Downton Abbey, you blew it.

Or someone behind the scenes of that monstrous estate blew it.

Downton Abbey had joined the ranks of many audio visual programmes that had my heart.  Some others that had previously attained such status are:

Sense and Sensibility
Pride and Prejudice
Anne of Green Gables
While You Were Sleeping
The Office
Dan in Real Life
Singing in the Rain
The Sound of Music
Moonstruck
Gilmore Girls

Anyway, these shows have all winkled their way into VIP status, dripping with good memories (surely enhanced by the people I love who joined in watching these movies/shows with me).  As I've said before, I watched Downton Abbey during chronic Jude nursing times, watched them with my mom, watched them with Jeff, watched them alllll the time.  I loved it.  I loved the chemistry betwixt Matthew and Mary, Mary reminds me of my cousin Erin, kindnesses shown by and to Mr. Bates gave me warm fuzzies, Robert's squeamishness was funny and his close relationship with Cora was sweet.  I loved the 3 sisters thing, as I obviously also come from a family with 3 girls (now 4 with our amazing SIL Kacie).  And duh, it's a period piece series, and I'm a girl, so I was destined to love it.

Season 2 -- also good.  I didn't like the Branson/Sybil thing; he diminished her work as a nurse as "handing hot drinks to a bunch of randy officers" when she brought it up as a road block to them being together (RUDE).  I didn't like Robert's almost-affair with Jane.  I didn't like a few other things, but hey, nothing's perfect.

Then Season 3 crashed and burned, and someone poured horseradish and cubed bites of Spam all over it.  And then left it out in the Vegas summer sunshine for 3 days.  And now (sigh) I don't see how I can go on.

Ways that it ruined itself:

- The biggest reason, is the 2, possibly 3 major character deaths.  I read that Maggie Smith, the backbone of Downton humor, would not be returning for a 4th season.  That would be a pity but it would be easy to pull off -- she's no spring chicken and life expectancy was not incredibly long back in them days.  I could've let that loss go with an understanding heart.  But when Sybil, AND Matthew both want out of the series to pursue other roles, you don't kill them off and carry on with a crap show.  You END THE SERIES.  Downton Abbey, like the show LOST, was only expected to go a season or 2.  Then it became a smash hit, and so they kept going because, hey, aren't we all here to make money?  But without Matthew, Sybil, OR Lady Violet, the show just CAN NOT be any good.  You can't have them all move to America, you can't kill them, you just look at the glorious 3 seasons of critical acclaim and cash that came in hand over fist, and you say, "Hey, it's been a good run.  Let's call it a day."  END SERIES.  But I'm assuming the powers that be wanted to squeeze some more money out of Downton fans, and thus kept going.  Understandable in a way, but the minute Sybil died, a huge part of the show's lovability died too.  I sat with my jaw dropped all the way down to the floor when blood trickled from Matthew's non-functioning ear.  Horrible, horrible, horrible.  The show just could not recover from that.

Just to be a little more specific, as if Sybil desperately passing away as her loving family watched helplessly was not heart wrenching enough, hearing her newborn daughter cry from down the hall, that was "just beyond" (as a drunk Reese Witherspoon is known to say).  No more trio of sisters, a big hole was left.

And they decided killing new parents is awesome, because watching Matthew hold his new precious baby and then in his excited state drive recklessly to meet his doom -- i just can't even handle it.

"They" must have sensed the uproar this would cause, but decided the uproar and compromised path of the show was the better choice.  Why, I will never know.

I did read an article that talked about how Mary was getting boring as a happy housewife, which could be true, but it would be impossible to watch her as the widowed mother trying to find love again.  Nope, there will never be another besides Matthew.  They were MFEO.  If Mary was getting boring, again, END THE SERIES WHILE IT'S STILL GOOD.

- The new characters are obnoxious.  Especially the niece that is a bit of a trouble maker.

- Bates and Anna as a married couple were totally impossible to wrap my mind around and made me dry heave.

