fantastical)? I would offer it to Steven Page to rejoin the band. He wouldn't take it but I would offer it. And listen people, I know I sound like a BNL snob and the fact of the matter is I am. I earned the right to be a BNL snob after following them to so many of their shows and loving them so devotedly all these years. I will still love them and I will still go to their shows but I feel better now that I have admitted my sadness over the loss of Steven Page. Sure, it's 4 years late but better to admit it a little late than never, right??
All done with my griping. The best thing about the concert was that Ben Folds Five was there too.
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| Photo Credit: Bill Barker |
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| Billiam took this one too. I love it. |
How about some miscellaneous stuff?
It's real hot out. Yeah, yeah, Michigan summer blah blah. It's F'ing hot and I hate when it's this hot. My tiny house boils when it's this hot and my tiny window air conditioner sweats bullets trying to keep the tiny house semi-cool. Thank goodness for my parents pool.
I'm devastated by Cory Monteith's death. It doesn't matter the circumstances of which he passed away. He was such a talented, handsome dude. It's so sad. He had his whole life ahead of him and my heart breaks for his friends and family. I can't even imagine watching Glee again without him. Absolutely heartbreaking.
I'm obsessed with Pitch Perfect. I can't help but watch it every time it's on. I love that movie.
Good news! I'm totally getting into True Blood again. I hated the idea of Warlow last season but now that (SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!) Rob Kazinsky is playing him, I am all for it. They are starting to flesh out his background and I am totally digging it. Eric is especially handsome this season as well. I love Sarah Newlin and Jason is just Jason. He's the best. I hope it continues on this upswing because that makes me happy.
Has anyone been watching Under The Dome on CBS? It's a miniseries based on the book by Stephen King. I didn't read the book (and have no plans to) but the story is semi-interesting. There are so many actors in this show that you know from one thing or another. The main boy, Mike Vogel (from Pan Am) is the main reason I am still watching it. The last few episodes have been pretty ridiculous but I am thinking of sticking it out just so I can watch him on my TV for a few more weeks.
Every time I see a preview for that Hostages show on CBS; about a Doctor (Toni Collette) who is supposed to perform surgery on the President of the United States but is being ordered by Dylan McDermott's character to kill him, so he takes her family hostage, it perplexes me. How do you make a series out of that?
I realized today that scones are gross. What is the point of them? They have no taste and they just crumble to pieces when you try to eat them. Blech.
Comic Con is this weekend!! I cannot wait to see what the Veronica Mars panel has in store (among other things). One year, I will get to go. Oh yes, one year it will happen. I am missing my G4 coverage like crazy. We love watching it every year with Charley and this year we won't have that. So sad. I will be scouring the interwebs every chance I get to see all the fun stuff there is to see. I love it! Get your geek on, friends!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Fred and Jean
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| 06/27/98 |
First thing we'd climb a tree
and maybe then we'd talk
or sit silently
and listen to our thoughts
with illusions of someday
casting a golden light
no dress rehearsal,
this is our life
Ahead By a Century- The Tragically Hip
The first time I knew Jeffrey was the one for me was when he showed up to my graduation party (06/27/98 the first time we hung out) with a card and a journal. Throughout all of my teenage years I wrote in a journal every single night. I filled pages upon pages of those things. It was a way of working out my frustrations and it was easier than talking to real people about it. Pens and paper were my friends. Journals were my thing. They represented a way for me to express all my hopes and dreams without having to worry about what others would say. I don't remember if I told Jeff all that prior to this or not but the fact that he brought me a simple, blank book meant so much more to me than any
Right from the start we "got" each other. We bonded over hockey and our frustrations with working in the
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| Housewarming Party 09/00 |
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| Engaged! 06/26/01 |
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| Engagement Pic |
It's been 10 years since then. TEN years! It blows my mind that so much time has passed. I still feel like that same 17 year old girl from 15yrs ago. I still get excited when we get to have a date night. It puts a smile on my face whenever I get a text from him. Seeing him with Charley melts my heart and I could not be more
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| Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Scott! 06/27/03 |
So, thank you, to my wonderful Fred. My knight in shining armor; for 15 years of togetherness and 10 years of wedded bliss. Thank you for introducing me to The Tragically Hip and Toad The Wet Sprocket. For taking me to my first Renaissance Festival. For getting me to like country music (even though I groan and roll my eyes when it comes on, I do enjoy it). For showing me how lovely relationships could be. Thank you for giving me the most incredible little boy. For loving me even when I am freaking out and sighing up a storm. For listening to all my complaints and irritations over the years. For being my shoulder to cry on and for putting up with my weird sleep-talking.
