Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Feb 6 to Feb 11

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• Feb 6, 2017 - Pretty flowers on my walk today.
• Feb 7, 2017 - Scout Rank achieved! Next up: Tenderfoot.
• Feb 8, 2017 - We really enjoy the show Timeless. I hope it makes it to a second season.
• Feb 9, 2017 - My middle finger touched the oven rack today. Owie, owie, owie!!
• Feb 10, 2017 -  Pretty sunset sky tonight.
• Feb 11, 2017 - Luke loves to eat outside, but it's usually too hot, too cold, or too pollinated! But Grub Burger Bar has a very nice covered porch, and it was unusually warm on this February afternoon, so burgers (and chicken fingers) outside it is!

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 1 to Jan 6

click picture to enlarge

• Jan 1, 2017 - Happy New Year! A new-to-him movie (Star Trek IV) and a lap full of kittens.
• Jan 2, 2017 - New Sherlock! So happy! (After watching, I take it back. Not happy.)
• Jan 3, 2017 - My evening: putting together a Christmas money purchases. I love it already!
• Jan 4, 2017 - Christmas gift from my parents: large Calphalon pot (to replace my rusty enamel one). Didn't think the strainer lid would actually work, but I drained these noodles with no trouble at all!
• Jan 5, 2017 - Sneaker Survivor! Winners: blue/white New Balance and first ever pair of Brooks.
• Jan 6, 2017 - Luke's reaction to discovering Siri (voice activated controls on the iPad). I think we've created a monster!

TV Time: Star Trek (The Original Series) - Complete!

Quite a while ago, we started watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with Luke. I didn't really think it would be that big of a deal for him to skip the original series, figuring we could circle back to it later. The episodes are about 48 minutes (3-5 minutes longer than today's shows, thank you extra commercials), so we don't always have time to watch them, and there are plenty of other things he likes to watch, too. That's okay, I'm not really in a rush.

Anything we felt like he might be missing from the original series, such as the Prime Directive, we felt that we could easily explain as we came to it. That is, until we hit Season 3, Episode 23: "Sarak." It wasn't necessarily that Luke wouldn't know who Spock was, though that would take away some of the poignancy of the episode. The problem was actually much bigger than that: he didn't know what a Vulcan was! And I knew just trying to explain about logic and no feelings (suppressed feelings, to be precise) wasn't really going to get the point across to him. The easiest way to explain it, quite frankly, was to show him. So, we immediately stopped with Next Gen and started with the original series, which is thankfully on Netflix.

As of today, we have officially seen every episode of the original Star Trek series. I realized during this viewing that there were a couple of episodes that I had either completely forgotten or never actually seen. Sadly, watching it with Luke confirmed what I've always suspected about him: he's Team Kirk! LOL I guess that leaves Picard for me, then. Darn. ;-) We should be resuming with TNG very soon, though it's been so long, I think we'll have to review some select episodes that will popping back up in the near future.

Currently feeling: boldly going back in time

TV Time: The Flash

I'm not sure where we've been for the past year, but somehow we missed that The Flash was doing well as a new television program. However, after our experience with Daredevil, I was hesitant to try it. It is somewhat traditional that we binge watch a new-to-us show each summer while most of our programs are on hiatus, and after spotting the first episode of The Flash coming up on the channel guide a while back (and checking with my friends to make sure it wasn't likely to be too violent for me), we decided to give it a shot.

And I am so glad we did! We are really enjoying it, and we especially enjoy the fact that it is relatively "tame" compared to so many other super hero (and just regular cable show) productions. It's not deep, and it doesn't aim to be intriguing and complex. It is straight forward and easy and fun, and we can't wait to see each new episode. In fact, we like it sow much, we are now watching it as a family!

