Another TV post

I know I just posted on a TV show.  But I have something else to say.  Actually, a few things.

1.  The last few weeks have been like Christmas when it comes to my shows.  Every week I think I'm getting the season finale, and then there's a preview for another episode.  And each episode of each show (Vampire Diaries and Castle, to be specific) has been meaty and exciting, which is why I keep thinking it's the last one of the season.  It's nice to get decent episodes, and not crummy fillers.  Bonus!

2.  For those of you who watch Vampire Diaries, are you feeling a little down today?  Last night's episode wasn't a bad one, by any means, but after watching it with my friends, we all sat there in silence, wiping our eyes and feeling down.  Usually, after watching, we get giggly and chatty and spend the next hour or so talking and joking.  Last night, none of us were in the mood to giggle AT ALL.  This is very unusual.  It was a relief more than a pleasant surprise that there is another episode next week.  I know there are some who haven't watched it yet, so I won't tell you what got us so down, but I will say, CW, you had better resolve that issue you left us with at the end of last night's episode in a happy way.  Or I will walk away from the show.  Yes, I care that much.

3.  I'm currently addicted to HGTV.  Maybe it's because the shows I record at night are a little dark, but I find myself getting sucked in by people looking for their first house (I yell at the TV "You can't change the layout but a can of paint is cheap!  Buy the house!"), remodeling their dated living rooms, and getting Yard and House Crashed.  It's my dream right now to go to the Home Depot to buy light bulbs and have an HGTV contractor come up to me and say, "May I please redo your dysfunctional eating area/living room for free?"  House Hunters International is another show I really enjoy, partly because they go to places like Italy and look at amazing old farmhouses that have been converted into beautiful living spaces.  Partly I think it's funny that some people are so rich that they feel the need to buy a 5 bedroom vacation home for half a million dollars that they'll use for 3 weeks out of the year.  It's called hotels, people.  Cheaper, low maintenance, amenities, housekeeping.  Maybe if I become ridiculously rich I'll suddenly have an urge to buy an expensive second home in St. Croix.  But for now, my dream is just to go to lots of different places all over the world, and not get tied to one vacation spot every year.

4.  One last thing.  There's something about interesting and unique shows that gets them cancelled.  My friend clued me into a show that was available on streaming.  It's called "The Gates."  It's about an exclusive neighborhood that turns out to be a refuge for vampires, werewolves, witches, and other supernatural beings.  I know it sounds too familiar, but it's quite fascinating.  Think Desperate Housewives with a supernatural twist.  And it was cancelled after season one.  With the event of the DVR, people like me skip over ads for new shows, which makes it difficult to hear about shows until they have already been cancelled for lack of viewers.  It would have been nice to see where they were going with the show.  

A Little Flashback

I just KNOW you are dying to find out my thoughts about the Royal Wedding.  Sorry.  This isn't about the Royal Wedding.  I have some thoughts about Dancing with the Stars.  Or, more specifically, this past week's episode.  It was guilty pleasures week.  Not as dirty as it sounds, I swear.  Except Kendra's samba, of course, but when you put a stripper in a tiny outfit and tell her to shimmy it's bound to be a bit, um, adult.  It was songs you're ashamed to admit you love.  And every single song is on my iPod.  I know, I'm that awesome.  But I digress.  Here's what on my mind:

1.  Ralph Macchio is a class act.  I swear, this season has had more mishaps than ever, and it's only half over.  But usually those mishaps happen to the celeb.  (Marie Osmond fainting, Jennie Garth slipping on her dress, Kirstie Allie's shoe falling off.)  You never really get to see the pros try to recover after they've hit the pavement. It was clear Karina wasn't used to falling down.  Ralph helped her up, counted her back in, and got her where she was supposed to go.  He was super cool under pressure.  Mr. Miyagi would have been proud.

2.  I had forgotten the song "Mmm...Bop."  It was nice to see the Hansen boys all grown up and well-groomed.

3.  I thought it was HILARIOUS that the Backstreet Boys sounded like poop, and New Kids on the Block (or Old Middle-Aged Guys on the Block) sounded decent.  And New Kids' moves were WAY better.  And Joey and that other guy did a little ballroom at the end of their number.  Apparently Backstreet Boys need 10 more years of retirement before they sound okay.  Sidenote:  I missed the 5 minutes New Kids on the Block were all the rage here.  I was living out of the country and went I got back to Utah all I heard about was this boy band that was super lame.  I didn't know what a boy band was, and when I heard "The Right Stuff" I didn't get why everyone hated them.  Go figure.

That's it for now.  

Exciting news

Remember this guy?

Now imagine him as Thorin, leader of the dwarves in next year's "The Hobbit," directed by Peter Jackson.  Yeah, I'm having a hard time with it, too.  Here's what theonering.net came up with on Photoshop and with a little imagination:

 December 2012.  Who's coming with me?

