So much t.v., so little time

What do the following television shows all have in common?

Gilmore Girls
Community
Dr. Who
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Lie to Me
The West Wing
Sports Night
[Star Trek] Enterprise
Battlestar Galactica (the newer version)
Veronica Mars
Portlandia
My So-Called Life

(I am not linking to each one of these shows. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be difficult to find if you did a search on your own.)

They are all shows that dear friends cannot stop raving about! (I will also give credit for: They are all super awesome.) Each was recommended to me by several people as something that I would love (whoa, bold statement). Subsequently, I put them on my Netflix queue.

Recently, I upgraded from regular Hulu to Hulu Plus, which means that I can stream even more of them online (Netflix only offered Community and Buffy as DVDs)!!

The sad thing is that I don't have a lot of time to watch said shows. So, even though I'm totally jazzed about all of them, it's slow-going. And whenever someone mentions something new to me I cringe internally, sigh, and since I trust them that I'll love it, I add it to the queue. It's possible the queue will never empty. That's okay. It's nice to have something cool to watch while scrapbooking, or cooking, or getting ready for bed...

...You know, when there isn't a new episode of Desperate Housewives, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Modern Family, The Simpsons, Once Upon a Time, New Girl, Grimm, Pan Am, Suburgatory, Parks and Recreation, Chuck, Revenge, Napoleon Dynamite, Alcatraz, Drop Dead Diva, The Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, Smash, Downton Abbey, Phineas and Ferb, or Mad Men to catch up on... and no new DVD from Netflix to quickly watch and return.

Gah! How in the world do I ever get anything done?!! It's a mystery!


[UPDATE] It helps that Chuck's finale has aired (I didn't get to watch the final season because it wasn't on Hulu -- LAME!! That's going in the queue), and Pan Am was cancelled. Boo!

Meanwhile in the last few months I have accomplished the following:

• finished Sports Night
• halfway through season 6 of West Wing  (I want to be Allison Janney when I grow up)
• finished season 3 of Buffy (Willow rules!)
• started season 2 of Enterprise
• watched 5 episodes of My So-Called Life (Only one season? Tragedy!)

It's slow-going, but it's going!

What are your favorite shows? Anything you think I'd love that I don't already have on the list above? Am I the only crazy t.v.-watching person on the interweb?

It's about time!!!!!!!!

Remember how six weeks ago I was cast in The Importance of Being Earnest? Then a week after that the rehearsals and performances were postponed? And ever since I've been jumping out of my skin excited and frustrated that we haven't started rehearsals yet?

Well, WE FINALLY GET TO GET STARTED!!!!!!!

We have our first read-through tomorrow, and I'll get to find out who the entire cast is, including maybe new people since our last meeting because the schedule change forced at least one person (that I know of) to drop out. I hope no one else did! We had such a terrific cast -- the show is double-cast and everyone was just so fabulous!!

Next week we start blocking. I can hardly wait!

Guess I'll have a lot less free time in the next three months. That's okay with me :^D It'll be worth it for the opportunity to do a play I've wanted to do for 15 years!

To celebrate, here's a number from the 2002 film. Sadly, this song probably won't be in our play, but it makes me giggle every time!

(The servants carrying the piano around is the BEST part!)

Here is a scene which WILL be in the play, and also makes me giggle every time:

"A haaaaand baaaaag?!"

Happy Friday, everyone!

Breakfast of champions

I have never been a big fan of breakfast. I love breakfast food -- waffles and pancakes and bacon and eggs and english muffins and french toast and yogurt with fruit and smoothies are some of my FAVORITE foods -- but actual breakfast time itself? It's tough for me.

The most likely reason is because I like to stay up late most nights, and generally end up sleeping until the last possible moment before I must drag myself from my bed, get physically ready for and drive myself to work/rehearsal/other activities.

Then again, even when I don't have anywhere to go immediately after deciding to get out of bed, I usually don't eat breakfast right away. The truth is, I'm just not hungry right away! I know that's not a good reason to not eat, but there it is.