- Lady Edith -- come on, guys.  You were EXCESSIVELY cruel to her.  Being left at the altar?!?!?!  Then being loved by a MARRIED MAN????  You gave her not one muscle for her to hold her head up.  And I didn't even like her very much, but still felt that it was over-the-top-unkind.

- There were some responses to different issues that were in no way culturally accurate of the time.

- The general classiness of the show just started to deteriorate.  I felt like it was getting a little too close to Grey's Anatomy, even before all the death.

In sum, you lost me, Julian Fellows.  I'm sorry, but it's true.  And since Jeff would have only watched it at my urging, you lost him too.  Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it.  The Police and Jerry Seinfeld had it right -- stop while you're at the top of your game.

The End.

TV

1. Avoid these movies like the bubonic plague:

• Hemingway and Gelhorn (awkward and flat)
• Pitch Perfect (obnoxious and flat)
• Broken City (horrible and flat)
• The Hatfields and the McCoys (depressing and flat)

2. I'm still on a Mindy Project kick.  Jeff never saw this invasion of Mindy Kaling coming.  I can't help it, I love it.  Jeff surprised me with her book and it made me chuckle out loud, I related to some of the things she had to say, and despite a few bad words it was a great, quick little thing.

3. See below for more details, but after nixing Thomas the Train from our house, Jude's riding the Bob the Builder wave.  When the theme song comes on he gives me his "OH MY GOSH!" face, and then shakes his booty.  It is perfect for him.  Construction cars and heavy machinery galore.  Plus, it showcases a couple (Bob and Wendy) that work well together, and they get into specifics of Bob's contract jobs.  "I was up all night laying linoleum in City Hall!" or "We still have to install the pergola and fence!" Jude thinks all those projects are awesome.  We turn it on as we do diapers/get dressed/breakfast in the morning, and if there's time before bed where we're waiting for Jeff to get home.

4. Thomas the Train -- what the heck??  As a teen, when I babysat children who watched that show, (then narrated by Ringo Starr) it just seemed creepy.  Then when Jude wanted to watch it, and I started paying attention to the dialogue, it was all sorts of horrible. Forget the fact that it uses really cheesy phrases endlessly. It is, in every episode, all about a bunch of insecure, scene-stealing, jealous, passive-aggressive, gutless anthropomorphic trains.  And I hear myself say these things and know I must be crazy, to be so wound up over a kids' show, but who is writing this stuff???  And for kids?? The characters are constantly being rude and condescending to each other, and then ruining things by trying to sneakily get ahead of the other trains, and when they are caught and chastised, they say "Oh dear, I am not a very useful engine."  THE END.  And next episode, start it all over again, because no one in this show can do anything else besides be lame-o.  It's been banned at our house, because it's so obnoxious, and I can't think of a single thing I want Jude to take away from this show about idiot locomotives.

5. Downton Abbey.  Sigh.  I am just now able to write about this.  First season = gold.  Second season = gold.  I waited impatiently for Season 3, which turned out to be the season that saw a parting of the ways.  For Lady Sybill, Matthew, reportedly Lady Violet, and (sniff sniff) me.  I don't think I can bear to watch Season 4.  

But actually, this deserves its own entire blog post, for there is much to say.  And right now I'm sleepy.

6. I'm also on an on-again, off-again Gilmore Girls stretch.  How many times have I seen each season now?  I don't know, but it's a lot.

7. The Office.  It's been horrible for the last 2-3 seasons.  They had to start trying much too hard, stretching things much too far, and I only hung on this season because it was the last.  But I will say that when Steve Carrell made his cameo in the finale, I was suddenly tearing up!  I know, I know, I surprised even myself.  Oh wait, I cry at the drop of a hat ever since having a baby back in 2011.  I think I cried because I love the idea I have in my head of who Steve Carrell is.  One of my favorite movies is Dan in Real Life, a movie in which he is a totally hilarious sweetheart.  And in Mindy Kaling's book she goes on and on about how kind and warm he is, and how patiently and graciously he works.  I think I've started to think of him as a version of an uncle.  My family and I used to religiously watch Seasons 1 and 2 the summer before my mission, and that's made it sentimental.  Anyway, there you have it, it got to me all over again.  The show wrapped up nice and tidy, and even though I winced through a few seasons, the finale resonated with my tear ducts.  

