Category Archives: General

5 Shows I’m Glad I Watch

Posted in TV by

Today’s post is about the 5 shows I’m glad I watch.  They are in no particular order.

  • NCIS: I’m so glad I “discovered” this show back in January.  There a lot I like about the show- from the character relationships to the dialogue to the characters in general, it’s on my must-watch list.
  • Once Upon A Time: It’s done by the same people who did lost, and I really like the show.  Plus, there are random things that end up on the show, and it’s interesting to see what they are every week.
  • House: I wasn’t sure about what it would be like with Cuddy gone, but it’s starting to get back to the show I love.  The last season or so, it got a little weird.  But it seems to be getting back on course.
  • Pan Am: It’s fun, and while I don’t usually watch the retro/period piece t.v. shows, this one got my interest.  It’s interesting to say the least, and I do like the fact that one of the girls is a spy.
  • Grey’s Anatomy: It’s another show that got a little weird for me, but at least no one’s having hallucinations about a dead fiancee that they’re having sex with.  The character relationships are interesting, not to mention complicated, and there’s always something crazy happening. 

So, some are new, some are old, and another, while not new, is new to me!  I’ll be glad when everything is back to it’s regularly scheduled programming, because I’m getting tired of re-runs.  Maybe I should start watching the food network again…

Apparently, The T.V. Is Not Gone

Posted in General, TV by

Remember last week, when I was talking about how t.v. was going to be gone for a few weeks because of the holidays?

I was wrong.  A few shows went on their break last week, but there were a few that fooled me!  Apparently, they were talking a week off so they could air an episode before signing off for the year.  So I will now be trying to catch up on Revenge and Person Of Interest, and try to find something to watch.

I’ve decided to not do Writing Wednesday.  You know, the day I was supposed to talk about writing?  Well, I’m not writing, and rather than talk about how I’m not working on any of my novels once a week, I’ve decided to temporarily drop it.  If/when I start that up again, it’ll make an appearance, but until then, I’ll be talking about other stuff.  I currently have an astounding 8 books that are either being read, will be read, or are finished, so expect quite a few book reviews.  That’s partly why I’m not talking about writing, because I have too many books to get through!  Although once things settle down, I may have to start doing writing prompts or something.  I’ll definitely have to recap my book reading at some point.

I’m done baking my mom’s cookies and now I just need to finish my grandma’s scarf.  Plus, I need to bake some brownies, more cookies, and some gingerbread men for Christmas.  My multi-tasking will definitely be put to the test!

Where Has All The T.V. Gone?

Posted in TV by

Now that it’s the holidays, t.v. has gone on a vacation until the new year.  It’s slightly annoying, but I guess the actors needs a break, right?  Besides, it’ll give me a chance to catch up on Revenge and Person Of Interest, since I’m woefully behind on both shows.  I definitely like Revenge, and Person of Interest is interesting.  I like it, but I’m still on the fence about it.

America’s Next Top Model had their season finale this week, and it was certainly interesting.  I wanted Allison to win, but no such luck.  However, the last 20 minutes!  That was a very unexpected twist- they had to reshoot the final judging, since information came out about Angelea that disqualified her from the competition.  And they wanted to judge both Allison and Lisa on their own.  Absolutely no explanation of what happened with Angelea, but all signs point to her winning and posting that she won on Facebook.  It’s just a rumor, but it does seem likely.  And the way she was portrayed would certainly indicate she’d be the type to shout it to the world.  But who wouldn’t?  Still, for someone who really wanted to win, why would you potentially mess it up to post it on Facebook or whatever?

Then again, who knows why anyone does anything?  I’m sure next season will be interesting too, but I’m sad Andre Leon Talley is leaving the show.

I’m not sure what else to say about t.v., other than I’ll probably get far too used to reruns of stuff.

Laugh Until You Cry!

Posted in General by

I have been reading Cake Wrecks a lot over the last few days.  It’s absolutely hysterical- funny pictures combined with even funnier commentary means that I have laughed until I’ve started crying.

Half the time I don’t know if I should be horrified, confused, or laugh.  Or possibly all three.  It’s been known to happen.  If I ever need a good laugh, Cake Wrecks is definitely at the top of my list.  It’s rare that I laugh ’til I cry, but Cake Wrecks manages to do this rather frequently.

Also on my list is Doctor Grumpy!  It’s a blog written by a doctor, who blogs about funny headlines and news stories and weird products out in the world, but mostly it’s about life as a doctor and the funny/bizarre/annoying patients he encounters.

