Category Archives: TV

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall T.V. Freebie

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers share their own bookish top ten lists based on the topic of the week.  You can check out Ten Tuesdays here.

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Top Ten Favorite Shows

I talk about books a lot- of course I do, but I also like watching t.v. (a lot), so in honor of fall t.v., I’m talking about my ten favorite t.v. shows.  Recommendations are also good, I’ll give anything a try, and it doesn’t even have to be similar to the shows on my list (although that would be helpful but not necessary).

  1. Basically anything by Shonda Rhimes.  Scandal is super-dramatic, you never know what’s going to happen on How To Get Away With Murder, and I love Grey’s Anatomy so much it isn’t even funny.
  2. Once Upon A Time.  I love this weird take on fairy tales/Disney characters- which is pretty much what happens when the guys behind Lost decide to do a show about fairy tales.
  3. The 100.  I have a really good friend who loves this show, and I basically started watching it so I would know what she was talking about, because she loves it so much.  And then I got hooked, and the new season needs to start now.
  4. Walking Dead.  I’ve never read the comics, but I love the show, and you never know what’s going on.
  5. Gilmore Girls.  I’m looking forward to the revival SO MUCH, and it’ll be nice to see what’s going on in the lives of the Gilmore Girls.  I’m sad that Edward Herrmann won’t get to be a part of the revival, because it won’t be the same without him.
  6. NCIS.  I can’t help it, I just love it.  I’m curious to see what the show is going to be like now that the character of DiNozzo is gone, speaking of which, I still haven’t seen the last couple of episodes of the last season, so I should probably catch up on them before the new season starts.
  7. Reign.  I know it’s not the most historical accurate show, but it’s dramatic and entertaining, and I’m enough of a history nerd, especially where Tudor history is concerned, that at some point, I’ll probably actually getting around to reading the shelf of books I have about the time period.
  8. Sleepy Hollow.  It’s Ichabod Crane meets the apocalypse!  And I can’t wait for season 4, especially with how things ended for a particular character.  That took me off guard, and had the show been cancelled, it would have been a good ending point for the show.  But since it’s coming back for a 4th season, I want to know how the show is going to go forward.
  9. Blacklist.  I tend to watch this show on Hulu, but I’m a season behind since it wasn’t airing on Hulu for some reason.  It’s still good, though, and I really recommend it, especially because James Spader is amazing on this show.
  10. iZombie.  I watched the 1st season on Netflix recently, and I’ll definitely be watching when it comes back on!

T.V. Talk: I Really Need To Talk About Grey’s Anatomy (With Spoilers)

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I’ve been watching Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix, and while watching it, I had so many random thoughts while watching it that I needed to get it all out!

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There are going to be spoilers for all 11 seasons.  You have been warned.  

First, my thoughts on Season 11.

Which is the season that just happened, for anyone who is curious.

Did Addison go to Derek’s funeral?  I don’t think we’ll ever know, and in the long run, I don’t think it’s that important, but I am curious.  I know they’re divorced, and it seemed like they didn’t talk much after that…well, maybe but I’m not sure.  But she is his ex-wife…

Overall, I liked the structure of season 11, and the focus on Meredith and her past, especially in relation to her history with her mom.  I am wondering how far ahead Shonda Rhimes knew that Derek was going to die, because there were some really interesting parallels between Meredith and her mom, and this time around, it did seem like it was hinted at throughout the season.

Re-watching this season, it’s actually surprising that it took so long for Maggie to come in- considering the fact that the affair Richard and Ellis is a very well-known fact at this point, and looking back, it fits in with everything else this season, and it does seem like the best point for it to come up.  I don’t, unfortunately, remember what I thought about Meredith having a half-sister, except that I wasn’t sure.  I didn’t really pay attention to what I thought about it at the time.

I kind of wonder if it was always something Rhimes considered- both the introduction of Maggie, and the death of Derek, and she was waiting for the right time to write those things in.  Like, on NCIS, the death of Mike Franks was always in the back of someone’s mind (whoever it is makes those decisions), and they were waiting for the right time to work it in.  That’s the feel I got with both things while marathoning it.

I was also nervous about Yang (played by Sandra Oh) not being on the show anymore, but I was surprised by how much I didn’t miss her being gone.  She’s a great character, and I miss her, but I thought the show didn’t suffer for it.

