Category Archives: TV

NoThanks – Day 5

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I’m trying really hard to keep my eyes open so I’m keeping today’s NoThanks really simple.

I’m thankful for my DVR. It’s made me a better wife, a better mother, and a better person all around. I don’t have to worry about missing a favorite show or an anticipated program. Also, we’ve gotten to where we hardly watch live television anymore because you can’t fast forward through the commercials. DVR’d television, however, is a different story.

But the reason I’m most thankful for my DVR tonight is that I can go to bed and it will record Castle while I’m blissfully snoozing.

 

High Quality Entertainment

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I’m not a huge fan of television – I think it wastes brain cells and steals time, neither of which I have a large supply of – so I don’t get into very many shows. In fact I limit the number of programs I’ll allow myself to obsess over.

So what am I obsessing over right now? Only two of the best shows EVER.

My absolute favorite right now is Castle. It might even be my absolute favorite ever. And because I adore this show so much I’m always surprised at how many people have never even heard of it.

Richard Castle is a charismatic man and extremely successful mystery writer. His mother (a former Broadway star) and his teenage daughter (much more mature and grounded than either of the adults) live with him and the relationships between the three is precious. Kate Beckett is a tough, but compassionate homicide detective who has to “put up” with Castle because of a request from the mayor. She’s loathe to admit what a huge fan of his books she is and even more dismissive of her growing feelings for him.

People, I’m telling you. This show is pure delight. Nathan Fillion plays Castle and he is perfect in the role of charming rogue with just the right mix of self-deprecation and conceit. Stana Katic is ideal as Detective Beckett. And they are so much fun together!

I’m telling ya, best show ever! (Monday nights at 10:00 Eastern on ABC)

And the second best show is…

GLEE. Okay. So it’s not exactly high quality entertainment as my title suggests. But the songs are awesome and the arrangements are brilliant! Some of the plots go from a bit silly to flat out ridiculous, but that’s part of it’s attraction. It’s fairly goofy with a serious issue here and there.

You can watch it on Wednesday nights at 9:00 Eastern on Fox OR you can DVR it (like we do) and watch it any time you want.

There are other shows I enjoy watching, but I would happily give up all television as long as I still get to watch Castle and Glee. Until January. Then I’ll have to throw in Chuck, too.

Just A Few Things

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I finally got a donation button put on my sidebar, but I can’t figure out how to put my progress indicator over there. So I will try to get one of those tickers like Sing 4 Joy has on her blog at some point this week. I am thrilled to say that I’ve received over $1,800 so far!

Did you notice my new picture? I think my family thought I had lost my mind as I shoved the kitchen table around so the light and shadow would be just how I wanted it. Oh, and the big cup of hot cocoa with all the whipped cream I made just for the picture. Of course I had to drink it all, too. Isn’t that the prettiest cup? My sister-in-law, Rachele, gave it to me for Christmas. And it holds a ton of liquid, too! It doesn’t get better than that.

Todd and I went to New Balance in King of Prussia mall yesterday and bought two pairs of shoes each so we can start training in earnest. New Balance is a Susan G. Komen sponsor so not only do my shoes have a cute little pink ribbon, but we received a discount as well. Todd’s not so lucky because his shoes don’t have a ribbon on them.

I’ve decided I don’t want to be Mother of the Year anymore. It’s too much work and it’s not any fun. I think the fact that I made it an entire month AND I have two teenagers is quite an accomplishment in itself. I’m also pretty sure the fact I’ve been rethinking having children – even though it’s nearly 17 years too late – takes me out of the running. They haven’t been bad or anything. They just require too much of me. Do I look like a waitress? Do I look like a personal chef? Do I look like a cab driver? Do I look like an ATM? Do I look like a personal secretary? Okay. So I probably do look like a few of those, but that’s totally beside the point.