The End

Things I'm Loving Lately

1. The Californians skits on SNL: Jeff and I can not stop watching them over and over and laughing our heads off.  Sometimes I talk to Jeff like Kristen Wigg's character.  What will we do without her?? Is she "off" SNL now???

2. Satellite Radio: With my car came a free 3 month trial of XM radio.  I am almost planning my errands around Dr. Laura's 11:00 a.m. show.  Mostly I love hearing her destroy her devout followers. I enjoy the dead silence after she pulverizes someone with a simple "Should you send your grandchildren birthday presents even though your daughter won't talk to you??  For goodness sake YES!  Sending birthday gifts is a nice thing to do!!  Why wouldn't you??" I also appreciate her traditional views and "No whining" attitude.

I also was listening to the Oprah radio channel the other day (it replays popular episodes) and found myself roped into an interview with an Indiana woman whose ex-abusive-husband tried to kill her, and nearly succeeded, and the officer who found her.  It was a very heroic and compelling story and just wrapping up when I returned home.  I had to know about the ex-husband's comeuppance.  At the time I was in the middle of refinishing a dresser in the garage, so I opened up all the car windows, cranked the volume, opened the garage door, and worked on the dresser a bit while I listened.  Unfortunately the officer went on and on about how to get out of an abusive relationship before depositing the story's final nugget.  I'm so glad all of our neighbors are at work all day or they'd probably assume Jeff beats me and that's why I was listening so faithfully.

3. This picture:

It popped up in my inbox the other day and I laughed big time.  Oh, engaged people.

4. This:

Actually, just kidding.  That's gross.  What is he, 60??  But I texted this screen shot to Jeff because when www.people.com deals with french no-lebrity news, he must be informed.  And I always love texting Jeff.

5. IKEA: We got 4 dining chairs and 2 barstools last Saturday for an Ikea price, and when Jude beats them to a pulp I won't pull my hair out.

6. I finally painted the back of the glass kitchen cabinets and am 150% pleased with the result.  It took very little time and $15 for the paint.  I just wanted the ceramics to not be lost in there.  Done and done.

BEFORE

AFTER

7. This is the dresser I refinished while listening to Oprah:  

Darn it, no "before" picture.  It had been the lightest wood with ghastly handles.  These handles aren't amazing either but the holes weren't spaced in a standard fashion and these fit.  "Anthro" is just not going into the budget for this.  It's going into Jude's room once we get the energy to haul it upstairs.  I have decided I'm not crafty but I love refinishing furniture and painting large surfaces :).  So if I ever have a daughter I'll have to buy her headbands but her furniture will be enhanced and fancified by moi. 

Last Weekend

Yes, this is my son crawling on the table of a restaurant last Friday night.  That was the last time we will take Jude to dinner with us, even if it's before bedtime and he's taken good naps!  He was just born to wiggle and scream if wiggling is not allowed.

Speaking of naps, Jude is doing funny things with his, resulting in maybe 45 minutes of sleep for him a day, which is resulting Mom-o-la going BOOOONKERRRRRS!

Luckily he is doing cute things to compensate.  However I am not giving up on the naps.

Also, my Dad had a birthday on St. Patrick's Day!  We celebrated with the traditional corn beef, cabbage, and ginger cake!  Erin Go Bragh!  (And cue our Scottish ancestors spinning in their graves.)

Other than that, Jude is close to walking, finally drinking from a straw (I have random reasons for really working on that with him that I'm too lazy to explain), we're redoing the to-be guest room that for the last 2 years has been a "storage dump room" with poop colored two-toned walls, Jeff is finally watching Downton Abbey with me and while he won't admit this, I'm 100% sure he sees its value.  

