Happy Times Ahead

A lot has been going on lately, and I just want to express how happy I am right now. I have a great job, with amazing people I'm so glad are in my life, my friends are amazing and I love them so much, my relationship with my sisters are on the road to recovery, and my nephew melts my heart every day. Life is good. Something I haven't been able to say in almost a year, and man it feels good. I still have some repair work to do personally on other things, but I really haven't been this happy for a long time and I'm loving it.

This year has started off pretty darn good. I hope it continues on this awesome path, because I have so many fun things planned for this year already. It's going to be a kick-ass year.

And then there's this:

 

 

 

You're welcome. 

 

New Year, New Look (For the Blog)

It's a new year, so I figure a new look is good for the blog. And also with the new year comes a new list of shows to watch for the first time. Some I've seen episodes here and there, and some never before at all. So I thought I would share my list and see if anyone wants to add to it. If there is a show you think I will like and have to see, leave me a comment. I'm always open to suggestions.

1. House of Cards
2. Frasier (seen some episodes, and am almost through season 1)
3. Entourage
4. Falling Skies (seen the first episode)
5. Twin Peaks (watching with Jordan, and almost done!)
6. Sex and the City (almost done with season 1)


For those that know me, you will know that this list won't take me long, maybe through April, so please list some other shows! Thanks :)


I'm also planning to do some re-watches in there too, and you can expect to hear about them. So for something to look forward to, here's my list of re-watches I have planned for this year:

1. Smallville
2. Scrubs
3. How I Met Your Mother
4. Arrow
5. Vampire Diaries

Rewatch: Once Upon a Time

I recently did a re-watch of Once Upon a Time, over the past couple weeks. Regular TV wasn't back in full swing yet, and I got bored, so a re-watch of a show I like is usually my go-to solution. And with this re-watch there are a few things I learned (Spoilers for those who haven't watched the show yet, so just skip to the end of this post to not ruin yourself):


1. Season 1 is seriously amazing. I forgot just how good that season was. The discovering of who each person from Storybrooke is as a Fairytale character is so fun, and the fact that time starts moving again when Emma Swan comes to stay in town adds to the intrigue. I like the idea of the characters not knowing who they truly are, but at the same time the audience getting to learn their story. I also really enjoyed the backstory of how the curse came to be, and the spins on the classic stories was genius. But with all the good comes the bad, and just like I remember when I first watched the season finale, I was sad that they chose to end the curse so soon. I felt they could have easily gone another season without breaking the curse and telling more backstories on more of the characters.

2. When I was first watching Season 2, I remember it for one not being as good as the first season, and two that the story kind of jumped around. Re-watching Season 2 consecutively helped me to appreciate it more I think. There were some really interesting introductions in Season 2; we got more depth into the characters August (Pinocchio) and Neal (Baelfire). We also learned more about Emma's troubled past and subsequent relinquish of Henry at birth. We also get our first introduction to Peter Pan, or more so his shadow of which we learn is not at all like the fairytale we know. There were moments in the season that were down right boring; like when Emma and Snow were transported to the Enchanted Forest and befriended Aurora and Mulan (two characters I found very uninteresting). The only good that came out of them being there, was the meeting of Captain Hook (yum!).

3. The first half of the Third Season takes us to Neverland to find Henry who was taken there by Pan's minions. I have actually really enjoyed this Third Season. Definitely more than the Second Season. The actor who plays Peter Pan is really good at portraying the devious evil person Pan really is. The twists and turns the story takes while they are in Neverland were very interesting, and now the web of relation between characters is even greater. The mid-season finale left us with Pan re-launching the curse, but this time it takes everyone not from that world back to where they came from and leaving Emma and Henry together, but not remembering anything or anyone. I'm so nervous as to how the rest of the season is going to work out, but I feel it could be a wild ride getting Emma and Henry to believe all over again.

And just for fun here's a family tree to show all the ties between the characters on the show so far:

A little gem from Tumblr.

I highly suggest this show for your viewing pleasure. It's a family show, so the kiddos can watch too, and it's not at all like your typical fairy tales you're used to, so everything is new and exciting. And if you have watched the show, a re-watch is also suggested. Especially Season 1 because it's just that good.

The End of 2013. Oh What a Relief It Is!

  So I've been really horrible with this blog this year. Mainly because this year has not been the best, and I didn't want it to seem like I'm doing nothing but complaining. But now the year is wrapping up, and honestly it's ending on a pretty high note, so I thought I'd share some of the highlights that have come within the last couple months.

- As many know earlier this year I had sister trouble. I'm happy to announce that all has been resolved, and I could not be happier. I love my sisters so much and all I want is to feel a part of the family again and us love each other equally. I think we are on the road to that happening once again. An extra bonus is the time I have got with my nephew who I adore more than anything, and didn't know I had that sort of love to give. It's been amazing.