So, I usually end up taking something breakfast-y to work and eating it there, or in the car if I'm on the way to something else, like rehearsal. These meals usually involve something like yogurt, or a banana, or peanut butter and honey toast. I just don't have time to make waffles or french toast...

I think this is why I love breakfast-for-dinner so much.

In an effort to try something different, and add more protein and vegetables to my diet, I pulled out The South Beach Diet book and browsed through the breakfast recipes. I found something that looked just right: Vegetable Quiche Cups To Go (click the link for the recipe). Easy to make, freezable and easy to reheat, easy to eat, small portions. BINGO!

Here is the end result, still frozen

The recipe says that you can replace their suggested vegetables with any that you like. I decided to make it up as written this time, and unfortunately, I forgot how much I despise the brand of frozen spinach that I bought.

Oh. My. Gosh. These cups things are DISGUSTING!!

That spinach is AWFUL!! I can't taste anything else because I'm too busy trying not to think about the hideous texture. I don't mind spinach in general, but the rest of the food in the recipe is so bland there isn't anything to help it along, and cooked spinach definitely needs something.

The recipe makes twelve cupcake-sized portions, and like I said you can freeze them for later, so at least I didn't have the eat the darn things all at once. I made them at 1 a.m. (remember I said I like to stay up late?) so I don't know if they were any better freshly-made, but I don't think it would have made a difference.

I will eat them all anyway. I gag them down with vegetable juice, and chew about 80 times which seems to help. There's no way I'm throwing away perfectly good, nutritious food. That would be even more depressing.

I will also be making them again. I'll skip the spinach next time, of course, but maybe I'll add mushrooms and broccoli or asparagus or more peppers or something... oh, that sounds good.

This experiment wasn't an outright failure, but it was pretty bad. Now I know what not to do next time, and at least I have some breakfasts ready to go... and I can eat one in about three bites... and I AM actually eating breakfast like I'm supposed to. C'mon, body! Give me some credit for trying to do right by you!

How about you? What do you eat for breakfast? Are you a breakfast-skipper like I used to be? Do you prefer breakfast-for-dinner instead of at breakfast time? Do you eat cold pizza for breakfast as much as you can (mmmm... cold pizza)?

My first Sundance film!

Have you heard of the Sundance Film Festival? It was started in 1981 by Robert Redford and friends, runs in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, and showcases independent films each January. Filmmakers are given a chance to show their work and, if they're lucky, the films are picked up for more general distribution. (Fun fact: did you know that Napoleon Dynamite, The Brave Little Toaster, and The Blair Witch Project all debuted at Sundance?) In addition, a lot of these films feature established Hollywood stars, and the Festival is known almost as much for "star"-gazing as quality productions.

I have lived in Utah for my entire life, and have never attended the famous Festival.

Until this year!

My adorable friend Jenna invited me to come with her this year. She picked out a few films, and I chose one that seemed interesting and played on a date I was free, and before I knew it, it was Friday the 20th and I met her and her friend Heather at the Salt Lake City Library with ticket in hand!

From left: me, Heather, and Jenna

We saw Putin's Kiss. I admit, I had only read over the overview once several weeks ago, so I was a little surprised to discover it was a documentary... a political, Russian documentary! Haha! So appropriate for my first independent film! Lucky for me, my relationship with NPR helped me understand more of what was going on than I might have otherwise, and I don't mind films with subtitles. On the contrary, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into the Russian political system and see how the main subject changes throughout the film. Knowing that this was real made it feel just a little more brutal, a little more heartbreaking, and a little more hopeful. If you don't mind foreign films, I recommend this one. It was something different for me, but I'm glad I gave it a shot.

Plus, Jenna and Heather are delightful! We're all literary people, so we had no trouble finding things to talk about. One of my favorite moments was when Jenna bravely decided to approach her favorite Junior High school teacher, who she was sure wouldn't remember her. On the contrary, as soon as the teacher saw her she jumped up and climbed over everyone in her row to give Jenna the best hug! It's just so cool when teachers remember their students (even from ten years before). They chatted for several minutes and I could see how thrilled Jenna was that she didn't chicken out -- I'll always regret that I let my chance to thank my favorite teacher go by. Just such a cute moment!

