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. 

If I Had A Million Dollars...

This kickass photo was taken by Billiam Barker

It's been one week. Hahahaha! I wasn't even planning on using that as a pun but it works out so well. I just cracked myself up. Ahem, anyway... Let's try that again...

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

This was in 2005. I'm trying to contain my excitement and not freak him out.

Page was my favorite BNL member. I loved his voice, I loved his glasses, I loved his face, I loved his super kicks and even though I always had the sense that he was probably a big jerk, I really loved his sense of humor. He was my number one. I. Loved. Him. Then in 2009 he had to go and muck everything up and leave the band (prior to this he had been arrested for cocaine possession. Lord). My heart was broken. I was seriously devastated. He released his solo record, Page One, in 2010. I enjoyed it but listened to it with a heavy heart and pretty much stopped listening to my BNL records all together. It made me too sad. Carrie and I saw Steven in concert two days before my 30th Birthday. It was horrible and I was embarrassed for him (see my post entitled TrainWreck for the full details). He hasn't really done a whole lot since that tour. I think he has played some festivals and things of that nature but nothing on a grand scale. I follow him on Twitter and Instagram and roll my eyes at his condescending comments to people and wonder if he will ever not seem like a hole anymore.

Photo Credit: Bill Barker

Prior to last Friday, Carrie and I had seen BNL as a foursome twice since the big breakup. Those two shows were really great. They were a lot of fun and while you knew Steve wasn't there, it wasn't as noticeable as it was this last time. Don't get me wrong, it was still a good show. They sounded great and they were silly and funny like they always are but it was the first time in the history of the 20 something times we have seen them live that we were disappointed with their set list. They played a ton of stuff off their new album. Which I get. I do. You just released a new CD, you want people to hear your new stuff but listen... You are playing with 4 other bands. You have a limited amount of time to play. Don't play all new stuff and only hits (One Week, Million Dollars, Pinch Me) from your previous records. I'm not saying don't play ANY hits because it wouldn't be a BNL concert without Million dollars. I'm saying, maybe throw in some old songs as well. Let's mix it up (like they used to!) and play a different set list every night. And please, please, please, stop singing Steven Page songs. Carrie and I can't handle it. It makes it so much more glaringly obvious that he is not there. Ed has plenty (PLENTY) of  fantastic and wonderful songs that he can sing  to carry a two hour concert, let alone an hour long one. I don't want to hear Tyler scream-sing Alcohol anymore because I love the way Steve sang it and that's just that. After their break up, I think I had a strong case of denial going on. "It's still the same! They are still the same jokey, fun band that they always were! You can't even tell Steve is gone!" I was wrong. I lied to myself to make myself feel better and now I will flat out admit it:

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.

Photo Credit: Bill Barker

Ben Folds, Darren Jessee and Robert Sledge performing at the same venue as BNL. My top two favorite bands. It was like they made this concert for me. Never, in a million years would I have thought that I would get to see these two bands perform during the same show, on the same night. It was really awesome. Ben was charming and goofy and Darren and Robert sounded excellent as always. I love seeing those guys perform live so so much. Every song was spot on and I enjoyed every second of it. My only complaint is that Ben didn't come out to perform with BNL but that is just a tiny complaint. Also... if Ben Folds Five can get back together after 13 years apart, it's possible that Barenaked Ladies will get back together with Steven Page eventually, right?? RIGHT??

Billiam took this one too. I love it.

I know my review of the concert sounds mostly crappy. Truth is, it wasn't crappy at all. I loved it. Boothby Graaffoe opened the show for everyone and Ed, Kevin and Jim performed with him on a few of his songs. Guster came out after him and they sounded fantastic. It was an excellent show, it just made me realize how much I miss Steven. That's not a bad thing, it's just the reality of the situation. I still love BNL. I'm still a huge fan. I just miss the days of yore. Let me wallow for a little bit (it only took 4 years to get me to do it) and I'll be good as new the next time they come around.

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!

Fred and Jean

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

other type of gift. It was perfect and I remember being amazed that a boy could be so nice to me.