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| Welcome, Charley Robert! 05/31/07 |
Most of all, thank you for loving me for me. You brought sunshine and happiness into my world. You are the Han to my Leia, the Westley to my Buttercup, The Ron to my Hermione, the Mr. Darcy to my Elizabeth And the Michael Vaughn to my Sydney Bristow.
You are the Fred to my Jean.
Here is to many, many, many more years together. I love you S'much XOXOXOXO
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
I'm Sookie Stackhouse, and I'm a waitress.
Ahem.
*****SPOILER ALERT if you haven't read it yet and don't want to know any details about how it ends. Stop reading this post but come back and read it after you finish the book and then we can discuss it. Or just scroll down the page to where it says "What else?" *****
I have read this series twice. My favorite (like the majority of fans of this series) is book 4, Dead To The World (I may or may not have read that one more than twice... Maybe. Ok, I have.) where Eric loses his memory, Sookie has to protect him and they finally make sexytimes. My co-worker (what up, Nichole!) gave me the box set of the first seven books for Christmas years ago. I. Ate. Them. Up. I pretty much devoured all of them in a month. I love Charlaine Harris's writing style and how witty she made Sookie. She could read other people's minds but we got to see inside of hers and I thought that was so great. This seemingly ordinary girl is changed forever when she meets her first vampire. Oh, Vampire Bill. I think I liked Bill Compton at first. I always thought he was kind of mean to Sookie. He loved her, I suppose, but I always kind of felt like he treated her more like a kid than his girlfriend, woman, human, whatever. Needless to say, I was quite alright when they broke up. No biggie.
She had lots of other prospects in Eric, Quinn, Alcide, ERIC, Sam (who always seemed like an afterthought, even though you knew he liked her), E R I C. My point is, you knew she wouldn't be heartbroken over Vampire Bill for too long because for 9 books, it was pretty much shoved in our faces that she should be with Eric. Maybe "should be" is the wrong choice of words. It was written in a way where it really only made sense for her to be with Eric. And I loved Eric Northman. Oh, how I loved that Viking. Harris did a phenomenal job of getting her readers to fall in love with the Sheriff of Area 5. When they finally got together for real in the series is when things started to go south. Which, I guess makes sense from a storytelling point of view. You can't have your main character happy and in love the whole series because then there is no conflict but guys, you figured she would be with Eric always, right? Story after story was about them circling each other and eventually always coming back to one another.
Let me move on to some other stuff before we come back to Sookie's love life...
I'll just get this out of the way because it pertains to the TV show as well. I hate the fairy storyline. Sookie is a quarter fairy. A quarter. 1/4. As soon as they introduced her Great Grandfather Niall and changed her heritage, I was irritated. That whole entire part of the series felt to me like Charlaine Harris had a severe case of writers block and just decided to throw some fairies into the mix and see what happened. It never made sense to me. Her Great Grandfather (who was supposedly around to protect her) really only made her life more miserable. The only fairy worth talking about was Claudine because she had a purpose. She was Sookie's fairy godmother. SHE ACTUALLY PROTECTED HER, like she was supposed to. As far as I'm concerned Niall was a pointless character and only infuriated me every time he showed up in the story.
After book 7, All Together Dead (which I loved), the vampire politics got super wonky. Sophie Ann was basically out of the picture, and a bunch of Kings and Queens got blown up in the big explosion in New Orleans. So, that meant all the vampire regimes were being re-constructed. I guess. That's the best I can explain it. Eric had about 47 billion new bosses, all of which I would never be able to tell you their names because I could never keep them straight. All I know is this; he had new bosses which made things more difficult for him and Sookie to be together, which I guess was sort of explained but was explained very abruptly and weirdly. I mean, for a series that explains who Bubba is 3 times in one book (Dead Reckoning) THREE TIMES, I guess they felt we were not smart enough to remember who dead vampire Elvis is (even though we HAD BEEN READING ABOUT HIM FOR 11 BOOKS ALREADY) but definitely smart enough to remember who the entire hierarchy of vamps were in the Southern area of the United States.