Today is just one of those days.  This is Grump-a-tron Meredith, signing off.

Time Out from HI

• Hair dilemma: I am in such a hair slump, and if you're me, that is saying something.  My bangs are longer than they have ever been and part of me would like to just have long hair without stubs stuck to my forehead.  BUT, I do love bangs, obviously I do or this wouldn't be the longest I've gone without them in like 5 years, and they hide my forehead wrinkles.  On the other hand, Jude yanks my hair and I have to put it up.  Would it be cute up with bangs?  I'm not feeling like it's so cute now.  

If you have an opinion and can bother to click out of your google reader, please give me your vote betwixt these two styles (and yes, of course I will live my life with that overdone pout on my face if I decide not to cut bangs):

• Jude has sticky fingers.  I swear he is propelling himself into crazy land.  I am learning that nothing is out of reach for him.  At Faye Barttels' 1st bday party I had a slice of cake on a plate, I thought, far away from him.  He lunged and snatched the whole piece and shoved it into his face.  He ate most of it, too.  Similar scenarios happen far too often -- and I'm being so careful!   While he perches on my hip he will casually lean and knock things over.  It reminds me of Rupert from Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels tipping vases off the mantle to cause trouble.  I grit my teeth and remind myself he doesn't do it to upset me, he's just so sly about it I can't help but wonder.  

• The MyFitnessPal app is pretty much dreamy.  My sisters and I have been buddying up and working with this app for a few months.  Sometimes I get lazy about it but it is probably the best one I've ever come across.  Having "friends" on it with you helps with the motivation, and it has the best food library.  I've been making a lot of smoothies from the book Revive and this app has a barcode scanner that makes "creating a recipe" ultra fast. 

• Speaking of the smoothies, you MUST try out the above mentioned book and its smoothies.  I honestly feel like I'm doing my body huge favors by drinking them, Jeff is all flags forward, and as picky an eater as I am, they are tasty.
• Today is the last day you can watch Downton on pbs.org.  The big question on my mind is whether or not Netflix is going to pick up Season 2 so I can have that as white noise throughout the day.
• We watched LiLo's "comeback" on SNL.  So much face work done.  She's my little sister's age.

Resume Hawaii Posts.

Downton Returns

The world has been invited to dine at Downton, and I feel a little like this:

I wish wish wish all my female family compatriots could be here to watch it with me.  Alas, they are not.  And I can't ask them to wait until such a time.  Jeff is out of the mix because he worked a brilliant strategy a few years ago when it came to period pieces.  After asking (negotiating?) for weeks that he watch P&P with me, he acquiesced but then proceeded to, throughout the entire thing, make snide, mocking comments and groan like he was passing kidney stones.  He accomplished what he set out to: ensure that I would never want him to watch a period piece with him ever again.

I'm also a little nervous.  I saw the trailer for Season 2 and got teary-eyed; I love these characters so much!   Lord Grantham when he keeps Bates on because it "just wasn't right" to let him go, Lady Grantham and her perfect, selfish wit, "What about MY pride?  Is it to be sacrificed on the alter of Mosley's ambition??"  What if it doesn't live up to the first season?  They also have signed on for a third season; what if it goes downhill as they grapple for ways to extend the plot lines to make more cash?  I have a way of idealizing shows, actors, etc. and then later when I revisit it or the show continues, I'm disappointed.  (Grey's Anatomy and Felicity, I'm talkin to you, you unbearable shows that started out awesome!)

Ah well, I shall watch it by my lonesome and text commentary to those I love when necessary.  And, "in situations such as this, one can normally find an Italian who isn't too picky."

Watchables Part II

Not all streamable on Netflix....

My mom has been trying to get me to watch this for a while, and after some reluctance (the title is weird -- I could not remember what it was called), I am now appropriately addicted. I always have the subtitles on because their accents are funky and they mumble at times.