Tonight, Luke got to watch his first episode of it, but about 5 minutes after we started it, the power went out! It stayed off for nearly an hour, but it came back on just in time for us to squeak in an episode before he had to go to bed. When the episode was over, Luke looked at us with a huge smile on his face and asked, "are there more?" Yes, honey, there are more. We've screened 3 episodes so far, and everything looks promising. My friends say it stays about the same "level" for the whole first season. I hope they continue to be okay for him! Looks like the CW has it planned out so that, if we watch/record each week over the summer, we will be caught up just in time for the premiere of Season 2 in October. Looking forward to it!
Currently feeling: excited for our first family TV show

Phineas and Ferb - Summer Finally Ends

I can't believe it! Phineas and Ferb is ending. I know we were almost to the point that Luke had outgrown it, but we still all really enjoyed watching it together. The final episode will air in June. We're really going to miss the whole gang in Danville. And I'm pretty sure "Whatcha doooin'?", Cutonium, and broken echo will always be part of our family lexicon.

Currently feeling: sad

January 2015 Reflections

This feature was formerly called the Monthly Round-Up. It is still essentially the same thing, just a slightly different name and format.


From the 2011 Year of Memories Brag Book by Dani Mogstad

Read, Listened, Watched

As most of you know by now, I'm a bit of a "one at a time" hobbyist. If I'm really into one hobby at a particular time, there is very little happening with any of my other hobbies. Right now, stitching is at the top of that list, so there hasn't been much reading. I think I've knocked out a couple more Sherlock Holmes short stories ("The Blue Carbuncle" for sure), but that's about it.


Banner image from The Librarians Facebook page.

We really enjoyed The Librarians TV series. I wish they would stick to a more family-friendly format (certain instances of words (like s**t) and one super-creepy episode) since it's already so campy to begin with. We were hoping it would be a good show to watch as a family, but there were at least 1 or 2 episodes that he won't be able to see.


Banner image from the Agent Carter Facebook page.

We've also been enjoying Agent Carter. There have been some interesting developments and nods to the other shows/movies. I hope she gets to come back for another season, this time with the Howling Commandos (who will only make an appearance in the final episode). But as much fun as it has been, I'm actually looking forward to having Coulson and team back.



We watched a few new-to-us movies this month:

• The Illusionist - No, we had never seen it. It was pretty good, but I don't get what all the hype at the time was about.
• Young Mr. Lincoln - This was fun to watch, as much for the actors involved as anything. Definitely a case of "they don't make them that way anymore." Lovely to see Mr. Fonda so young!
• Coyote Ugly - Yes, that is a bit of a jarring jump from the previous two. This was another case of "I remember the hype, let's see what the big deal is." I actually found it a bit disappointing, and given that I wasn't expecting a cinematic masterpiece to start with, that's saying something. I guess I was hoping for a bit more comradery between the girls.
• Hawking (BBC TV Movie) - This is quite an early Benedict Cumberbatch appearance, one of those that put him on the map, so to speak. I happened to catch that it was coming on after Mythbusters one night, so I recorded it. Very interesting, both in terms of information and performance.
• Coal Miner's Daughter - I just had to see what a 1980 Tommy Lee Jones looked like. Good grief, the man has always been old! LOL But I love him just the same (though the blond hair was a bit much). I thought the movie was fine. I'm not hugely familiar with Loretta Lynn, though you can't live in the South your whole life without knowing something about her. I was impressed that everyone did their own singing!

Old Favorites: Wreck It Ralph, Iron Man 3, The Mask of Zorro, Demolition Man, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (new for Luke), Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Star Trek (J.J. Abrams), Ratatouille, Maverick, Ender's Game, Interview With the Vampire, Arsenic and Old Lace (DH's first time), Oblivion, Hello Dolly, Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Fun with Family and Friends

We rang in the New Year quietly, as usual. Luke watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on New Year's Eve before going to bed around 9:30 (which is quite late for him). Technically, he had seen it before at school, but we had a rule that he couldn't watch it at home until he had finished reading the book, which he did a few days into the Christmas break. After he went to bed, I stayed up and watched the original King Kong (which I had never seen) until about 11:50 PM. DH watched the movie with me napped on the sofa until Midnight, at which point we kissed and then went to bed. Pretty sure we were lights out by 12:05! Do we know how to party or what?