After nearly record breaking cold weather we got up into the mid-fifties today! It smelled like spring and was divine! Except the snow has all melted and our side yard is one big mud puddle. Brady came over and the dogs ran around attacking each other. And of course my dog had to jump up on Bill and Laura with her filthy muddy paws. What a little brat. Todd had to give her bath after all that fun. But the worst part about all the melted snow is finding all the thawed out poop. Ick!

I’m watching the end of the Grammy’s. I thought it was a pretty decent show tonight. Jennifer Hudson sang flawlessly with that beautiful, robust voice of hers and had a hard time holding it together when she finished. My heart just hurt for her, poor thing.

So there’s a little smattering of what’s been going on around here. Happy week!

From Russia With Love

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Last night was one of my not so good sleep nights. I blame it on TV and books. Let me explain.

I’m currently reading an epic war-time love story called The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simmons. Here’s the back blurb:


Leningrad 1941: the white nights of summer illuminate a city of fallen grandeur whose beautiful palaces and stately avenues speak of a different age, when Leningrad was known as St Petersburg.

Two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha, share the same bed, living in one room with their brother and parents. It is a hard, impoverished life, yet the Metanovs know many who are not as fortunate as they.

The family routine is shattered on 22 June 1941 when Hitler invades Russia. For the Metanovs, for Leningrad and for Tatiana, life will never be the same again. On the fateful day, Tatiana meets a brash young officer named Alexander.

Tatiana and her family suffer as Hitler’s army advances on Leningrad, and the Russian winter closes in. With bombs falling and the city under siege, Tatiana and Alexander are drawn to each other in an impossible love. It is a love that could tear Tatiana’s family apart, a love that carries a secret that could mean death for anyone who hears it.

Confronted on the one hand by Hitler’s unstoppable war machine, and on the other by a Soviet system determined to crush the human spirit, Tatiana and Alexander are pitted against the very tide of history, at a turning point in the century that made the modern world.

Mesmerizing from the very first page to the final, breathtaking end, The Bronze Horseman brings alive the story of two indomitable, heroic spirits and their great love that triumphs over the devastation of a country at war.

It’s the kind of story that gets into your mind and won’t let go. The characters won’t leave me, I hold my breath as they endure the bombings and the lack of food, I’m fascinated by the culture and I’m enamoured by the beautiful images and horrified by the terrible scenes the pages paint. Lucky for me it’s the first book in a trilogy. Unfortunately, this first paper back is nearly 900 pages.

And to add to the intrigue of the book is the fact that, while the author was born in Russia, she has lived in the US since she was ten. Okay. That’s not the interesting thing. The interesting – and very frustrating – thing is that her books are NOT AVAILABLE IN THE US! What’s up with that? Or if they are, they’re usually very expensive. I was lucky enough to have a friend mail it to me, but this is the kind of book I want to call my very own.

Okay. Enough of that rant. Let’s move on.

*Edited to add – I just ordered all three books from Doubleday Bookclub. They were 20 cents each. Of course, now I’m a member of the Doubleday Bookclub. But is that so bad?*

Katie was sick yesterday so she stayed home. Gilmore Girls was on from noon until nearly 6:00. Lorelai and Rory, Rory and Lorelai, sassy banter, sarcastic wit, All.Day.Long. Not that that’s a bad thing. I’m a fan so it wasn’t a trial or anything.

The problem, however, was that I dreamt about the Gilmore Girls in Russia the entire night. I can’t even tell you any more than that. Just that the Gilmores were in Russia and were speaking with Russian accents. And then I would wake up and try to compose the blog post I was going to write about the Gilmores in Russia.

Why is it the posts I compose while I’m semi-conscious are brilliant, yet when I surface to full awareness the brilliance slips from my grasp and all that’s left is the mundane?

I Can’t Believe I Said That!

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Yesterday I turned on the 5:00 news to see a horrific sight. You may have even seen it on the national news. A large, luxury condominium complex in Conshohocken was destroyed by an 8 alarm fire. Apparently it had been going on for quite some time when I started watching and by then two entire buildings were completely leveled and a third was in blazes. Thankfully the first two buildings were under construction and not occupied.