Bitter much, Sarah? Nah.
Anyway, It felt to me like Charlaine Harris all of a sudden realized she was getting to the end of the series, needed Sookie to end up with someone she could actually grow old with so she created this bizarre storyline of having Eric's definitely dead maker, Appius Livius Ocella (say that three times fast) bind him into a contract of marrying some Queen whose name I don't even know because that's how little I cared. Oh fine, I'll go look up her name. Hang on... I can't find her name (Natalie has my books, haha) but she's the Queen of Oklahoma. Whatever. Eric was barely in the final book. After 12 books of Sookie and him bantering/bickering back and forth, book 13 had nothing. Maybe a few sentences. Ooooookaaaay.
Going into this last book, I did not have high expectations. I was so disappointed with 11 and somewhat ok with 12, that I was prepared for anything or nothing at all to happen. I also figured with the way that she had obliterated the Sookie/Eric relationship and because of the fact that Sookie used the Cluviel Dor (you know, that ancient fairy object that no one was looking for until book 11 but then somehow EVERYONE knew about it and wanted it?) to save him, that she was bound to end up with Sam. Well, after the narration skipping all over in the beginning (which she had never done before so it was disconcerting at first), we find out that Steve Newlin is back and wants to kill Sookie. Along with Copley Carmichael (Amelia's dad) and Copley's assistant? Also, the devil all of a sudden has something to do with it? They try to frame Sookie for the murder of Arlene (Hey! Arlene's back! ...For a second). They don't succeed. Then they try to kill her. They don't succeed. In the meantime, she gets vampire-divorced from Eric and he moves to Oklahoma and is not allowed to have any further contact with her (End. Of. Relationship.) Bill tells Sookie that Eric told Sam not pursue her since he is no longer in the picture. Sookie put a stop to that. Sam tells Sookie he wants her (DUH), she tells him she wants to take things slow. They have sexytimes. All those dudes who wanted to kill her are dead. The end.
So, to round up that short, short recap; Eric is in Oklahoma. Bill redeemed himself by telling her something bad Eric did. No one (that we know of) is out to kill her. Sam and Sookie are together.
For the record, I am totally ok with her and Sam being together. I suppose it makes the most sense. He has always been there for her. They are partners in the bar. She can't read his mind completely. They can grow old together and she can have his babies. Also, Sam is a good guy. He has always loved her and always, always helped her out. I have never had any issues with him, so it was a decent ending. My favorite part of Dead Ever After is when Sam and Sookie are about to get down to sexytime business:
Sookie: You ready?
Sam: I've been ready for years.
I thought that was really sweet and totally summed up their relationship. It actually made me giggle out loud when I read it.
I just feel like Harris took an extremely roundabout way in getting to this point. Which, I guess is how it's supposed to be in a book series but there was SO much damn filler and so much stuff that didn't make sense to get here. For example:
- That fairy war. Why were they fighting again? And why did those two mean fairies torture Sookie so violently? Because of Niall. Again. Stand up guy, her great grandfather. So glad he was introduced to the series. Can't wait for him in this season's True Blood (Ugh.)
- Hunter. Someone, anyone, PLEASE, tell me the point of Hunter. Deceased Hadley had a son that Sookie never knew about. He could read minds, so Sookie tried helping him. That took up quite a bit of the last few books (except the last book, where he is mentioned once or twice). Why did that character even exist?
- Sookie and Eric were pretty much together on and off for 9 books. The series is 13 books long. That's a lot of Sookie and Eric time. That's a lot of story spent on building up their relationship only to knock it down with a couple sentences. I don't get it.
There is more, but I will probably think of them as I continue to reflect on the series and this blog post or if you start talking to me about it, I will start ranting about something else. But those are the main things that bugged me.
Contrary to my snarkiness and rantiness (those are Sarah Words), I really do love this series. It is extremely flawed but I love the overall story and the feel of it. When you start reading a Sookie Stackhouse book, you feel like you are actually in Bon Temps, Louisiana. You feel like you are sitting in Merlotte's when Bill Compton comes in and asks for "a bottle of synthetic blood" and you feel like you are staring in awe at Eric with Sookie the first time she goes into Fangtasia. It's a good series and it has made me frustrated, it has made me laugh and it has made me really happy and I will always recommend it. Because that's what a good book series does. I'm not sad it's over but I will miss the characters. I know they will be alive (more or less) and well on my TV screen this weekend but I will miss the book characters.