Milestones, Holidays, Special Events

We booked our 2015 Disney trip! We'll be staying on property this year (first time since 2009 or 2010, I think). That has involved all sorts of new "learning opportunities," such as trying to learn to navigate the new MagicBands and FastPass+ system. More on that in a later (dedicated) post. (I was hoping to have a picture of our MagicBands to post here, but they just shipped on January 30, so they aren't here yet.)

The Everyday and Routine

Well, I was hoping to actually reestablish something vaguely resembling a routine. We got completely of whack towards the end of last year. Basketball was starting, school was starting back, we had no "extra" commitments or obligations for the month. Yeah, we did well for about a week, and then it all fell apart again. We're still trying, though.



Basketball has fallen into place rather easily, though the 740PM games are tough (especially when they start 10-20 minutes late). Luke is usually in bed with lights out between 8 and 8:30, so not getting home until 9, *then* having to shower and such has been hard. I think we only have 3 of our 10 games that are not at 7:40.

The Good, The Bad, The Unusual

I don't know what my husband said to L on the 2nd day of school, but whatever it was, his homework attitude has been *much* better, generally speaking. It's usually quite a struggle/meltdown in January and/or February (crossing my fingers that it doesn't come next month), but homework has been even flirting with pleasant. Maybe not every day, but most days. There is still the occasional meltdown, of course. With basketball practice lasting until 8 PM (or later) on Wednesdays, that makes Thursday homework consistently much harder than any other day because he is short 1-2 hours of sleep, but we're muddling through.



We tried a new restaurant: Newk's. Reminds me a bit of a glorified Panera, but they serve pizza (which means Luke will actually eat there, unlike Panera). It was good enough that we ate there twice this month. The Four Cheese Mac and Cheese was awesome!



I purchased my first Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery designs. I saw their Fairy Tale sampler from last year pop up on Facebook several times in one day. I'd never seen the pattern before and I thought it was pretty cute, so I checked it out. Sure, that one was cute, but the monthly mystery Story Book sampler absolutely sucked me in. The Alice shown in the preview is beyond adorable, and as soon as she said "Sherlock," I knew I was sunk. (The little "symbols" at the top of each frame, like the watch shown, were the final nail in the coffin.) This is only the second or third mystery I've ever done like this. I'm actually quite excited (even if I haven't yet started stitching it; I'm just excited to see what's coming!). I'm also hoping to start a "seasonal wall" at home, and when I saw this Halloween design, I had to have it. So cute!

Progress on Goals

Not doing so well on the eat at home thing (shocking). Weight loss is progressing slowly, but I also know that I have not been 100% committed, which is my fault. I'm starting to work on the birthday party and friend get-together plans, but nothing solid yet. About the only goal that is going really well so far is stitching. I've put in quite a few hours in the last month on 3 different pieces, and I should be able to fit in a fourth piece before the official WIPocalypse due date. Above is just a small example. More pictures coming in the first week of February. They're coming along slowly but surely. Yay!


Click to read about our 2014 Disney trip!

I'm doing better with the blogging (so far; it seems easier to do in the winter, for some reason). I even finally got the Disney 2014 trip written up! About time, too, since we leave in a few weeks for our next trip.

Prompts by Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: chilly, but ready for February

Fall 2013 Television Premieres

Image from 123RF Stock Photos

There may be a slight nip in the air, and perhaps a few leaves are beginning to turn, but it's not fall until the new TV shows premiere! We will be trying 3 new shows this fall.