Ah, Sundance. Bringing people together in the most unexpected ways!

I hope to have another chance to go in the future, and maybe (maybe, I'm not excited about the weather and crowds) I'll drive up to Park City sometime where much of the real action goes on. T'would definitely be an adventure!

Thank you for inviting me, Jenna!

Speaking of adventures, my photographer friend Mandie was contracted by the festival this year to take official photos of the venues and volunteers. Her photos are terrific, and her blog posts tickle me 'cause she has such a cute writing style (she is such an upbeat person and writes the way she speaks!) -- go check it out!

Have you ever been to the Sundance Festival? Are you going this year? What have you seen?

Brought to you by the letter "M": what I wore today

Yesterday, I threw together an outfit last minute. As luck would have it, I LOVED it! Hot Pink, black and white? Yes, please!

With the jacket

Without the jacket

Do you see the little squiggle on my left shoulder? Close up, it looks like this:

Yes, I own a sweater with an "M" sewn into the pattern. I bought it years ago and adore the thing. Sadly, it's an awkward length and made of grabby, itchy yarn, so I don't wear it often. However, when I realized the "M" is the same color as the dress I'd thrown on (as a third desperate attempt to find something somewhat flattering to wear to church), I almost skipped for joy! Better yet, it perfectly covered the busy bodice on the dress!

I received multiple compliments on this sweater from women in my ward, many of whom mentioned that it reminded them of the way Laverne in Laverne & Shirley always had an "L" on the front of her blouse/dress/uniform. I admit, that's exactly why I bought it in the first place. Knowing that other people like it for the same reason makes me feel oddly validated, and giddier than I should be -- I love to be frivolous sometimes!

Now, because it cheers me up and makes me smile broadly every time I watch it, here is the theme song sequence for Laverne & Shirley -- notice the "L" on all of Laverne's (Penny Marshall's) clothing:

Happy Monday, all!

Make all YOUR dreams come true!!

The Bark Side

Love dogs? Love Star Wars?

Then this video is for you!


The costumed dogs SLAY me! The AT-AT is definitely my favorite (watch for the very last dog, heehee!)

Happy Friday!

A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy series

It's no secret that I like fanfiction. I like hearing additional stories about characters I've grown fond of, and what happens after "Happily Ever After" (especially if it's happy), and I'm always thrilled when I find a well-written and creative interpretation.

When a co-worker gave me a "sequel" to the novel Pride and Prejudice, I thought I'd give it a shot. It was the second of three books that Carrie Bebris wrote about what happens during Mr. and Mrs. Darcy's first 18 months of marriage, and casts them as a husband-and-wife detective team of sorts, kind of like the main couple in The Thin Man (which is an awesome classic movie. Put it in your Netflix queue now).

(Confession: Although I've seen the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice at least thirty times, I've only actually read the book twice. I'm so embarrassed!)

I made the mistake of reading Pride and Prejudice first so that I could read them all in order as a complete series. It was a mistake because Jane Austen's writing style is so wonderfully distinctive and flowery and classic. Ms. Bebris gave many nods to Ms. Austen's prose, but since the stories were her own, the writing is in her own style as well.

I enjoyed discovering this version of what happened to lesser P and P characters in Pride and Prescience -- Caroline Bingley, Kitty Bennett, Charles and Jane Bingley, Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, etc. The latter two books, Suspense and Sensibility, and North by Northanger, brought in characters from Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey. If I knew Northanger Abbey better (I saw a movie version once), I might have appreciated some of the references more, but since Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite books I LOVED the exploration of a friendship between the Darcys and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Ferrars! Doesn't it make sense that they would be friends? I think so!

As I said, these books were written as detective novels. The first two centered around strange supernatural events. I had to suspend my disbelief, but I appreciated that Mr. Darcy at least remained constant throughout -- ever taciturn, ever the cynic -- and I was definitely kept guessing right up to the end of each.