If you watch Downton Abbey, A&E's P&P, Keira Knightley's P&P, or Notting Hill, you'll recognize some faces. I like Brendon Coyle so much better as Mr. Bates; in this show he is so over the top with his condescending idealism. Anyway, it's really a sweet show and I'll keep watching it.

I'm sure we all know now that Mad Men is streamable on Netflix. I don't know how much more I can watch of this show. Usually when the episode is over I have a stomach ache. I skipped pretty much all of Season 4 and watched the season finale last night, just to, you know, get the gist. Oh Don. I love you and hate watching you self-destruct AND hurt people. Monogamy doesn't work for you, or you don't care to have monogamy work for you. Why are you (spoiler alert) remarrying???

I love watching the business with his kids/Betty. Perhaps because I am a suburban housewife, it's just interesting to see how it's portrayed and where they're taking them and how life looks for them.

The fashion aspect is too much fun with its full circle. Betty's turtleneck + slim fitting pants + flats? Hello -- that is my fall/winter uniform!

Jeff loves this show partly because it's set up like a French film; more about character development than plot development. It seems like a lot of the characters have stopped developing, and the plot lines are either outright dark or have a very grim undertow, so they better get back to the character evolution or it'll be a 100% debbie downer show.

And a picture in parting:

Jude and one of his chums

Watchables Part I

All streamable on Netflix....

1. Nursery University

I love NYC, have been there a few times, and have lamented in my head that the chances of living there at this point in life are probably zilch. That all changed when we watched this documentary on a handful of parents "from [a few] weeks of life" joining the rat race to get their 3 year olds into private preschools so they can feed into the best private kindergarten, and into the best private elementary, jr. high, etc. etc. OH MY GOSH. Preschool, no matter how you slice it, is a game of ABCs, numbers 1 through 10, Gogurt squirting all over the kids' hands and none of it into mouths, and free-play. These parents are acting like it's taking their medical boards. This is, of course, why the documentary exists, because it's too much fun to watch them sobbing about how they're so down to earth but will move to Boston if they don't get into their top preschool choice. Watch it. My favorite family was the Jewish I-Banker dad drinking his Sprite Zero for dinner with his Argentine wife who thinks all this anxiety over preschool is absolutely insane.

2. The Kennedys

I watched this about a month ago. Joe Kennedy is perhaps the most greedy, conniving stage parent, I loved Bobby, and Jack/Mr. Prez was just about as likable/detestable as I'd imagined. Katie Holmes did a great job. My favorite part about it all: The Boston accents were good! We had to watch a low-budge movie in high school about the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy accents were so bad it gave me a twitch for weeks afterward. I can't stand detectable fake accents. For this reason I will NEVER see a movie where Anne Hathaway is waxing British, and it's also why I fastforwarded through the scenes with "Carlotta" in Friday Night Lights. I'd rather poke my eyes out with a pencil eraser.

3. Forever Strong

Kinda cheesy, but uplifting. My brother tried to get my parents to move to UT when he was in high school so he could play on the Highland High rugby team, which is the team featured here. If you want to watch something on a Sunday with a subtle Mormon agenda, featuring that "poor" guy from Gossip Girl, one of the minor characters from Angels in the Outfield, the scorned ex-wife of Dean in Gilmore Girls, the Sam hobbit in LOTR, the dad in the modern Brady Bunch movies, and the female love interest in Tommy Boy, this movie is the one for you!

Quick update:

- We finished LOST last week. We don't know what to say besides "huh?" for so many reasons. I can't go further in the name of spoiler prevention. All in all, I don't regret the hours (and hours!) we spent watching it. I am satisfied, J. J. Abrams. And I haven't seen most of those actors in much else since, so I'm crossing my fingers they invested well/held onto their money for their sakes.