And Doctor Grumpy led me to This Is Not Artisan.  Basically, this woman posts about different processed foods that have “artisan” on the label, and points out how they’re not really artisan.  I know that description doesn’t sound like it would be funny, but it is a lot funnier than it sounds.  Seriously, go check it out.  With things like artisan Tostitos (the very first post) and Artisan Cola Soda Syrup (one of the more recent posts), how can you not be baffled by the things that have artisan slapped on?

Somehow, things always seem to be better when I’m crying because I’m laughing!

What To Do?

Posted in General by

It’s a week into December, and not writing everyday is still a little weird.  For all the thinking I’ve done about how much I wanted to work on old projects, I have yet to work on anything.  But since we’re only a week into December, there’s still the rest of the month to get writing. 

I’ve been thinking about inspiration the last couple days.  It can come from anywhere, and even when I’m not writing, I try to let my mind wander.  Listening to podcasts or a song, letting my mind wander while I’m crocheting, or reading a book can all provide inspiration.  

I guess this could possibly be a time of regrouping.  I know which projects I want to work on, but I do have a few projects that I’d like to work on at some point.  Like the roller derby novel and the historical fiction novel.  Maybe I’ll actually be able to decide on a plot and start planning it over the next year…after some reading of course!

I think I’ll try and get back into some sort of writing schedule.  What that is, I don’t know.  It might be everyday, it might be a couple days a week.  I think I’ll have to try different things and see what works. 

Perhaps I should crochet myself a really cool hat that can be my writer’s hat and get me into the writing mood!  Or something else, like a writing scarf.  Definitely something cool, that I only wear when I’m writing.  Perhaps that could lead to a plot bunny…

I Love Home Fries

Posted in Podcasts by

I am a fan of the Home Fries network.  It was started by Joy the Baker and they have a few different ones. 

Joy is doing a couple podcasts- one with Tracey from shutterbean where they talk about random stuff and the other is Joy interviewing different food bloggers and various other people.  Like Aarti from the Food Network and the lady who started the Cake Spy website.  At one point, I was listening to the Table Set, which is about entertaining and dinner parties and The Crush is about wine.  I’m not quite sure why I stopped, so maybe I need to give them another listen. 

It’s fun to hear her stories and thoughts on stuff and her conversations with Tracey!  And I’m curious as to who else she’ll be talking with on We’re About To Be Friends.  I laugh, and find myself jumping in on the conversation sometimes.  Come to think of it, I do that with a lot of podcasts I listen to…

Anyway, Home Fries has some interesting podcasts, and they’re what I’m listening to right now!

Gilmore Girls

Posted in Podcasts, TV by

Gilmore Girls is one of my all-time favorite shows, and I was so sad when it was cancelled!  I first came across Gilmore Girls on ABC Family, where they show reruns every weekday, and unfortunately, I only managed to watch 7 season (the last season) in it’s entirety.  I had only seen random episodes of the previous 5 season, and missed season 6 completely, so everything didn’t make sense.  Thanks to the wonder that is TV on DVD, I managed to get all 7 seasons, and watched the entire show in it’s entirety.

Listening to the Gilmore Girls Re-watch podcast, I felt inspired and compelled to re-watch the series.  I’ve seen each episode a few times, so I’m not confused or anything, but it’s a lot more fun listening to it when I’ve seen the episode right before listening.

It’s a great show, with a lot of great dialogue, witty banter, and pop culture references that go right over my head.  Plus, the relationships between all of the characters is really interesing.

I suppose it would be a good idea to talk about what the show is actually about, right?  It’s about Lorelei Gilmore and her daughter Lorelei (nickname: Rory) and their lives in fictional Stars Hollow.  I like the relationship between Rory and her mom, and the very different relationships that both Lorelei’s have with Richard and Emily, who are Rory’s grandparents and Lorelei’s parents.  The biggest thing, though, is the fact that Lorelei got pregnant at 16 and then left home some time after having Rory.  I also love the very colorful people of Stars Hallow- Miss Patty, Babette, Kirk, Luke and Taylor, to name a few.  And of course, Sookie, Lorelei’s best friend and Lane, who is Rory’s best friend.  And Paris…I could go on listing the different characters.