Having gotten used to what Ms. Bebris was doing and noticing some setup in the first two novels, I was a little disappointed that the tone in the third was significantly different. The previous two were ghost stories, and this one was more of a regular mystery. I think that if I had skipped the first two and just read this one after Pride and Prejudice, the tone shift would have been less jarring. In many ways I thought the story was the most true to the classic novel and I had fun reading it.

For me, the best part of the series was undoubtedly the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy (as it should be!)! I liked seeing how their two personalities meshed during their marriage, how they handled their trials and struggles together, and the love and affection they shared for each other. Every marriage should include such devoted individuals! I liked the ending Ms. Bebris envisioned for Mr. and Mrs. Darcy; very satisfying and appropriate. It was hard to say good-bye!

I think if you're a fan of Pride and Prejudice, you might like these novels, especially the last one.

I just recommend you don't reread Pride and Prejudice first ;-)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews on Goodreads.com

Beauty and the Beast in 3D

Each month since our trip to Disneyland last year, my friends and I have been getting together to watch the animated Disney movies. Our goal is to watch them all, in order, and when we've finished we'll all go on another Disneyland trip. Sounds awesome, right?!!!

Imagine our delight when we realized we will have caught up to Beauty and the Beast in time for the 3D release last week!

Ever silly, I proposed that we wear our tiaras to the showing Friday night, but we decided against it because some people planned to come who hadn't been on the Disneyland trip, and the friend who bought the Belle tiara couldn't come (gah! It's the only movie she's missed so far!).

Two of the three of us who actually met up aren't generally fans of 3D. I admit, I usually see the movie in 2D first, and if I like it I'll go again and see it in 3D. But, since this was the gimmick, we were pretty excited to see how the 3D affected the movie. Personally, I felt that it just called attention to the fact that the background is just a painting so that it looked even more flat, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the film.

Me, Carrie, and Chantryce in our stylin' shades

On the contrary, I LOVED it! I haven't seen this movie since it first came out in theaters, and I marveled at the details in the stain glass windows, which I'd never noticed before. How could I truly appreciate those details on my 26-inch TV screen? It just felt so wonderfully epic and grand. No wonder it was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award (not "Best Animated Picture", but "Best Picture"... and this was back when they only nominated 5 movies in each category)! Some movies just have to be seen on the big screen to truly do them justice, and I have decided that Disney's Beauty and the Beast is one of them.

I also loved the Tangled short they had before the movie. It was so funny and sweet! It almost makes me wish I had seen Cars 2 and The Lion King 3D so I hadn't missed those shorts (you just can't miss a single movie!). Almost... but not quite. (I still can't believe that Chantryce hasn't seen Tangled yet. And you can't claim that after seeing the short you know what happens, because you had no idea who any of the characters were, so you can't ask what was going on with her hair!)

Lastly, I must say that the previews before the feature look terrific! I am sooooo going to see Madagascar 3 when it comes out. I laughed so hard at one of the gags that I still remembered it after the actual movie.

(The gag at 2:06 KILLS me!!!!)

If you have time to go, and you like the movie, you should go!! I don't think you'll be disappointed. I certainly wasn't :-D

Belle (Carrie), Cogsworth (me), and Lumiere (Chantryce) agree!!

Typical meetings mocked

Okay, not every meeting is this bad, but these are stereotypes for a reason. Anyone who has worked in a professional capacity can appreciate this, and anyone who hasn't may still find it funny!


For the record: I'm the (unrepresented) girl in the second-to-last row chewing gum in the hopes it will help her stay awake.

Happy Friday!

Tybbling rant: things driving me crazy this week

My mom bought me a blender for Christmas. Can you believe I've lived alone for nearly 5 years and never had one? Well, I decided I want to make more fruit smoothies, so put a smoothie-recommended one on my wish list on Amazon.

Last Friday, I finally opened the blender, washed it, and put some frozen strawberries, orange juice, and yogurt in it.

The blender immediately broke. The blades moved maybe three or four times before a piece on the underside (the part connecting the blades to the motor) broke off.