- My parents are in a "Kids -- get your crap out of the homestead" mode, and rightly so. It's time. Last Saturday Jeff and I helped them clear some of their stuff out, some of my stuff out, and they bequeathed some items in the process. Like the dresser and hutch that were in Sarah's room that nobody wanted. It needs a facelift. OMG -- DIY!!!! I wish this baby would hurry up and come so I could paint those wood chunks. Last night I removed the ugly hardware and tonight I might sand it. And then in February I'll be free to paint it...and then in March...or April...or May...or whenever I get out of baby hibernation mode, I'll finish it up and post AWESOME pictures of it. Stay tuned and on the edge of your seats!

- Eh, is it Christmas yet?

Perdido

A month ago (?) I got something in the mail from Netflix, put it on, and when Jeff asked what it was I answered, "If you watch the pilot and hate it, we can stop there." We watched the Pilot, it received mixed reviews on his end, and yet an hour later out of the corner of my eye I saw Jeff turn on the DVD player to watch the next episode of...

LOST.

Now, during nearly ALL our free-time, we're pretty much undoubtedly watching LOST.

It is such a part of my life I feel compelled to give it all caps like they do on the screen. We like it because it's the one show we're both equally addicted to.

Warning: a spoiler alert or two may follow if you haven't seen past Season 3.

Although, right now, every character except Sayid is really driving me to the loony bin. John Locke thinks he knows everything but he's so busy desperately seeking validation and purpose that he messes things up and gets taken for rides by...The Others. Dr. Jack has adopted the Jack Bauer method of asking a question in a normal voice and after a 2 second pause, screaming it at the tip top of his lungs, and he also just needs to take charge and woo Kate so she stops loving Sawyer. Kate needs another dimension to her personality to be written in, fast. Claire only flips out on people and it scares me that new moms can be so deranged -- if I am like that, please, someone please give me a tranquilizer. Although I doubt there's any chance I'll be a new mum making diapers out of palm leaves, far far away from Boppies and Baby Einstein, so hey, props to her. Sawyer is actually 2% likable right now because his nick names are hilarious. Tokyo Jane, Doctor Giggles, The Munchkin, I laugh out loud at almost all of them. Charlie is simultaneously condescending to and possessive of Claire. Ana Lucia isn't our problem anymore, but she was on a major power trip that savored strongly of insecurity and did anyone else notice she somehow growled? Jin is making strides but he keeps bipolarizing on us -- one minute he's the seen-the-error-of-my-ways husband and then the next minute he's barking at Sun in Korean for having an opinion. Domineering, understanding, domineering, understanding -- I invite him to pick a type and go with it. I guess old personalities die hard.

Sayid is the only one who never makes me want to throw my apple slices at the tv screen. He's always right and always beats up the right people and knows when someone's trying to spin him. And since Shannon died the producers are no longer trying to spin us, the humble audience, on the most unlikely relationship of all time.

But then, I don't really want any of them to die, so they must be somewhat golden. Or have potential?

I forgot. Sun is on my good team. Hurley is also very likable. Although it's like my sister Sarah once said, he really should have used the show to save himself from heart disease or Type II Diabetes.

This doesn't mean I won't be watching again tomorrow night! Lock's father just popped up tied and gagged on the island! Woop, there it is!

I do exclaim!

I've come around to the idea of decorative pillows on my bed! Large and hearty, not small neener pillows that serve 0 purpose!

Tomorrow my mom and I are going to finish selecting the linens she'll stitch together for our bedding!

My mom is and was a dish!

I got a promotion!

When I'm old and sound like Joan Rivers and have spent all our pennies on plastics, this is what I'll look like when I smile!

My sister-in-law Michelle is coming in 2 weeks to visit!

We will be in our new house by then!

People keep asking what it looks like!

Jeff doodled this while we watched old episodes of The OC (or was it Felicity?!) a couple weeks ago!

Yes, Jeff does watch DVDs of The OC and Felicity with me!

"Splat!" That's what my cover-less phone did on tile floor last week! Screen shards on the floor! I felt an unwillingness to pay for a new version of something I had owned moments before! Jeff found a guy to replace my screen and his battery for about 1/5 of the Apple cost! Call me if you find yourself in a similar predicament! Now I have a case of rubber so thick I feel sure I could send it flying off the side of the Chrysler Building and it'd still receive a text! Lesson learned!