Right from the start we "got" each other. We bonded over hockey and our frustrations with working in the

Housewarming Party 09/00

mall. We would talk on aol for hours and hours. I couldn't wait to come home from work and listen for that dial up connection sound of the modem and hear the "You've got mail" jingle. He made me giddy. I remember one of my friends saying that he liked me but I didn't believe them. "He's 9 years older than me", I said. In my mind there was no way a 26yr old, handsome, nice boy would ever like little 17yr old me. But he did and I was insanely happy. I didn't care about the age difference. I was, however, a little worried about what my parents would say. I had an advantage in that my mom already knew him from the mall. They talked every morning and she knew he was a good guy. The night before my graduation party, while balling some melons (melon ballz), Rhonda asked her what she would think if Jeff and I were to start dating. My mom said "age is just a number nowadays. It doesn't mean anything". I couldn't stop smiling. After coming to my party and hanging out for a long time, we made plans for the next day to go to Wendys for lunch and to the mall (of all places) to see Igor Larionov sign autographs. And that was the start of this wonderful relationship that I cherish with all my

heart.

Engaged! 06/26/01

3 years after that party, Jeff took me out to Kensington. After being attacked by bugs on a nature walk (I wasn't friends with the outdoors back then but I am slowly getting better) and taking some Motrin for my horrendous wisdom tooth pain, we ate a picnic lunch by Turtlehead pond and he asked me if I was ready for dessert. "Dessert?" I said. That's when he proposed to me. It was perfect and we were both ridiculously happy. The first place we went afterward was to visit our friend Jill at Comic City and tell her the news. She was thrilled for us. Then we went to my parents house to celebrate with them. We planned our wedding for 2 years. We had lots of time to get all of the little details and everything we wanted just right and

Engagement Pic

on June 27th, 2003, during a ceremony that I blubbered my way through while Jeff remained poised and articulate, we became Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Scott. It was a perfect, perfect day (aside from the photographer. I REALLY hated our photographer). The weather was beautiful,  the food was delicious (the mashed potatoes were out. of. control.) and the music was fun. Having our families and friends there to celebrate with us was the icing on our already delicious cake. Afterward, we came home and relaxed with Logan Lebeau. It was perfection.

We Honeymooned in Stratford, Ontario during the Shakespeare Festival. Most people go somewhere beachy or Tropical or European. We went Canadian and had the very best time. Home of The Tragically Hip and The Barenaked Ladies. The birthplace of Hockey. Of course we went to Canada. We saw some plays, walked around the quaint downtown area, shopped, read some books (I read Order Of The Phoenix. It had just come out days before and Jeffrey read a Star Wars book. We were made fun of hardcore for this, by the way.) and relaxed by the Avon river. We ate breakfast every day at a little cafe down the street that we loved and ate dinner at an Irish Pub called Molly Blooms (which Jeff referred to as Molly McBlooms the entire time), where, when I asked the waitress for a side of ranch and she responded (in her Irish accent) "Not a worry", I never wanted to leave. It was so great and the best way to start our married life together.

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

Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Scott!
06/27/03

proud of the little family we have built together.

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.                                                                                                                          

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

I'm Sookie Stackhouse, and I'm a waitress.

With the season 6 premiere of True Blood coming up on Sunday, I figured I should post my thoughts on the final book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I finished Dead Ever After a few weeks ago. I wanted to give people a chance to read it and I also wanted to process my thoughts on it a little bit before posting about it. I'll let you know those thoughts in a second, but first the obligatory spoiler warning.

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:

Pacey-Con with Joshua Jackson from Joshua Jackson      

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!

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?

 

Better With You

He has his arm around me. !!

My sister, Natalie and I got to meet Kris Allen last night.

In a word, it was; fantastic.

But first, let me back up a bit. For those that don't know, Kris Allen is the season 8 winner of American Idol. It was the last season that all the original judges were on the show (Paula, Randy, Simon and it was also that Kara lady's first season). Natalie and I obsessed over this season because of Kris (also, I haven't watched the show since he won because I feel like it won't ever be topped). I lovingly referred to him as the "Hal Sparks look-alike" and I absolutely, positively adored his voice. And him. He was kind and genuine and always seemed appreciative. I was stunned when he beat out Adam Lambert. Stunned but ecstatic. I remember jumping off my couch and squealing like a teenager. I was SO excited! I loved his first album, Kris Allen and listened to it on repeat (his second, Thank You Camellia is even better).