• The Blacklist (James Spader) - Mondays on NBC: A master international criminal turns himself in to the FBI and offers to help them catch some of the world's worst bad guys, on the condition that he speaks only to a rookie profiler with no known connections to him. Y'all know I'm a sucker for cop shows, and holy cow, they certainly have my attention after the pilot episode! James Spader is deliciously over the top (yet still in control), and I loved every minute of it. Everyone who is saying "Silence of the Lambs clone" is largely correct, minus the cannibalism of course, but aren't there much worse things to be compared to in this world? I will be interested to see if they can sustain it going forward, but we were quite impressed with Episode 1.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Tuesdays on CBS: In a post-Avengers world, where everyone now knows that there are real-life gods and monsters, S.H.I.E.L.D. works to keep things running smoothly for both mere mortals and "others." First, let me start by saying that we really enjoyed the premiere! Oh Joss, how we've missed you. I could "hear" him in so many of the great one-liners of the premiere, but neither quips (even great ones from Joss Whedon) nor cameos from other Whedon projects can make a successful show on their own. Expectations were impossibly high, and I don't think they quite made it. Very close, but not quite.  Clark Gregg is amazing, as always, and you never for a moment doubt that he is doing what we are to believe that he does for a living. Then again, he's had several films-worth of practice. The rest of the cast needs to step up their game a bit (you could tell some of them felt a little silly at times), but I think they have great potential, and I hope the show will fully gel in the next few episodes. Looking forward to more! #CoulsonLives
• Almost Human (Karl Urban) - on FOX in November: New television offering from J.J. Abrams, starring Karl Urban. 35 years in the future, a human cop is unhappily assigned an android partner. You will hear "I, Robot" thrown around a lot with this one, which is not a bad thing in my book. I suspect we will get to see Karl Urban put on his best "grumpy McCoy" persona and go to town, which is part of what we love about him. Why hire him if not to glower? LOL Toss in Lili Taylor and Michael Ealy, and I will definitely be watching when it premieres in November. (I think it is slated for Mondays, which will kill us! I hope it doesn't come on at 10, or we really will have a problem.)

It remains to be seen if they will survive. We have a history of being able to kill most any show, though we've actually managed a few winners in recent years, most recently Elementary and Person of Interest. What are you watching this fall?
Currently feeling: tuned in

Fall 2013 Television Shake-Up

The major TV networks did their "up fronts" in the last week or so. That's when they pitch their new fall line-ups and shows to advertisers. It's also when, unfortunately, we find out that some shows didn't make it.



Of the shows that we watch, both CSI:NY and Rules of Engagement were cancelled. Neither one is a surprise, really, but it is a disappointment. I think CSI:NY was due, though I will miss seeing Mac and Flack each week. I wish they had gotten one more season out of Rules of Engagement, though. I would have loved to see Jeff with the baby!



Though not a true cancellation, there was one revelation that was quite a surprise to me: there will be no more results show for Dancing With the Stars. Not sure how that will work, and not sure how I feel about that. Despite watching the show for years now, I've never actually voted, so it won't really affect me personally. I know other competition shows have that kind of set up, including the British version of DWTS I believe, so it's not unprecedented. I'm just curious how the whole thing will play out. And why did they get rid of the results show? First and foremost, because it was much lower rated than the "day of competition" show, and you know networks are all about ratings. Secondly, because they were making room for a new show on Tuesdays:



Yep! The biggest news from the upfronts is the new show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the organization from the Marvel comics that played small parts in various films and a larger part in Joss Whedon's The Avengers, they gave Joss a shot at a new TV show. It's even on ABC this time, not Fox, so I have high hopes for it. Or I did, until its time slot was announced. Please tell me why they are pitting it against THE #1 show on all of television? That's right, folks. ABC has decided to schedule SHIELD on Tuesdays at 8PM, directly opposite the juggernaut that is NCIS. Do all TV networks just hate Joss Whedon? I mean, I know Buffy and Angel did well, but seriously, what are these people thinking?! They're trying to say there isn't much crossover audience. Maybe they're right. I sure hope they are, because I really want *both* shows to continue for quite some time.
Currently feeling: ready to watch!

Wordless Wednesday - April 3, 2013

Currently feeling: weird seeing my brother on TV (cool! but weird)

Wordless Wednesday - March 27, 2013

Currently feeling: ready to boldly go!

How can we rock without Dick Clark?