Goodnight!

AI

Last year I was so into American Idol. At the beginning there were a few hopefuls that I might have actually listened to outside of the show. That's probably an exaggeration; now that my brain is reaching back that far only 1 comes to mind, and she was eliminated early on. Anyway, Tuesday night I caught the show and think it's time another one of Fox's moneymakers and I part ways. Hopefully amicably.

One of the reasons, not the main reason, but a big reason nonetheless, is encapsulated in a German word for which there is no English equivalent: Schadenfreude.

It means: malicious gloating over others' misfortunes.

I do enjoy watching hot dogging, presumptuous, aspiring Christina Aguileras being pulverized by an Englishman and his posse. And that's not quite a good enough reason to give up 2 nights a week and suffer through all the rest.

So goodbye, American Idol (as far as I can tell). It was fun while it lasted; I'll remember the good times and try to forget the Adam Lambert times.

Bad Beginnings

Yesterday I was driving around on my lunch break, hum dee dum, listening to the radio (which is unusual for me), and on cometh a wee advert for the Season Premiere of Grey's Anatomy. I have spoken of this show before on this spot of internet. Seasons 1 - 3 were pretty near to perfection. I have very dear memories of me and that show and Spring 2008, quite the trio. Anyway...

Back on track. The focus of this little audio preview was:

Alex Karev: YOU MAKE ME LOVE YOU, AND THEN YOU DIE IN MY ARMS!

1. Hmm. Someone needs to have an FHE lesson with Dr. Karev about Free Agency.

2. Drippy, drippy, drip drip drip. I miss Snarky-Mean-with-a-Lot-of-Love Alex. This Emo-Mean-with-a-Lot-of-Love-Alex is a just not going to work.

Please, please, please tell me it was only the Season Premiere awkwardness. It was so much better when Burke was head of cardiothoracics.

Perhaps the Best One.

Maybe I'm the only one who has feelings so potently positive about this particular episode, but I really love the Gilmore Girls Season III episode with the 24 hour Dance-a-Thon. I believe they in the studio named it, They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? I love it.

Do you ever think that there's a Stars Hollow as well as a Hogwarts?

me, Me, ME:

- I already returned the clock and got 3 of these mirrors instead. Same price but more dreamy and wraps up the decorating in one fell swoop.



I'll put up a picture of the hung look so you can see how delightful it is.

- After getting the VERBAL offer last Friday, I got the OFFICIAL offer from Snell & Wilmer this morning. Consider me the happiest Paralegal Assistant west of the Mississippi. I am really stoked about this job and can't wait to get my hands dirty in the non-malpractice way.

- Since putting in my 2 weeks notice the banking universe has been out to punish me by weakening my coordination. I've only been at work 3 hours today and I already spilled 75% of my salad all over myself and the floor (goodbye lunch), and then 20 minutes later I spilled Diet Coke. Saints be praised that at least that dries in a fairly invisible hue.

- My phone officially punked out on me for good, and the new iPhone isn't unleashed for 8 more days. I'm feeling quite cut off from the world right now. (Right. There are at most 3 people who might text me while I'm at work. Mom, Jeff, or Lindsey.)

- After much consideration, we've decided that Us Weekly far out-entertains People. Why? Because in the midst of its frivolity, People does make attempts at dignity. Us Weekly just shamelessly goes for all out rock bottom. Because they love the pond scumm. Because this last week the cover had a picture of Kate Gosselin in a bathing suit on the beach and the words, 'Mommy, You're MEAN!' You saw it too, didn't you.