Listening to the podcast has really helped me think about the show in a different way- one cohost (Arkle) is a fan of the show, and Angela (another cohost) is watching the series for the first time.  It’s hilarious when Arkle brings something up, and it’s clear, it’s not trying to spoil anything for Angela.  They’ve had a couple cohosts- Colleen, who was around for a while, and now someone else (I think her name is Nina) when Colleen had to leave.  Both are fans of the show as well, and around the same age as Rory is in the 1st 3 seasons.  It’s really interesting to hear Angela’s point of view since she sometime brings up things I never thought about.  Rewatching the show, I definitely don’t like Dean and I’m glad it didn’t work out with Rory.  If only they could combine Dean’s companionship with Jess’ reading a lot and Logan’s spontaneity…then you’d have a great guy for Rory!

Sometimes, Rory is a little Mary Sue-ish for me.  I can relate to liking school and reading a lot, but sometimes…she’s a little too perfect.  In contrast to her mom, who has made some mistakes.  It’s definitely referenced several times throughout the first 3 seasons that Lorelei has let down her parents and severely disappointed them and that whole bit.  I wonder if it’s done on purpose to show that while the hopes and dreams Richard and Emily had for Lorelei didn’t happen, it could happen with Rory, who is definitely the child they wanted to Lorelei to be.

It’s been pretty fun rewatching it, and I may have to start doing that with a few other shows I like…

Thanksgiving

Posted in General by

Today is Thanksgiving, and last year I wrote about things I was thankful for in terms of writing.  This year, it will be a much more general list!

  • I know this is cliché this time of year, but I’m healthy and alive and stuff.  Especially if I keep my fingers out of sharp objects.  Good health is good!
  • Here’s another cliché know some pretty cool people, and I’m glad I know them! 
  • NaNo: as much as I am struggling this year, I have met some of the cool people above through NaNo.  I wrote a lot more this year than I have in the past few years, and it is because of NaNo last year. 
  • That I’ve discovered a love of baking, cooking, and crochet.  I’m learning how to crochet, and it was a little slow-going at first, but I’m getting the hang of it.  I love being all crafty and domestic! 

That’s all for now, since I need to go make some mashed potatoes and finish baking that apple pie.  Have a great thanksgiving and a great weekend!

I Have A Confession To Make

Posted in General by

It is now Day 3, and I have a confession to make.

I’ve barely written anything.  Nor have I really wanted to write anything. 

As excited as I am about NaNo, and as much as I love it…I’m having trouble getting actually writing.  It’s like I lost my NaNo mojo!  The horror!  I can’t be a word ninja if I don’t write anything! 

I’ve been staring at my novels, and I feel rather uninspired right now.  I love my ideas, but my ability to sit down and write just hasn’t been there. 

I have managed to write, but it’s more of a forcing myself to do it kind of thing as opposed to something that I want to do.

I’m at 1,684 for the mermaid one, and 1,384 for the mistaken identity one.  That leaves me with a total of 3,068.  This means I’m a day behind on my word count.  I can catch up, though, it’s just a matter of actually getting myself to write. 

There’s really not much to report right now, so maybe (hopefully) I’ll have more tomorrow.

Guess Who Has A Menu Planned?

Posted in Food, NaNo by

I finally planned a menu for NaNo!  I guess this goal of cooking new things every month actually came in handy in that I put some thought into what I wanted to cook next month.

I’ve decided I’ll my using my Crock-Pot next month!  It’ll be easy: just prep everything the night before, put everything in according to the recipe, and a few hours later, I’ll have food!  I have a few recipes for tofu bookmarked, and a few soup recipes that are also bookmarked.

I decided to abandon my idea of cooking everything this month, freezing it, and then thawing it out as needed in November.  I came across this blog a while ago where the blogger used her slow cooker everyday for a year, and figured that NaNo would be a really good time to actually use my slow cooker.  And the less time I have to worry about food and cooking, the more time I have to procrastinate!

I still have no idea about snacks, especially since I ate some of the snacks I got at the grocery store.  But it’ll be the typical snack stuff: pretzels, maybe some cookies or fruit snacks, popcorn and those fruit cereal bar things.  Some sort of snack-y dessert, like cookies or brownies.  Or other bars.  Cake balls!  Or cake pops.

As for drinks…water.  Hot chocolate and apple cider!  Any drink I can make in the slow-cooker.  And no NaNo is complete without my beloved COFFEE!  Well, caffeine in general…but it’s pretty hard to compete with coffee.

I definitely want to make pumpkin pie…completely from scratch!  It’ll be a good way to procrastinate on my writing.  It’ll be a good break from writing, like when I’m switching from one novel to the other.

Oh, who am I kidding?  I’ll be procastinating like it’s going out of style.  Back to food, though, I have nothing else to add!

Have a great day, and I’ll be back tomorrow with a post about my NaNo Survival Kit.