I can't believe this will be the first New Year's Eve without Dick Clark on television in my lifetime. He started his New Year's show in 1974, and he did miss one year when he had his stroke. But otherwise, he has always been there, until now. Makes me glad I stayed up last year to watch, not knowing it would be his last.

Sadly, sometime yesterday (in a fit of completing it's dastardly resolutions, no doubt), my body realized that, if it hurried, there was still time to get dreadfully sick before the end of the year! Yay. Thus, the birth of 2013 here on the east coast of the United States will also have to do without me for the first time in many many years. At this point, I think I'll be lucky to make it to 10 PM. I just hope this is not a sign of things to come for the next year.

Wishing you all a wonderful, happy, healthy 2013!
Currently feeling: not at all well

The Big Bang Theory, Season 3

The Big Bang Theory, Season 3

Well, we finished season three of The Big Bang Theory. It was fun for Penny and Leonard to finally be together. I'm glad they didn't try to drag that out for another two or three seasons. There were certainly some great moments! We nearly died laughing over Sheldon and Leonard in the ball pit in the episode where Sheldon was "stuck" on an idea for several days. We were laughing so hard that we had to pause it and back it up twice!  The return of Catherine Baranski as Leonard's mom was brilliant, as expected. I finally got to see Wil Wheaton (twice!); having followed his blog and Twitter accounts for many years, it was great to finally see Evil Wil Wheaton in action.  And I was very excited to finally see the introduction of Amy. I've seen at least a couple of episodes with mayim bialik, and with what little I had seen of her character, I could not *imagine* how she came into the fold of the group. The way it happened makes so much sense and was too funny!

I will say that I was quite disappointed by one facet, though. After spending several weeks on Bernadette and Howard, she just sort of vanished. I could not figure out what happened to her, and it was bugging me. I kept waiting for a grand explanation, but instead they just put in a throw away comment about "yeah, we broke up weeks ago, didn't you notice?" and that was it. Makes me wonder if something happened to the actress for it to have happened so suddenly (either an illness/injury or maybe she landed another show as a regular). The weird part, though, is that I know she comes back, so who knows. Anyway, we're really enjoying it. Bring on Season 4!
Currently feeling: out of this world

Titanic: Blood and Steel

I've had a few people ask me if I watched this miniseries. I did, but not until the entire series had aired. I had honestly forgotten about it, and I happened to remember a day or two before the aired every episode over a recent weekend, so I got to record them all. It was quite interesting, though ironically, it's not really about the ship. This miniseries is as much about Titanic as Indiana Jones is about WWII. It is mentioned, it certainly affects the things that are going on, but that's not really what it's "about" per se (not the way that, say, Schindler's List or The Pianist is about WWII). That is simply the setting for the stories the writers wanted to tell. It is much more about the scope of Ireland at the time and the struggles of her people, politically, religiously, and societally (not sure that's a word, but I'm going to use it).

I watched it all over the course of about 3 days. The first few episodes were quite good. They started dragging a bit in the middle and didn't share enough time among the various characters, IMO. And for goodness sake, if you're going to bill Neve Campbell and Chris Noth so highly, they should have more face time in the series! I appreciate that they were being touted because they were two of only three names I really recognized (Derek Jacobi had a good bit of time on camera), but still, I felt like that was a huge bate and switch. If you're a Titanic fan or interested in the politics of turn of the century Ireland, you might enjoy it. Otherwise, I'm not sure it's worth so many hours. It's quite good, just not great.

Currently feeling: slightly disappointed

2012 Fall TV Premieres

Clip art of the television is public domain from WPClipart.com

I am just staggered that it is already time for the 2012 Network Fall TV Premieres. Where did the year go? It always seems like, once we get to my birthday (late July), the rest of the year is pretty much scheduled out and nearly over. School starts in August, then Labor Day, Luke's birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and suddenly it's New Year's. At least we should have some interesting things to watch through November sweeps. We're mainly sticking with the old faithfuls: Dancing With the Stars, Castle, NCIS, NCIS: LA, Criminal Minds, CSI, Person of Interest, CSI: NY, and The Mentalist. We are giving a few new series a shot, though. Here are my thoughts after the pilot episodes.