I can hear the motor whirring, but the blades won't budge (unless the cup is empty, which is flat-out useless and ridiculous). I have the piece that broke off. I guess the piece below the blade is just too weak to move without it.

Really? I didn't even get to make ONE smoothie before this happened?!!!
_______________

It's bad enough to be stuck in traffic.

It's worse when I'm stopped behind an SUV or other large car and can't see what's ahead of me (like whether we're merging into another lane because there was an accident).

It's the very WORST when another SUV is behind me and keeps RIDING MY BUMPER so I can't see behind me either; I'd love to move into another lane, but I can't see what traffic is coming and I don't want to risk getting creamed. Also, I'm afraid that if I break too quickly -- as is sometimes necessary depending on the traffic -- you'll hit me from behind, and I really don't need that.

Please, people, stay half-a-suburban's length behind me!
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My dreams have been really disturbing of late. Dark, violent, unsettling. I must be stressed about something and I don't know what it is. It's horrible when I can't look forward to sleeping, and I wake up even more tired than when I lay down.

_______________

I generally don't like to share my bad choices, because it seems like whenever I do someone (who usually means well) feels the need to point out what I did wrong and offer unsolicited advice. Guess what? I know what my issues are! Your "help" only makes me feel worse about myself, when all I was looking for was an, "Oh, that sucks. I'm sorry, my friend." Even though your intentions were (most likely) good, your "advice" feels like judgment and makes me want to yell at you.

Do I really have to censor everything I say, even with people I trust? Doing that just gives the impression that nothing bad ever happens to me, and not only is that not true, it's unfair to expect me to be "bright and shiny all the time!!!

Next time, skip the lecture. Can't I just vent and move on?

(No, this is not for anyone specific.)
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I want Tina's polka-dot dress and blue tie (bottom left)

I just learned that Lea Michele will NOT be leaving Glee at the end of this season, even though her character should be graduating.

WHAT IN THE WORLD?!!

I apologize to everyone who loves her and I admit that she has a nice voice, but her character drives me nuts, and I am sick and tired of her singing half of the songs in every episode, especially because she's incapable of singing anything sincerely and non-belty, and there are other singers I like a lot more (glad Tina got to sing lead at Sectionals... even if it was only because Rachel was suspended and the other girls defected to another club). Every time I see Rachel on screen I count the seconds until they cut to someone less obnoxious and more interesting. I stopped caring about her storyline a long time ago.

I was sooo looking forward to Glee becoming more of a true ensemble show, but with her (and Corey Monteith and Chris Colfer) still in the picture, that won't be happening anytime soon. The writers and fans apparently love them too much. Ugh.

She's really not leaving?!! I may finally have to stop watching this show, or at the very least just fast-forward through her scenes. It'll cut the watching-time down considerably!

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I'll stop now. I promise I'm fine and actually having a good week.  These are such little things, and yet they irritate me!!

Is anything bugging you lately? Please tell me I'm not the only one!

(I probably should have made this into 5 separate blogs. Oh, well...)

Zounds! "B" or not a "B?"

I don't remember Sesame Street being this cool when I was a kid. Have you checked out the list of guest stars they've had in the last few years? I might have to see if I can put it on my Hulu favorites, just to catch these kind of clips. LOVE!!!


(I am now subscribed to Sesame Street's Youtube channel. I may be an adult, but I hope I'm never too old to be entertained while learning!)

Another blog?!!

So, just for fun, I decided to start another blog.

I've seen quite a few folks do a "photo a day" blog where they take and post one photo per day. I thought I'd give it a shot for 2012 (no pun intended!).

Here's the link for 2012 in Pictures (the title isn't set in stone; if you think of something more creative I'll take it into consideration).

I have no pretensions of being an amazing photographer. My camera is a good old low-key point-and-shoot. Nothing fancy. I thought it might be interesting to try something creative and a little challenging (challenging in that it means I need to remember to carry my camera around with me). Hopefully, as the year progresses my skill will grow, and some of the shots will be interesting.