Oh where do I even begin? I watched an episode of that show over a year ago at Elizabeth's house. Didn't think too much of it. Then I've seen it mocked a bit on The Soup, which is of course nothing less than hilarity. Poor family. I can't imagine that whatever sort of a mire they're shlepping through is entirely the fault of husband or wife. BUT, I will say that of COURSE mommy is mean! Thank goodness her kids sometimes call her mean! Not that I've ever donned the Parent Hat, but if my mom had never done anything I considered mean at the time, I'd be an obese bump on a log. No sense of reality. I'd have mush for a noodle. I love it when parents say, "Oh I want my child to just choose his own way" when their child is oh, you know, in elementary school. Do you know what is a really fun thing to do? Get my sister Elizabeth talking about this. She'll invariably say in a very um, strong voice, "Oh, so then what am I here for?? Parents are supposed to PARENT." From my non-mommy/loving aunt and babysitter perch, I understand that kids' creativity and individuality needs to be nurtured, they need to be LOVED and SQUEEZED and KISSED and APPRECIATED and PRAISED, but don't they also need limits and guidance? I sure as hell did when I was growing up. And as one of the most snappy men around, Elder Holland, once said to parents everywhere, "Second only to your love, they need your boundaries."

Anyway, all I'm sayin is, whatever sort of hellish thing it is or isn't to be married to Kate OR Jon Gosselin, at least like my OWN mother she doesn't bow to her childrens' every wim and wish every single minute of the day. Maybe after all the therapy from the tabloid freak show is over, they've got some qualities in their mother that will give them a good shot at a happy life. Sometimes I thought my mom was mean; the story is even told I was 4 when the carpets had been shampooed and after I said, "Mom, remember when you wouldn't let us touch the carpet, and you were a mean old scary old witch??". Tough love and all, sheesh, look at how good I turned out!

Truly, a Night of Wonderful Entertainment.

I watched these two treats tonight with m' boys Jeff, Pete, and James. And I thought life had peaked when I met Eddie Winslow in LA when I was 7.

Yeah, I watched it.

oh heavens.

america, be calm. speidi is praying for you right now.

America, I love you.

Brad Barttels says Kris won because after Gokey got kicked off, his fans channeled their affections toward the OTHER non-creepy guy.

I say it's because America is smart. Because when it comes down to it, America knows what's up.

And now I am so ready to move on with life.

Congrats, Kris Allen, you dark horse, you.

A Moment of Clarity

Warning: This post might only be interesting to you if you watch American Idol and/or knew me and my roommates in the Fall of 2004 at BYU.

I pinpointed it. Adam Lambert's style of music is a million miles away from anything I'd ever choose to listen to, his performance mojo gives me the heebee jeebees (roll that tongue up and put it back in your trap!), and I'd love to just get me a cotton ball, some Sally Hansen "Vitamin E Infused" nail polish remover and go to town on his nails (and maybe his eyelids). BUT, grounds to dislike him though that may be, I think there's something else afoot here. Last night, something in his reaction to being passed through to the finals (feigned shock and chuckle) sparked my attention. Although he's done it a million times before, something was a smidgen different last night.

As I was falling asleep, it came to me: Adam Lambert is JUST like my former roommate's former boyfriend!!! Despite the difference in sexual orientation, they have similar diva-ish mannerisms, "battle" with false modesty, and I think the only reason I haven't realized how extremely similar their faces are until now is because Adam Lambert's hair is quite distracting in all its wrongness. Anyway, this Adam Lambert twin that I knew at BYU (and who may or may not be one of my friends on Facebook) broke my dear roommate's heart out of nowhere. Broke it into about a million pieces, dropped her like she was hot.

I really don't want him to win, ok America?

all i want

i've been working a lot, which is good, no complaints. oh i just made myself a liar. my complaint is i have a DVR full of gilmore girls episodes, a fridge full of babybel cheese rounds, a cupboard full of wheat crackers, and no time.

tonight i get off work an hour early, so i think i have just enough time before going to the airport to pick up boyfriend to sit in my slippers, watch the episode where luke and lorelai have their first moment at liz's wedding, and eat more cheese than the delicate mechanics of my bod knows what to do with.

it's the simple things in life, is it not?