Vegas was... interesting. I love Dennis Quaid, and I quite like Carrie Anne Moss, too. I was afraid she was just going to be the gangster's girl or something, but she's actually the ADA, which is nice considering it's a period piece and that would have been extremely rare for the times. I hope they give her a little more to do in the upcoming episodes besides trade quips with the new sheriff (not that that's not fun), but I'm not sure we'll be watching. Might give it one more try, but the pilot was a bit too much for me, just too "rough" for my tastes (Dennis Quaid or no), and I don't like seeing Michael Chiklis as the heavy (he's good at it, but I really like him and don't want him to be the bad guy).

Elementary was quite good, once I got the hang of his accent (I don't usually have difficulty with accents, but his bothered me for a while; thankfully, he slowed his speech a bit as the episode progressed). Though I haven't seen her in a lot of things, I've always liked Lucy Liu, and I think they have some good chemistry together as people without it being sexual (yet; I'm sure it's (sadly) just a matter of time). I saw a few commercials/previews for the show over the summer and I was concerned, but I actually enjoyed it much more than I expected to. We'll definitely keep it on the slate for now.

We thought about Revolution, but after keeping the pilot on the DVR but unwatched for nearly 2 weeks, we just deleted it. We watch plenty of television as it is, plus Mythbusters will be starting back in October, so there's really no need to attempt a third new show. If it's that good, we can pick it up/make it up later.

So, what new shows are you watching this year? What do you think so far?
Currently feeling: ready to watch

Quoted for Truth

Yes, yes we are. (See what I did there? Though technically that is a television quote.) Speaking in movie/television quotes is a way of life in my family. In fact, I didn't realize that several of my father's favorite sayings when I was growing up were movie quotes (from films I hadn't seen) until I got older. I'm not sure if DH and his family did it much when he was growing up, but he sure did pick it up like a pro when we started dating. I promise you, not a day goes by that something isn't quoted some how, some way, in this house.

I've had a few people ask me why we do it. I guess it's like shorthand. It's just a quick and easy way of conveying much more information and emotion than "just the words" actually mean. In fact, sometimes the actual words of the quote don't make any sense in the context of the conversation, but the situation and emotion carried by the quote say all that needs to be said. The mental image imparted by the few words of the quote cover the proverbial thousand words and more. It also reminds me of one of my favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes called "Darmok." Very similar kind of idea.

So why am I bringing this up now? Luke used his first quote in the course of a conversation back in July, but I had forgotten about it until today. Now, he wasn't just mimicking us, saying a quote we had said in a similar context. He's been doing that since he was about four. No, I mean he picked his very own quote based on something someone else said, a quote none of us had ever used before.

It was during our staycation back in July (still need to write about that). We were in Cartersville with my parents (all 5 of us in one car), trying to find a Zaxby's for lunch. The GPS didn't have it in the database, so we were trying to use Google maps to find it based on the address. Let's just say that method was rather imprecise. As we rounded a corner, around the back side of a mall parking lot, we expected it to be right in front of us. Instead, we were staring at an old building that had clearly been closed for quite some time. I commented that I didn't think Zaxby's would be in an abandoned building, and Luke pipes up from the back seat: "Yeah, it's not the old abandoned Old Abandoned Zaxby's."

We had to stop the car because we were all laughing so hard. That's an "almost-quote" reference to one of our favorite Phineas and Ferb episodes, where Isabella and the Fireside Girls have to go get sap from a tree at the old abandoned Old Abandoned Amusement Park. As Isabella explains, "it was called the Old Abandoned Amusement Park, and now it's old and abandoned."And he used it appropriately *all* by himself. We were so proud!! Our little baby's all grown up and saving China. ::sniff, sniff::  ;-)

Currently feeling: that he's finally been fully assimilated