In 2010, Kris opened up for Barenaked Ladies at Pine Knob (I've talked about this disaster on my blog before). I could not have been more happy to go to this concert. I was thrilled to be able to see him live and so was my sister. Along with Carrie, we got our tickets and went to the show. Kris came out. There were very few people there at this point. Natalie and I stood and cheered and sang and danced. Then we got yelled at by the holes behind us to sit down so they could see the stage. I was appalled. I won't go into my irritation over this occurrence all over again, but just know that we were furious. Natalie was in tears and it ruined the rest of Kris's set for us. Sad times.

And let's be honest here; When would we ever get a chance to see this dude in concert again?

I'm glad you asked. Back in December, I got an email from some concert notification thing I signed up for months ago, alerting me that Kris would be coming to The Ark in Ann Arbor. THE ARK! I have decided that this place is my most favorite place to see a concert. It's intimate and quaint and the people who work there are phenomenally nice. Ridiculously helpful. I love it there. Anyway, Natalie's Birthday was coming up (February 2nd) so I figured these tickets would be the perfect gift. There was a meet and greet option. Do I go with the meet and greet? What would we say to him? What would we wear?! It made me so nervous even considering it. DUH. Of course I go with the meet and greet. OF COURSE!!

The meet and greet started at 6:45pm (the show started at 8pm). We were running late. We got there

at 7pm and saw a line forming outside of The Ark. My guess was we weren't going to have to wait in that line but the doors were locked. So after Nat and I squabbled over who was going to ring the doorbell, I rang it and very smoothly backed away while she told the lady worker inside that we were there for the meet and greet. They promptly let us in (SO NICE!), took our ticket stubs, gave us these neat backstage passes and ushered us up a staircase. We saw another line once we were inside and figured that was the line to meet Kris. Nope! The nice lady came running to find us, "Girls! Do you want your ticket stubs back??" and to tell us we didn't need to wait in line to meet him, that he was just hanging out in the "Listening Area". Just hanging out. In the Listening Area. We walked into said listening area and there he was. Just standing there with his tour manager and talking with two fans. Nat freaked out and wouldn't move from the doorway. I kept my cool and told her she looked beautiful and to pull herself together. When we were driving to the show, I told her that I was hoping he would have a hat on. He did. I was happy. He finished talking and signing things for the two fans he was with and then it was our turn:

(Walking up to him with my hand outstretched) Me: Hi! I'm Sarah, it's so nice to meet you!
Kris Allen: I don't want to shake your hand, give me a hug!
Me: OK!!!!!

He gave me a genuine, honest to goodness hug and that boy is so skinny I thought I would crush him. I told him that he was my Birthday present to Natalie:

Kris Allen (laughing): Woah, wait a second. You're giving me to her?? Am I ok with this?
Me (turning beat red): Yeah, yeah. You're cool with it. You just have to sing to her.

He then picked up a Sharpie and wrote her name on his hand.

Me (to Kris): She's REAL nervous.
Natalie (who hadn't said anything up to this point): ................. Are you kidding me right now???
Kris (to me): She IS really nervous.

I then told Natalie to stand next to him so I could take a picture. (See super cute picture over there). Then I had her take my picture (see super cute picture at the beginning of this post). I asked him if he was enjoying Michigan. He said he loved Michigan and that he was happy the weather was so nice.

He signed our ticket stubs:

 Kris Allen: Sarah with an "h"?
Me (swooning): Yes! Thank you so much for asking!

Then he signed "Happy Birthday" to Natalie on hers and we thanked him and went off, giggling like crazy, to go look at the t-shirts. So. Much. Fun.

Jillette Johnson (like the razor but with a "J") opened for him. She's a lovely girl from New York who was great at banter, had a delightful voice and a fantastic sense of humor. Her first record comes out in June and we had a couple of her super fans sitting behind us. These boys looooooooooooved her. I guess the only downside to the intimate setting of The Ark (it's like being in someone's basement), is that the people/fans can talk/shout/heckle the performers. The one boy kept telling her how much he loved her and every time she tried to set up one of her songs with a story, he would give the story away by shouting out the most important parts before she could get to it. In the words of the girl sitting next to Natalie "Chills, dude". She called him out on it "Dude! You're ruining my stories!" while laughing. It was cute but seriously dude, chills.