Unfortunately it went on to severely damage three occupied buildings leaving 400 people homeless. Eleven firefighters were injured, but at this time I don’t think any of the injuries are serious. It’s amazing to me that not one resident was injured in this tragic fire. Sadly, there were animals who were not able to be rescued – pets whose owners weren’t home at the time. The firefighters did manage to rescue the majority of the pets, however, and the animals are waiting to be reunited with their owners. It is heartening to know how the community has stepped up. Several hotels and private homes are taking in the displaced residents with special consideration given for pet owners.

So as I said, I turned on the TV and was greeted by these tragic scenes and do you know what came out of my mouth? I seriously don’t ever talk this way and I’m still stunned I actually said this. Taylor looked at me in obvious shock because I don’t think he’s ever heard me say something like this. As soon as I blurted it I wanted to take it back. I clapped my hand over my mouth and felt shame and not just a little embarrassment. Some of you may speak this way on a regular basis and I’m in no way judging. It was just so out of character for me and I’m a bit concerned as to what this says about me.

I said…

Are you ready…

Please don’t judge me…

I said…

Golly Gee!

Seriously! That’s what I said and I wasn’t being cutesy or silly or anything! I said it with all the feeling of terror I had in my heart!! Who talks that way??

When Taylor recovered from his shock he said in his best Eddie Haskell voice, “I know. That fire is not very neato!”

****

Channeling Sandra Dee aside, today is day four of Weight Watchers: The Senior Project to the Follow Up to the Sequel, Part VII. So far so good. I feel confident that this time, THIS TIME, I’m going to lose all the weight I gained on chemotherapy and various treatments and surgeries since then. And maybe another 10 or 15 pounds. What’s different this time? Well for one thing every morning I’ve committed my eating and exercising to the Lord and so far I’ve succeeded.

Another difference is my reward system. Every single time I’ve been on a diet (for lack of a better word) in the past I rewarded a certain amount of weight loss with a food I’d denied myself. Not so this time. This time I’m getting my hair cut after the first 15 pounds. I’m not talking about just a trim and I certainly won’t be denying myself hair color because it could take a while to lose 15 pounds and there’s no telling how many kids I would scare in the meantime. But when I hit the first 15 pound mark I’m getting my first real hair cut since it’s grown out after losing it all. I think I know how I want it cut and it’s proving to be pretty good motivation.

I did have a dream last night that I weighed in (which is kind of odd because I’m doing W.W. online and not attending meetings) and I lost 30 pounds my first week! If that were the case I could get my hair cut AND, oh, I don’t know. I haven’t thought forward to my next reward. Any good ideas?

Alright. I’m off to eat some yogurt and get in some exercise for the day.

CIAO, friends!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

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I’m going to be very busy this weekend doing nothing. Seriously. I have the pleasure of a ton of alone time and I’m going to fill that time with flicks of the chick variety, books and computer. Coffee will be flowing freely and I may even throw in some Vermonty Python ice cream for good measure. I’m not going to go totally crazy with the eating, though.

I’m picking the kids up from school and taking them directly to church where they will get on a big bus and head to Harrisburg for PCTC – Pennsylvania Christian Teen Convention. They went last year and it was an awesome experience for all the teens.

My only glitch in the whole Weekend-To-Myself plan is another stinkin’ cold. It’s not a terrible cold. Mostly a full head – scratchy throat, plugged up ears, postnasal congestion. That sort of thing. But it made me miss Home Team this morning and I’m not happy about that! I drove the kids to the bus stop because it was about 12 degrees outside with a decent windchill and when I went upstairs around 7:20 to start getting ready I decided to lay down for a few minutes since I had plenty of time. The next thing I knew it was 9:10. Home Team starts at 9:00. Then I rolled over with the intention of getting up and making it for at least half of bible study and the next thing I knew it was 10:00. So I gave up. But I feel the loss of connecting with my Homies.