Good thing she is releasing --------------> THIS in October, I suppose. It will give us a better sense of closure. Maybe.
*********************************************************************************
What else?
I read the first three books in the Beautiful Creatures series. I'm waiting for the 4th one to come out in paperback before I start it. I also watched the movie version of the first book. If you can call it that. I know you can't carry every single thing over from the story when it comes to book to movie adaptations but they changed the entire story. I was so furious, I was yelling at my TV the entire time and then by the end of it, I was so disinterested that I couldn't complain anymore. WHY would you decide to make a movie from a book because you like the story from the book and then change every single thing about the original story?!?! It makes no sense to me. Do it right or leave it alone. I don't even mind changes if they make sense. These changes made no sense at all! So very frustrating.
I finally watched Magic Mike. What can I say about it? Well, it's a movie... and Matt Bomer is really, really handsome.
Do you guys realize that it has been 10 years since Dawson's Creek went off the air? I remember watching the finale with Jeff on our honeymoon. I loved that show so much. I was on the phone with Carrie when "A Winter's Tale" (the one where Joey and Pacey finally have sexytimes) aired. We were so enthralled by what was happening on the screen, neither one of us said a word until the commercial break.The main reason I wanted to get a DVR (when they were first coming out) was so I could record the reruns on TBS when they aired during the week. I would come home from work (this was pre-Charley, of course) and eat my dinner, while watching the episodes. I watched the show when it originally aired, of course but reliving it that second time around was much more fun. I knew that Joey and Pacey would eventually be together so I could endure all of Dawson's whining and cry faces. Once, while I was pregnant with C, I was watching the episode entitled "Promicide". You know that one, it's the one where Pacey is super mean to Joey at prom and they break up. I bawled. Of course, I knew it was going to happen. I had already seen it. But my pregnancy induced hormones sent me over the edge and I just couldn't handle watching Joey tell Pacey to go to hell. It made me so sad. But then there is always "Castaways". The episode where Joey and Pacey get locked inside of a Kmart. I never understood how they got locked inside but that's not the point. The point is, it is one of the cutest episodes in the history of television and I absolutely adore it. As you can see, I am 100% team Pacey Witter. I will support anything Joshua Jackson does because of this. So go celebrate this show by watching one (or all) of the episodes mentioned above. I believe they have it on Netflix but I could be wrong. Then we can discuss our favorite Creek moments together.
Also, watch this:
Has anyone ever tried that Air Curler thing that I always see commercials for? If so, tell me if it works.
They should sell packages of just the bottom of the Sundae Cone. You know, the best part of the cone? Where the delicious chocolate is? Sell like 10 in a package. Genius.
Jeff and I need some suggestions as to where we can go for a short weekend trip in Michigan for our 10 year Anniversary. Not too far away and somewhere with a fun downtown area where we can walk around leisurely hand in hand. Ahhhh romance.
How about that Game of Thrones season 3, eh??? I think that Daenarys is quickly moving up to Sydney Bristow territory on my most favorite TV characters list. I LOVE HER.
Here's to summer reading and watching TV, friends!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Thoughts and Snarks
It's Friday and I woke up with a horrible headache, so I just took some Motrin and I drank a large coffee from Tim Hortons very fast. Needless to say, I am feeling a combination of awake/jittery/snarky/wooooo.
So, why not write a new blog post?
I'm going to start this off with some thoughts on last nights Greys Anatomy. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't watched it yet. Let me preface my thoughts by explaining to you all, that I pretty much have a love/hate relationship with this show now. Where it once was full of fantastic storylines and fun, it now has just mere moments of brilliance in each episode. I will usually watch an entire episode and complain about 95% of it. I feel like it is a shadow of its former self and all they do now is steal storylines from other great shows or just recycle ones from their earlier years. Or I could just still be bitter from the fact that Shonda Rhimes killed off my two most favorite characters (Lexi and Sloan) at the end of last season and beginning of this year. Yeah, I'll just admit it. I'm still bitter but I don't think that has anything to do with the fact that last night's season 9 finale was weak. It was predictable and frustrating. Meredith almost died. Again. There was a catastrophic bus that ended up flipping over, catching on fire and exploding. In a torrential downpour. People broke up. Again. Someone died. I think. I suppose that person could still be alive, though it would be absolutely absurd if they were.