When Kris and his band came on stage, everyone cheered and clapped excitedly. He had a little

He's totally looking at me in this picture.

fedora on (wowowow). We were so excited. He opened with "Out Alive" (the name of the tour) and looked like he was having so much fun. He is the cutest little dancer you ever did see and truly seems to love performing. He did a mash-up of George Michael's, "Faith" and "We Are Young/ Some Nights" by Fun. (I held Natalie's hands down so she wouldn't have flashback's of her previous experience at the Fun. concert with Dennis and start punching people). Throughout the tour so far, he would post a picture on Instagram from the city/state he was in and ask for requests for the show that evening. Natalie and I kept checking all day long for the Ann Arbor post but it never came. He brought that up during the show and apologized. It was cute. So instead of taking a new request, they did the one from the previous show which was Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes". It was awesome. Goodness, I LOVE his voice. And his little side smile.

He was great with the crowd. He joked, he laughed and he made fun of a few people. He was relaxed and just in his element. He told us that our week would be better now because we were starting it off with a good rock and roll show and I believe him.

Halfway through the concert, he looked at his hand and said he had a few announcements to make. Natalie got all squealy.  He started making Birthday shout-outs and then before you knew it, it was everyone's Birthday in the crowd. Then this happened:

 He's pointing right at Natalie when you see him say her name. She was ecstatic and my face hurt from smiling. It was SO neat. So so neat!

He sang more songs from his albums (including "Better With You" which I love love love) and a couple new ones (which we were all sorts of happy about) and for an encore, he said he was going to do something he hadn't done on the tour yet (to make up for not doing the Instagram song request) and he did a medley of his American Idol songs; "Falling Slowly" (which I LOVE), "Heartless"and "Ain't No Sunshine". He apologized beforehand and said that it had been 4 years since he did the songs but he did a wonderful job. Such a wonderful job.

It was a great show. Great seats. A great experience. Such great memories.

I love love love being able to go to something that you are so ridiculously excited for and having it go well. The workers were beyond nice, the show sounded fantastic, Kris was beyond appreciative. It was just a phenomenal time all around. I think it's safe to say that Natalie's Birthday present was a huge success!

Now we can look forward to next time.

It's Friday.

This is going to be another one of those posts where I just ramble on and on about what's on my mind. I hope that's ok. If not, that's ok too because it's Friday and at least getting it out will be somewhat therapeutic for me (and let's be honest, that's what really counts, right?? Ha!).

It's been awhile since I blogged. I haven't really felt like it and that makes me sad.

I've been struggling a lot with this whole working mom thing. I've been doing it for quite awhile now, so you'd think I would be used to it and I know I'm not the only mom to have to do it but boy does it get to me sometimes (special thanks to my Foo Foo for talking me through my tiny emotional breakdown this morning, haha).

Everyday this week, I have woken up with the song "I'm Like a Bird" by Nelly Furtado in my head. Every single day. What. Why? I haven't even heard this actual song in years. I don't even particularly LIKE this song. Why is it pestering me upon my morning wake up?!

The Following is my favorite show right now.  Those writers are brilliant. Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy are fantastic and the whole lot of those sad psychos are just fascinatingly creepy.

Carrie and I had a long distance Alias season 2 marathon a couple weeks ago. It was so much fun. I love that show so much... In case you guys didn't already know that... because, you know... I don't talk about it ever on here. Ever. Ever.

The Walking Dead has been great this season. Every episode has been intense and just creatively directed. They have done such a wonderful job taking The Governor (David Morrissey) from a seemingly totally normal dude, right down to crazy town. It was such a natural progression and didn't seem forced at all. I love that. Really though, dude is a nutbag. I'm excited for the last couple of episodes. Also, speaking of David Morrissey, he's supposed to be on Talking Dead with Chris Hardwick after this Sunday's episode and that should be real cool.

Game of Thrones comes back on March 31st. Happy Easter! You'll get to end your day of good eatings and family gatherings by watching those families fight and behead each other and maybe even get to see a dragon family breathe fire on someone. I think that's a great way to cap the Holiday, don't you?

Revolution returns this Monday, the 25th. Excited? Looking forward to it? Meh... sure. 