Oh wait. There may be another glitch. We’re supposed to get some snow and possibly ice tonight which means I’ll have to shovel the drive way tomorrow since my snow blowers will be in other parts of the country. That will cut into my indulgent plans and I’m not thrilled about that. But oh well.

But I am looking forward to having the remote control all to myself. I’m looking forward to catching up with all my blog buddies without hearing someone say “You spend more time with people you don’t even know than you do with us.” (I’ve never actually heard anyone say that, but there’s always the risk.) I don’t have to prepare any meals, do any laundry, be nice to anyone… I’m excited.

Both the kids asked me if I was really happy they were going away. Geesh. They make it sound so horrible when they put it that way. I told them I was thoroughly looking forward to some time alone, but that by Sunday I would be so happy to have them back. Hopefully I didn’t damage them any more than I already have. Driving Taylor to the bus stop in my pink robe and then cuffing him upside the head for messing with the buttons in the car in front of some of the neighborhood girls did enough of that.

And trying to pretend our life is a musical after watching Dream Girls and singing our conversation with a little dance move thrown in here and there seems to really bother him. Not Katie, though. She just plays along. OH! That reminds me of when she was very young – probably around four or five, maybe a little older. I would tell her to go clean her room and then spy on her from around the corner. She would walk around the room very dramatically, singing, “My mother told me to clean my room, but I don’t want to-o-o-o-o-o-o. Why must I do these things she asks of me-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e?” It was hysterical! I so wish I would have gotten that on tape. She was starring in her own little version of Katierella or something. So funny!

Back to all of my family being gone. I suppose I could have lied to them and tell them how sad I was going to be, how miserable my lonely weekend would be, how I would probably spend most of the time crying, blah, blah, blah. But they would have caught on pretty quickly and lying is just wrong.

Lucky Todd gets to see his new niece and nephew – The Pretty Princess and Tank. Or Olivia and Nicholas. I’m very jealous. VERY JEALOUS! They are so cute! We’re going to California for Christmas (in Palm Springs) and I’ll get to see them then. But this very weekend — nay, this very day he’ll get to hold them and squeeze them and munch on them… Jealous I am. (I talk like that because I’m part hobbit. Remember?) My mother-in-law cracks me up because she’s so worried my children will think she doesn’t love them any more now that she has two new grandchildren. How wrong she is, but I can’t figure out how to convince her of that.

Ooo! Look at the time!! It’s almost time to pick up the kids!!

Ciao!!

What’s Been Going On

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Wednesday night Todd and I went with Ben and his fiance, Katie (not to be confused with our Katie) to a Shane and Shane concert. For those of you who aren’t familiar with contemporary Christian bands you probably have no idea who they are. They’re a pretty awesome accoustic (mostly) band and a lot of fun to see. David Nasser was there as well. This guy is a great speaker and what a story he has to tell! He was born in Iran, saw his father dragged from his house and had a gun held to his own head when he was 9. Somehow his family managed to escape to America after that. He went to church with a high school buddy when this friend told him the five hottest girls at school went to the same church. He eventually became a Christian and is a very funny, gifted speaker with quite a powerful message. There’s a ton more I could say about him, but I won’t. Just suffice it to say that our “Valentine’s date” was great!

Friday night we watched the fourth disk of season one of the Gilmore Girls. I had to keep asking myself, “Gilmore Girls or Prison Break“? You know, my two favorite television shows are LOST and Desparate Housewives. Those are the two shows I don’t like to miss. Every other show on TV I can do without. I’m pretty sure I could draw comparisons there, too, and maybe narrow down my favorites to just one night a week. Nah…

Saturday morning was the quarterly ladies’ brunch at church. What a bunch of fun that is! I’m a little sad I have to wait three more months for the next one. After that Todd and I went walking at the park. I thoroughly enjoyed it except for the fact it was around 30 degrees and a bit windy. It was my first taste of being ready for Spring.