Anyway, here are some random thoughts I thought while watching the episode:
-The Bailey storyline is dumb. She's one of the strongest characters on the show. Get your act together, lady.
- Callie totally deserved to get yelled at by Arizona. I was waiting for it to happen all season. She wasn't on the plane last year and all season long she has acted like she was a victim. I'm not saying she deserved to be cheated on but you know, whatever.
- Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital has to be one of the worst constructed buildings on the planet. All that water in the basement? Really?
-Speaking of, whoever did their electrical wiring was an idiot.
-Speaking of, what sane person (let alone a SURGEON) would go into a room with ankle deep water and try to fix an electrical unit?!?!
-A bus crash in front of the hospital? Really? Not only did that bus slide and crash but IT FLIPPED IN THE AIR and landed on it's side, only to ignite and later explode IN A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. It was like they finished the episode, watched it and said "ehh, just throw a bus crash in there for some dramatic effect." Dumb.
-Meredith telling that intern boy how to fix her bleeding spleen? Stop it.
-That poor girl is going to have the worst scars ever on her stomach from her C-section and her bleeding spleen surgery.
-Please be done with the Owen/Cristina baby drama. I'm so over it.
-I really liked the Alex/Izzie 2.0 (Jo) stuff.
-No spare batteries in that entire hospital, eh? Riiiiiiight.
I think that's all my thoughts on that for now. I am sure I will think of more as I keep processing how frustrating it was to watch.
The Vampire Diaries season finale was last night as well. SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't watched that yet. It's no secret that I have been frustrated with this season. Elena was either whining and crying hysterically or being vindictive and mean. There was never a happy medium. I hated the cure storyline. I hated Shane and Silas and I hated the Vampire Hunters. Something just seemed off all season long and that made me sad and disappointed. I realized last night what was missing. ALARIC. Good God, was I happy to have him back and doubly sad when he had to go away again. Matt Davis is so fantastic as that character and the friendship between him and Damon is so believable and wonderful. If they can bring Jeremy back, they can bring back Ric too, right?? Please?!?! After 4 seasons, I finally got my wish and Bonnie got dead. I'm ok with it. Stefan has a doppelganger now... who is Silas? Alrighty. Also, real Stefan is in a safe buried at the bottom of a lake... you know, a la' Angel Season 3. After fighting with Katherine (in a battle reminiscent of the Season 4 Alias episode where Sydney Bristow dressed in white fought Sydney Bristow dressed in black), Jeff and I laughed out loud when Elena fed her the cure. Well played, VD writers. Well played indeed. Also, Elena truly loves Damon. I'm cool with that finally. Also too, Klaus is so handsome. Saving Caroline and telling her that his graduation present to her was allowing Tyler (snoooore) to come back to Mystic Falls and then telling her that he (Klaus) would be her last love. SIGH. Oh, and Rebekah and Mundane Matt are going on a road trip together. Cool? So that's that. We'll see how next season goes without Klaus and Rebekah. I'm nervous for both VD and the first season of The Originals. I'm just not sure how the storylines will hold up but I will keep an open mind.
We still have a lot of other finales DVR'd that we need to watch. Bones, Castle, The Office. I'm worried about watching The Office though because it's going to make me cry. Oh! The New Girl finale was good even if TaySwift had an extremely unnecessary cameo. I love Nick and Jess. I LOVE them.
Some thoughts that I have been thinking as of late:
-I've noticed that my iphone is making me lazy. You know, because of the auto correct, which I hated when I first got this phone but now I kind of love it. Now, whenever I am typing an email (or a blog post), I just expect my mistakes to be corrected without me having to do anything. It doesn't work that way, dummy. Backspacing and making corrections takes so much time, you guys.
-I would like it if people would stop asking celebrities for retweets on the Twitter. It makes you look needy. Also, what is so fun about a celebrity retweeting your tweet that says "if you don't retweet me, my life will be ruined forever!" It's lame, guys.
-I have been reading The Beautiful Creatures series. I have about 100 pages to go in the 3rd book, Beautiful Chaos. It's pretty good. There are lots of things that bug me about it but they are small and overall, I enjoy the story so I will continue on with it.
-I will start the last Sookie book, Dead Ever After this weekend probably.