Rachel's kneeling, she's not really that short ;)

That smile!

- My regular readers know that I'm a huge Doctor Who fan, and this year brought forth the 50th anniversary. So most of November was filled with special after special and then the big 50th anniversary episode which I got to see in the theater in 3D and I'm so glad I did. I wish I had taken the time to report on my experience, but I've been so lazy. So I will share a few pics from the party we held the night of and then the movie viewing a couple days later.

Partying it up Doctor Who style

Best movie experience ever.

- I started a new job in October. Those close to me know what a tough time it's been this year, and finding this job has been a blessing from the gods. I have finally found a place where I can be happy, where there's no drama, backstabbing or turning a blind eye to office politics. In fact there is virtually no office politics! I had no idea that this kind of thing could exist. That people could be adults and treat each other like adults, and just focus on the job, and not "who's better than whom", and "what kind of hell can I create for my co-workers today?" None of that exists with my new job, and I'm so glad I can't even tell you. I love it, and my co-workers. They are some of the most awesome people I'm proud to get to know. I'm so lucky. I don't have any pics of work itself, but I thought I'd share the awesome gifts I received for Christmas.

I'm pretty sure the best salsa I've had

I love how my co-workers know me already

The scarf is beautiful!

That's right folks a Vitamix

- I have some of the best friends a person could ask for. Not once have I doubted any of them would be there for me when I need them. And I love them so much. Jordan you have been my rock this year, and I'm going to make next year amazeballs for the both of us. So many plans, and so much fun to be had, we are going to rock it. You are a fantastic person, and we will be old ladies on your porch drinking our wine yelling at the kids. It's going to happen.  Penny, you are the most amazing friend, and I'm so proud to say we are going 20 years strong. You continue to surprise me every day with your love, and I only hope I can show you the same love back. Your kids are my kids, and I can't imagine any of you not being in my life. Angie, our friendship has grown stronger and stronger this year, and I can't wait to see what the future brings for us. We have each other's backs always and forever. I love our no expectations friendship and that we can enjoy each other's company so easily. I see next year being fabulous and us getting to do so many Beatle-y things together. I love each of you so much! And to show you just how great my friends really are, here are the gifts I got:

Thank you Penny!!!

The TARDIS Disappears! Thanks Jordan!!

I really do hope next year brings nothing but happiness and joy to me, my loved ones, and all of you. Thank you for everything! Each and every one of you make a difference in my life, no matter how minute it may be. I'm so grateful!

Happy New Year!!

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor

So the Doctor Who Christmas Special happened, and it left me confused, sad, excited and meh all at the same time. That's a lot of feelings from one episode. And I don't think it's a good thing entirely. Here's why:

In typical Steven Moffat fashion, we got an episode where the storyline was way overworked and left most everyone going "huh?" I had to watch the episode twice to understand it, and I truly still don't know if I do. Instead of giving Matt Smith a simple beautiful send off story, Moffat had to try and go big and showy, and I think it kind of backfired on him. When I first watched the episode, I kept running through my head, "I'm going to have to re-watch this." But at the same time, when it came to the actual regeneration time, I was a complete mess. It didn't hit me until the day of that I was going to have to say goodbye to Matt. I had been so excited about the 50th anniversary that it really didn't register with me. And now I had got to the part where he's about to regenerate and we again get a big show without a lot of sense, and then a tender moment with Amy Pond which sent me into hysterics, and then blink and you miss it, he's regenerated. And that bothered me a lot. I feel like Matt Smith deserved so much more than the send off he got. He deserved a better storyline, a better regeneration, and a better goodbye overall. At the same time, even though I didn't care for the story, I did feel the emotions behind it all. The fact that he sent Clara away twice wasn't lost on me. He'd done it before with Rose, and it's a self preservation thing more than a saving my companion thing. He doesn't want to see them die in his name nor feel the pain of that kind of permanent loss. There were also a few funny lines, and a few quotes that will stick with me. I'm still unsure why they needed to point out that Matt was wearing a wig by saying the Doctor shaved his head. The wig didn't actually look all that bad, but we did get a nice little line out of it about his delicate eyebrows, which had me laughing. And then the Doctor's final speech just before the fastest regeneration there has been happens, where he speaks of people changing throughout life, but at the same time staying the same person. It's so true and speaks volumes. I think Matt did amazing with what he was given in this episode. He acted his little heart out, and I commend him for that.