Everybody is off tomorrow and I have no idea what we’re going to do. All the stuff I’d like to do is outdoor stuff and it’s too cold for that. Movies are expensive and the Camden Aquarium (like I’d been thinking about) is going to be mega-crowded. The kids are harder to please now that they’re getting older. Gone are the days of driving to the really cool looking gas station with the Espresso Bar inside and giving them a thrill. Heck, it’s even lost some of its appeal to me.

OH! Katie and I bought about 50 pounds of candy on Friday for our DVDathon and I found a green bag of nothing but green M&Ms. If you don’t know the significance of green M&Ms – and it’s not because St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner – you can read about it here. There’s a hoochie-mama green M&M on the front and it says, “The New Color of Love”. But that’s not the funniest part. In smaller letters under said hoochie-mama it says, “Sweetie… it’s all true.”

When we got home I told Todd I had a surprise for him. After pulling the Milk Duds and Twizzlers and Sour Gummy Lifesavers and Goobers out of the bag (and I can’t figure out why I’m not losing weight) I pulled out the M&Ms and threw him the bag. His first words were, “I don’t need these!” Silly boy. I bought them for me.

Prison Girls or Gilmore Break

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I mentioned on Friday that Todd and I were going to watch Gilmore Girls that night, but instead we watched Ben’s first season of Prison Break. Which, when you think about it, is the same show with a different backdrop.

Gilmore Girls – Two attractive brunette relatives.

Prison Break – Two attractive brunette relatives.

Gilmore Girls – The younger of the two attractive brunette relatives is a genius.

Prison Break – The younger of the two attractive brunette relatives is a genius.

Gilmore Girls – These two attractive brunette relatives reside in a quaint, charming community.

Prison Break – These two attractive brunette relatives reside in a quaint, charming community. (Have you seen what Martha Stewart was able to do with her cell?)

Gilmore Girls – The quaint, charming community of the two attractive brunette relatives is home to several quirky characters.

Prison Break – The quaint, charming community of the two attractive brunette relatives is home to several quirky characters.

Gilmore Girls – The two attractive brunette relatives very rarely, if ever, leave their quaint, charming community.

Prison Break – The two attractive brunette relatives very rarely, if ever, leave their quaint, charming community. (Granted, we’re only on disk 2 of the first season.)

Gilmore Girls – Romance among people in the quaint, charming community is not an uncommon theme.

Prison Break – Romance among people in the quaint, charming community is not an uncommon theme.

Gilmore Girls – Walking is the preferred method of transportation in the quaint, charming community.

Prison Break – Walking is the preferred method of transportation in the quaint, charming community.

I’m sure there are other, more obvious similarities, but you see what I mean. It’s the same show, just dressed a little differently.

Ho Hum

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I don’t know what my deal is, but I haven’t been able to write a thing. I’ve been working on my Lake Perris post and my 2005 Race for the Cure post and neither one of them are fit for publication. I compose brilliant, award-winning narratives in the shower, in the car, while I’m washing dishes, as I’m getting ready in the morning, but when I sit down to actually write I draw a complete blank.

Taylor and his girlfriend, Kristen, attended the Winter Ball last night. He was handsome and she was, as usual, beautiful. As we drove to her house before the dance I asked him if he was excited. His answer was such a Todd answer I had to laugh. I’m looking forward to it okay, but it’s really about Kristen. I just want her to have as good a time as she’s hoping for. That was a proud mama moment to be sure. Turns out she did have as good a time as she was hoping for and Taylor had as much fun as she did.

We bought Katie the complete series of the Gilmore Girls. She’s been going through it at an incredible pace. Todd has caught a couple episodes and he has fallen under the spell. So last night he and I watched the first three episodes of season one.

He is officially a fan of a girly show. In his defense, though, it is just so darned funny! He tried to swear me to secrecy, but I told him I couldn’t keep this to myself. It begged to be blogged about. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t stop from telling everyone. So now you know.

After running all over the place yesterday and our typically busy Sunday schedule, I’m looking forward to a day of doing nothing much tomorrow. Both Todd and the kids will be home and about the only thing we have planned is an early dinner at the new Ruby Tuesday by us. That and sleeping in late.

Until next time…