-You know what's delicious? Mangos. Mangos are really, really delicious.
-You know what makes me sad? Iced coffee with little to no ice. Or when you order an iced coffee and they give you iced tea instead and you don't realize it until you are halfway done with it.
- Head sunburns are the worst. Not only do they itch and peel, they look stupid. And they make people ask you questions like "did your head get sunburned??" Nope. I just dyed my scalp that trendy new "beat red" color.
-I really love it the way C's freckles come out in the sun. It adds to his already out of control cuteness.
-Sneezing while putting on makeup is the worst.
-Little Caesars commercials are terrible. They make me angry with how awful they are.
-Miley Cyrus was named one of the most sexy ladies for some magazine. Is this true? Do people honestly find that girl hot? That completely skeeves me out.
-Why is it (as with parking lots) that if there is a bathroom with 10 empty stalls, and I am in one of them, someone will always, always, always come in and pick the stall right next to me. Why do you want to pee next to me? If I go into a bathroom and there is only one person in there, I always pick the stall farthest away from that person. It just seems like the rational thing to do.
-Don't you love it when you find an onion ring mixed in with your fries? It's like a happy little treat.
-Getting a foot cramp while driving is horrible.
- Has anyone ever actually bought one of those suggested gifts on Facebook? If so, I want to know.
-My sister and I are walking in the Susan G. Komen "Race For The Cure" tomorrow. I would run but you know... I don't run.
-The Motor City ComicCon is this weekend. Lots of fun people are going to be there, including: Norman Reedus, Mickey Dolenz, Shawn Ashmore, Nicholas Brendan and tons more. Sunday is kids day and they get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket. C is real excited about it.
What will you be doing this weekend? Any thoughts or snarks you would like to share with me?
So, why not write a new blog post?
I'm going to start this off with some thoughts on last nights Greys Anatomy. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't watched it yet. Let me preface my thoughts by explaining to you all, that I pretty much have a love/hate relationship with this show now. Where it once was full of fantastic storylines and fun, it now has just mere moments of brilliance in each episode. I will usually watch an entire episode and complain about 95% of it. I feel like it is a shadow of its former self and all they do now is steal storylines from other great shows or just recycle ones from their earlier years. Or I could just still be bitter from the fact that Shonda Rhimes killed off my two most favorite characters (Lexi and Sloan) at the end of last season and beginning of this year. Yeah, I'll just admit it. I'm still bitter but I don't think that has anything to do with the fact that last night's season 9 finale was weak. It was predictable and frustrating. Meredith almost died. Again. There was a catastrophic bus that ended up flipping over, catching on fire and exploding. In a torrential downpour. People broke up. Again. Someone died. I think. I suppose that person could still be alive, though it would be absolutely absurd if they were.
Anyway, here are some random thoughts I thought while watching the episode:
-The Bailey storyline is dumb. She's one of the strongest characters on the show. Get your act together, lady.
- Callie totally deserved to get yelled at by Arizona. I was waiting for it to happen all season. She wasn't on the plane last year and all season long she has acted like she was a victim. I'm not saying she deserved to be cheated on but you know, whatever.
- Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital has to be one of the worst constructed buildings on the planet. All that water in the basement? Really?
-Speaking of, whoever did their electrical wiring was an idiot.
-Speaking of, what sane person (let alone a SURGEON) would go into a room with ankle deep water and try to fix an electrical unit?!?!
-A bus crash in front of the hospital? Really? Not only did that bus slide and crash but IT FLIPPED IN THE AIR and landed on it's side, only to ignite and later explode IN A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. It was like they finished the episode, watched it and said "ehh, just throw a bus crash in there for some dramatic effect." Dumb.
-Meredith telling that intern boy how to fix her bleeding spleen? Stop it.
-That poor girl is going to have the worst scars ever on her stomach from her C-section and her bleeding spleen surgery.
-Please be done with the Owen/Cristina baby drama. I'm so over it.
-I really liked the Alex/Izzie 2.0 (Jo) stuff.
-No spare batteries in that entire hospital, eh? Riiiiiiight.
I think that's all my thoughts on that for now. I am sure I will think of more as I keep processing how frustrating it was to watch.