So in the end there were good things and bad things about the episode. I think with the Christmas episodes Moffat has been more miss than hit. I'm sad to see Matt Smith go, I never thought he would grow on me as much as he did, and I'm grateful he did. I'm excited to see what Peter Capaldi's Doctor has in store for us. And also thrilled that Clara is the second companion in the Doctor Who reboot to actually watch a true regeneration happen and experience like Rose did, the differences it brings out in him.

Geronimo!

On a side note, I guest posted on my dear friend Jordan's blog about all of the past Doctor Who Christmas episodes. Go check it out! And her blog, because it kicks some butt.

The Adventures of Lily the Cat (As Told By Lily)

So this morning as my human was dressing for the day I decided to go take a poo so that the bathroom would smell all pretty when she went in there (this is a fairly regular thing). But my plans were foiled by this giant spider hanging around my box. The thing was huge! So I decided I would watch where it goes and guard it from my human. She didn't like that so much because I guess I looked like a freak just sitting there staring at the box, so my human decided to look at what I was guarding from her. Now normally I would protect my human from an insect, but this thing was so huge I bolted from the scene as soon as my human revealed its hiding place. She said some cuss words I believe, but I don't know. Most of what my human says is warbled sounds, but I know she didn't appreciate my coward ways. So to make up for it, I decided I would play cute and scared and let her give me loves. Then I decided I had enough, hissed and walked away. I feel this was justified. And as for the spider? I think my human killed it, but I'm going to be cautious around my box for a bit in case it had friends. Man I should have just pooped. I'll figure something out, my human is gone and she won't know for hours.

TV Review: Dexter Kills No More....Or Does He?

So Dexter's series finale aired last night, and I have some thoughts. Instead of going into a lengthy recap of the episode I thought I'd give you some of the things I dug about the episode and some of the things I didn't:

What I dug:

1. Hardly any voice over. For the first time in the show's history, the episode barely had any voice over. I don't know if you noticed that.

2. The writing of this episode was I think the best in a long time. And by long time I mean since season 4, which kicked serious ass over any season of the show. The music was excellent and emotional and as mentioned above the minimal voice over made the episode feel more dramatic, which it was.

3. The heartbreak Quinn faced when they learned Deb was basically brain dead. He loved her so much, and I appreciated that we got to see Quinn rightfully upset that he lost his love. I've had a love/hate with Quinn, but I always felt that he and Deb belonged together.

What I didn't dig:

1. Deb's death. I really wanted a happily ever after, and I knew it wasn't going to be Dexter who got one, so I hoped it was Deb. I wanted her and Quinn to go off in the sunset and make babies that would swear worse than them. So when Deb died, it brought tears to my eyes, not because it was completely sad, but because my happy ending was gone.

2. Dexter taking Deb's body onto his boat and magically not getting noticed. Hurricane or not, that's surely to get noticed you would think.

3. Deb's burial at sea. I get why Dexter did it. Deb was his final kill and he had to treat it like all of his other kills. It was his way of not only saying goodbye to his sister, but to his life as he knew it. But I did have to wonder because I couldn't tell, did Dexter weigh down her body? Because I'm pretty sure she would be floating pretty soon right?

4. No Harry. I have mixed feelings about this. I've learned that some people thought the whole ghost Harry thing was cheesy. And it was in a way I guess, but it was Dexter's way of coping and staying sane if that makes sense. And I feel like we didn't get a proper farewell to Harry. It was the last episode after all, shouldn't we get to say goodbye to everyone? Dead, alive or figments of imagination?

5. Hannah inheriting Harrison. I know that sounds bad, but that's basically what happened, and I don't think I'm ok with it. Hannah is a serial killer too, so how is Harrison going to be any better off with her? She's on the run people. I think Dexter should have left Harrison with Jamie, she obviously loved the kid and he'd be a hell of a lot safer with her, or hell maybe even his grandparents so he could be with his siblings.

6. Dexter dying at sea and then not really. So we are supposed to believe for a brief 30 seconds that Dexter died at sea, but then we see that he's now a lumberjack. I think this was kind of a cop out. I was hoping he would go down in a blaze of glory per se. That Batista, Quinn and the gang would find out who he really is and he would go down fighting. We got a brief glimpse at how that maybe would have happened when Dexter killed Saxon, but it was a glimpse and I wish there had been more. And if we couldn't have that, then I would have been just fine with Dexter actually dying at sea. I'm having a hard time accepting that he's a lumberjack now.

So there you have it, my thoughts on the finale. Feel free to add your own likes and dislikes in the comment section. And I do have to say that even though the finale left me with mixed feelings, much like a lot of the seasons did throughout the show's life, I still love the show, and I'm going to miss my favorite serial killer. And next week I'm going to have to say goodbye to my favorite meth cooking side-kick. Walt can die, but not Jesse! We will have more on that after it airs.

Cheers!