Disappeared

The first trimester of pregnancy is tricky, because you're excited and you want to start shopping for baby stuff and new maternity clothes right away, but if you get spotted in Motherhood, people know your secret and the word gets out.  So I spent the last 3 months anticipating buying some new cute maternity clothes to freshen up my stale and overworn wardrobe.  I spent Monday going from one store to another, only to find that it is impossible to find anything for pregnant women anywhere.  This is in the land of babies.  The places I found clothes in the past no longer carry maternity clothes:  Old Navy, The Gap, TJ Maxx, JC Penney (unless you count one rack of horrid giant panel pants), and Walmart.  Some of these stores carry their maternity clothes online, which is great if you're 5'7" and have the perfectly proportioned waist, even while pregnant.  I have to actually try clothes on.  And yes, there is the Motherhood store in the mall, which has a wide selection of clothing for expectant mothers.  If you want to pay out a gazillion bucks for a pair of shorts.  I am annoyed.  Ross carries maternity clothes, which is fantastic, since the clothes there are inexpensive.  But I don't understand why most clothing stores have excluded an entire clientele type.  Especially here in Utah where pregnant women are EVERYWHERE.  Boo on them.

A nugget of news

Gimme a P!
Gimme an R!
Gimme an E!
Gimme a G!
Gimme an O!

What does that spell?  The reason my brain juices are flowing directly to my stomach and I can't come up with a sentence that sounds anywhere near intelligent!

Catching up...again

Three things:

The Trouble with Trilogies:
Just about everyone has read The Hunger Games trilogy.  The main complaint people seemed to have about it was that, while the first book was fantastic and creative, and the second and third books were poorer versions of the same story.  The hero ends up in some version of the games and overcomes near-impossible odds.  I have found myself stuck in the same cycle while reading Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" trilogy.  I enjoyed the creativity of the first book, "Uglies."  It was a fascinating premise, with the idea that, after the destruction of our civilization (we are Rusties), people developed a system where everyone becomes equally beautiful at the age of 16.  The point is that biologically, people are drawn to beautiful people, which gives pretty people an edge in being hired, being elected, and in overall success.  But something (of course) is wrong with the Pretties, and a group of Uglies are out to solve the problem.  There are actually 4 books, but only three involve the main characters: "Uglies," "Pretties," and "Specials."  Like I said, "Uglies" is fascinating.  The hero goes on a journey out into the wild, meets some new, interesting people, finds herself, and returns to her home with the intent to help improve the world.  And "Pretties" is about the same girl, escaping into the wild, meeting a new group of people, finding out more things to change in her world, and returns to save civilization again.  And "Specials" is about the same girl, finding her true self again, heading out into the wild again, and ending up with yet another group of people who have an agenda, realizes she needs to save the world, and heads back to her home town to make big changes.  It's a little familiar.  I stuck with the books, and now I'm reading the fourth book of the "trilogy."  It's already looking like the new hero is going to head out to the wild and meet some new people. It seems that the purpose of trilogies these days is just that the author wants three times the moola.  Authors, please take a note from J.R.R. Tolkien.  A trilogy could be different parts of the same story told in three parts.  Just a thought.

He's not just good at the crane kick
Can I tell you how excited I am that Ralph Macchio is on Dancing With the Stars?  So excited.  And he was fantastic last night.  Super light on his feet.  And I was stunned when he admitted his age to be 49.  What?  The man looks like he's 25.  And honorable mention goes to Kirstie Alley, who was also super fantastic.  I think I'll be watching this season.

Guilty Pleasure
Okay mom.  You can stop reading now.  Has anyone else watched the first 6 seasons of Desperate Housewives?  I have spent a lot of the last month watching it on Netflix streaming.  Let me tell you what I love about the show.  1.  Four neighbor friends that have different personalities, yet manage to love and support each other through all their trials.  It's heart-warming.  2.  Lynette, a mother of four, is not a perfect mom.  She yells at her kids sometimes, she gets mad at her husband sometimes, and she loves her family more than anything in the whole world.  Plus, she's hilarious.  3.  It's totally over the top, and I love over the top.  ("Lost", anyone?)  For example, a tornado heading right down the center of Wisteria Lane.  Also, the usual soapy stories (babies switched at birth, mysterious murderous neighbors, affairs with gardeners), which, you have to admit, can be kind of exciting.  I'm just saying, it's a fun show.  4.  Despite its soapy tendencies, there are also a lot of situations found in the show that are very relatable:  a friend with cancer whose friends gather around her, a miscarriage, a husband and wife who struggle to make ends meet and end up bickering over it, and motherhood in general.  I have really enjoyed the show.  I'm now stuck waiting for Season 7 to come out on DVD and streaming.  I hear Vanessa Williams has joined the Lane.  Should be fascinating.

That's what's on my mind, peeps. 

A shout out

I don't have a whole lot of time to blog today, but I just finished a fantastic book and wanted to recommend it.  It's called "Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger.  I'm not going to give you a summary of the book for two reasons.  First, because I think sometimes it's nice to start a book not knowing anything.  Discovery is one of the gifts of reading a new book.  Second, because I don't even know how to sum it up.  Instead, I will just give the book an enthusiastic double thumbs up and beg you to read it.  We are having a book group on that very book on March 29th, 8:15pm at my house.  Please read it and come on over.