The Vampire Diaries season finale was last night as well. SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't watched that yet. It's no secret that I have been frustrated with this season. Elena was either whining and crying hysterically or being vindictive and mean. There was never a happy medium. I hated the cure storyline. I hated Shane and Silas and I hated the Vampire Hunters. Something just seemed off all season long and that made me sad and disappointed. I realized last night what was missing. ALARIC. Good God, was I happy to have him back and doubly sad when he had to go away again. Matt Davis is so fantastic as that character and the friendship between him and Damon is so believable and wonderful. If they can bring Jeremy back, they can bring back Ric too, right?? Please?!?! After 4 seasons, I finally got my wish and Bonnie got dead. I'm ok with it. Stefan has a doppelganger now... who is Silas? Alrighty. Also, real Stefan is in a safe buried at the bottom of a lake... you know, a la' Angel Season 3. After fighting with Katherine (in a battle reminiscent of the Season 4 Alias episode where Sydney Bristow dressed in white fought Sydney Bristow dressed in black), Jeff and I laughed out loud when Elena fed her the cure. Well played, VD writers. Well played indeed. Also, Elena truly loves Damon. I'm cool with that finally. Also too, Klaus is so handsome. Saving Caroline and telling her that his graduation present to her was allowing Tyler (snoooore) to come back to Mystic Falls and then telling her that he (Klaus) would be her last love. SIGH. Oh, and Rebekah and Mundane Matt are going on a road trip together. Cool? So that's that. We'll see how next season goes without Klaus and Rebekah. I'm nervous for both VD and the first season of The Originals. I'm just not sure how the storylines will hold up but I will keep an open mind.
We still have a lot of other finales DVR'd that we need to watch. Bones, Castle, The Office. I'm worried about watching The Office though because it's going to make me cry. Oh! The New Girl finale was good even if TaySwift had an extremely unnecessary cameo. I love Nick and Jess. I LOVE them.
Some thoughts that I have been thinking as of late:
-I've noticed that my iphone is making me lazy. You know, because of the auto correct, which I hated when I first got this phone but now I kind of love it. Now, whenever I am typing an email (or a blog post), I just expect my mistakes to be corrected without me having to do anything. It doesn't work that way, dummy. Backspacing and making corrections takes so much time, you guys.
-I would like it if people would stop asking celebrities for retweets on the Twitter. It makes you look needy. Also, what is so fun about a celebrity retweeting your tweet that says "if you don't retweet me, my life will be ruined forever!" It's lame, guys.
-I have been reading The Beautiful Creatures series. I have about 100 pages to go in the 3rd book, Beautiful Chaos. It's pretty good. There are lots of things that bug me about it but they are small and overall, I enjoy the story so I will continue on with it.
-I will start the last Sookie book, Dead Ever After this weekend probably.
-You know what's delicious? Mangos. Mangos are really, really delicious.
-You know what makes me sad? Iced coffee with little to no ice. Or when you order an iced coffee and they give you iced tea instead and you don't realize it until you are halfway done with it.
- Head sunburns are the worst. Not only do they itch and peel, they look stupid. And they make people ask you questions like "did your head get sunburned??" Nope. I just dyed my scalp that trendy new "beat red" color.
-I really love it the way C's freckles come out in the sun. It adds to his already out of control cuteness.
-Sneezing while putting on makeup is the worst.
-Little Caesars commercials are terrible. They make me angry with how awful they are.
-Miley Cyrus was named one of the most sexy ladies for some magazine. Is this true? Do people honestly find that girl hot? That completely skeeves me out.
-Why is it (as with parking lots) that if there is a bathroom with 10 empty stalls, and I am in one of them, someone will always, always, always come in and pick the stall right next to me. Why do you want to pee next to me? If I go into a bathroom and there is only one person in there, I always pick the stall farthest away from that person. It just seems like the rational thing to do.
-Don't you love it when you find an onion ring mixed in with your fries? It's like a happy little treat.
-Getting a foot cramp while driving is horrible.
- Has anyone ever actually bought one of those suggested gifts on Facebook? If so, I want to know.
-My sister and I are walking in the Susan G. Komen "Race For The Cure" tomorrow. I would run but you know... I don't run.
-The Motor City ComicCon is this weekend. Lots of fun people are going to be there, including: Norman Reedus, Mickey Dolenz, Shawn Ashmore, Nicholas Brendan and tons more. Sunday is kids day and they get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket. C is real excited about it.
What will you be doing this weekend? Any thoughts or snarks you would like to share with me?
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