Barenaked Ladies and Ben Folds Five are touring together. It's like they got together and discussed how absurdly fantastic this would be for me and decided to go ahead with it. Of course, I know that I have nothing to do with their decision making but it makes me happy to pretend that they are doing it for my benefit. They will be at Pine Knob on July 12th and tickets for it go on sale March 26th at 10am. (I also heard BNL's new song "Boomerang" on the river, the day of the concert announcement and I liked it a lot).

I recently re-read The Night Circus. Goodness, I love that book so much. I mean, I really LOVE that book. I get so sad every time I finish it because I don't want to let go of the characters or that world. It's so wonderful.

I'm currently reading The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston. It's pretty good so far. It's about a girl who is arranged to marry this fella and live on his farm with him but there is something off about her (think- Stephen King's Carrie) and she doesn't speak... At all. So they have a bit of a communication problem. Just a bit.

This weather is stupid. Yeah, it's Michigan, blah blah blah. It's stupid.

With 21 days to go,the Veronica Mars Kickstarter Campaign is at 3.7 million dollars. Every time I look at the page it blows my mind and makes me so happy. What kick ass people Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas are. So so awesome.

C's school is celebrating reading all this month. They are encouraging the kids to write their own stories to be submitted and then the school will publish them for all the kids to keep. I think this is such a great idea. I volunteered to type/print out some of the stories and they are so much fun to read. I love seeing the kids imagination at work. There is nothing better than that. Charley turned in a story about robots and I may be biased, but I think it's pretty awesome.

Speaking of my bear, he woke up on St. Patrick's Day and was disappointed that the Leprechaun didn't leave him any chocolate. I was not aware that this was a thing. Why did he even think that would happen? I guess that's just a prime example of how much Holidays get blown out of proportion these days. Sheesh.

Dancing With The Stars is back on. So far after this first outing, I really liked Kellie Pickler and the Disney Channel girl (Zendaya) was good too. I have to give props to Tristan (my Irish leprechaun) and Dorothy Hamill as well because I enjoyed them too. They keep talking about how the ratings are really low and wondering why that is. Perhaps people are just sick of the reality shows? American Idol has been way down too but I think that has more to do with the judging situation than anything else. But then again, people flocked to that celebrity diving competition show for some reason, so who knows? Maybe people are just sick of the tired ways of the original shows and are in need of new, entertaining ways for famous people (or people in general) to embarrass themselves.

I will be on vacation in 6 days. The thought of this makes my heart smile.

I miss Cheeburger Cheeburger.

You know who is a good actor? Nina Dobrev (from The Vampire Diaries). That girl has had to play so many different variations of her character and other characters and she is completely believable every single time. So much so that I can make myself believe that each character is played by a different actress. Almost like they are played by triplets and not in fact, one single girl. She's awesome. Also, she's gorgeous.

Sometimes the absurdity of people make my head spin. I know that's vague. I'm not trying to be annoying. It's just a general statement. Mainly about mean people or people who have no tact. What goes on in those kinds of people's heads?

I would like for someone to tell me how to organize Charley's bedroom. The poor kid can barely walk in his room without running into something. It's a small room and he has A LOT of stuff. We need to condense but that whole process just exhausts me.

I really want to know when Dave and Chuck the Freak and Lisa are going to be back on the radio. I'm still not used to not hearing them on 89X in the mornings. It's weird. Jeff and I used to each listen to them on our ways to work and then call or text each other afterward to laugh about what they were discussing. It's driving me insane that I don't know what they are going to do next and it annoys me that I care so much. So, they need to make announcement soon to quell my irritation.

Does anyone have suggestions on what to pack a picky Kindergartener for lunch? He will only eat bagels. I suppose this is my karma for insisting that my dad only make me a salami sandwich on white bread with 3 ONLY 3 pieces of salami every single day of my schoolhood. He tried so hard to spice it up by making me pizza sandwiches or giving me turkey and mayo and I was not having it. So Dad, THIS is my payback!  You can have yourself a little fatherly laugh at my expense. I'll allow it XOXO

Alright, I am done with my ramblings (if you are still with me anyway). Enjoy your Friday and let's all do a sunshine/Spring/warmweather dance, ok???