If I miss a day here or there I'm not going to beat myself up about it. And if it gets too cumbersome or I go on vacation I may end up posting in batches, but the one-shot-a-day project is the goal.

If you are so inclined, and you won't be too bugged by my very amateur photography, go take a look. To be honest, two that I've posted so far were taken by my nephew, but since he used my camera and I seem to be his patron, I think they're fair game. Then again, if I didn't give him my camera once in awhile, I'd never be in any photos 'cept my self-shot ones...

1-4-2012 at Fat Cat's

Oh, and if you aren't a fan, that's okay. Just don't tell me ;-D

Happy New Year!

Last year, I spent New Year's Eve and Day at Disneyland. It was pretty awesome. The moment of the New Year was fairly standard, but any time spent at Disneyland is usually pretty darn awesome!

Anyway, I knew I wanted to do something fun and different again this year. No going-to-the-movies-and-skipping, and I couldn't get excited about the various dances.

Heather and Ann are on the right

Imagine my delight, then, when my friend Ann invited me to spend New Year's Eve with her friends at the Hale Centre Theater - West Valley New Year's Eve party! I've been hearing about it for years now and I've been curious. Not only that, but I was excited to hang out with Ann and my friend Sylinda!

A group of us got together beforehand for dinner at the Cracker Barrel. I only knew a couple people. Fortunately, Ann has good taste in friends, and I was in a socializing mood :)

Sylinda and the rest of our friends met us at the theater. We were treated like royalty! We were each given a tiara or hat, two different kinds of noisemakers, and streamers to throw at the big moment.

We found our seat and enjoyed the pre-performance band. I should have volunteered to play name that "musical" tune -- I would have kicked heiney!! Theater co-owner Sally Dietlein cracked me up with her MC-ing. I think there's a requirement somewhere that the owner of a theater have massive amounts of energy, and a healthy dose of wackiness, 'cause everyone I've met has that same unpredictable, lovable personality ;-) I love that lady (anyone who says I remind her of Bernadette Peters is okay in my book).

Sylinda's on the right behind me :)

We watched the first act of the play, Games Afoot. At the beginning of intermission, Sally designated a volunteer to watch his clock and give us a countdown when ten seconds away from midnight. Then we got to stuff our faces with a terrific late-night buffet!

About twenty minutes into the second act, the kid with the watch jumped up and shouted, "TEN, NINE, EIGHT...!" It was funny to see the look on the actor's faces, especially Kylee Bird, who had just barely entered the stage. The rest all ran out to finish the countdown with the rest of us, and when we all shouted, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" pandemonium broke out! People were cheering and singing and throwing streamers and using the noisemakers, and someone dropped a bajillion balloons onto the audience and stage. I spotted one of the women in the cast seeking out her husband in the audience; he climbed over half his row to kiss her (so cute!)! Unfortunately, it was my first time with streamers, and since I was near the back I probably hit someone in the front rows with a clump of not-unravelled streamers! Oh, well.

It took a bit of doing for the cast to quiet us down again :-D

My favorite part was that nobody bothered to clean up the balloons, so the cast just waded through them for the rest of the show. The dead body showed up at one point, head rested on one of them -- the audience about died! Another guy kept accidentally stepping on them someone else made a flatulence joke. The best was the inspector, who kept referring to the balloons as symbolic of the utter craziness going on in the mansion (it IS a murder mystery, after all). Totally good times.

The play itself was quite entertaining, though not as hilarious as I'd expected. The script was not great, but the actors and costumes MORE than made up for it (seriously, I want the blue velvet dress in this photo; it is stunning).

Photo taken by Doug Carter

I have tickets to go again in a few weeks and I'm looking forward to it!

This was definitely one of my favorite New Year's celebrations... I'm already planning to do it again either next year or the next.

Hope you all enjoyed yourself, whatever you were doing!

What happens matters

Your story? It's not boring and ordinary, by the way. We just get the one life, you know? Just one. You can't live someone else's or think it's more important just because it's more dramatic. What happens matters. Maybe only to us, but it matters.

- Ghost Town

Happy New Year, my friends! I can't wait to see what your story is this year!