Random Thoughts On Other Seasons

The free clinic.  It was important for a while, but then it wasn’t really mentioned or a place where they went anymore.  I’m curious if it got dropped in favor of other story lines, or if went away the way the E.R. almost went away when Pegasus tried to take over the hospital, or if it’s still there but not a story line anymore.

I kind of miss how much they interacted with the nurses and other hospital staff.  It’s probably something that’s been dropped with because of the different story lines, but still.  I miss it.

It also seems like there are a lot more characters now then there were when the show started, and sometimes, it feels like the number of things going on and characters to focus on seem a little overwhelming.  But it is the sort of show that can go on for a long time, because you can always bring in new characters as old ones leave.

It’s amazing how different the few remaining original cast members look- especially Meredith.

After the plane crash, during the first couple of episodes of season 9…it was hard to watch.  But it really struck me how much they needed to have what happened in the woods as the second episode. It had a lot more impact and was truly heart-breaking knowing what happened after those events happened.  Especially when you’re doing a re-watch.

Considering how many of the hospital staff get together, I’m surprised that it took so long for them to have an official policy on workplace relationships.  In real life, a hospital like Seattle Grace probably would have had something like that in place already. Obviously, I’m not watching it because it’s just like real life, but really, so many seasons in, and it takes an intern lodging a complaint for them to do something?  Granted, it’s why we have Derek and Meredith (love them!) and Mark and Lexie (miss them!) but it still popped into my head.  And they do spend so much time together that it makes sense.

It really is easy to forget about characters once they’re off the show.  Like the couple of interns from Mercy West, who died in the shooting, or Dr Brooks and Leah Murphy, even though they left more recently.

Whatever happened to Meredith’s dad?  With Lexie gone, there really is no point to having him mentioned again, and he and Meredith never really had a relationship in the first place.  I can’t remember if it was mentioned- the last thing I remember was the liver transplant, and after that, nothing.

I feel like there used to be more funny moments, and now, it doesn’t seem like there are as many now.  Which is fine, but I kind of miss the funny moments.

I think Grey’s is going to be on for a while, but I am curious about how they’re going to end the series…when it does, of course. I don’t want it go anywhere, but I am sort of wondering what might be in store for us in general, especially with the death of Derek.

Interns!  There was the first group seasons ago, that had Lexie and George, and the one that had Ben, Wilson and Edwards. And there’s the new group introduced at the end of season 11, so I’m curious if any of them will stick around and if they’ll have more of a role.  I still think there’s a lot going on, even without an intern story line, and I kind of didn’t notice until the end of season 11 that groups of interns were few and far between.  Maybe they’re there, and just never appeared on the show or something.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Currently Obsessed With: Fall T.V.

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Currently Obsessed With is a monthly (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about what’s going on in my life and what I’m obsessed with!

So, in my last currently obsessed with post, I mentioned that I was going to do a much needed separate post on t.v., since I’ve been watching A TON of t.v. (And the article edition is coming soon, I just need to sort through everything!)

It’s going to be a long one, because I swear I’m watching ALL OF THE SHOWS, even though I’m nowhere near it.

What I’m Watching On Netflix:

I’ve been watching American Horror Story– just season 2, since I watched season 1 ages ago, and season 3 isn’t available yet.  Which I don’t mind, since each season has no relation to any of the other seasons.  I’m really excited about the next season, which starts up this week!

I’ve also been watching Hart Of Dixie, and I can’t believe I’ve only just started watching it! I’m not completely caught up, since I’ve only seen the handful of Season 3 episodes that are on Hulu Plus, so I’m just waiting to see if it’ll show up on Netflix.  I’m going to watch it regardless of whether I’m caught up, but it would be nice to see the entire season.

And I’ve also been watching Walking Dead, and I’m hoping to be caught up with that one before season 5 starts, but I’ll watch season 4 and 5 at the same time if I have to.

For some bizarre reason, I got super-excited that all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls is available on netflix. This doesn’t make a lot of sense, since I own all 7 seasons on DVD, but on the plus side, I can now watch it on my Nook and my laptop, so maybe I’ll be watching and posting those recaps more regularly.

And now, for Fall T.V., where things may or may not be spoiler-y, so read at your own risk.  

Sunday:

Once Upon A Time: I LOVE that Frozen has come to Storybrooke!  I love the scene where Emma is talking to Regina, and I really wish they played Do You Want To Build A Snowman in the backgroud, because I totally love that scene.  And Marshmallow!  And the scene between Belle and Rumplestiltskin, and the music from Beauty And The Beast!  I’m so excited for this!

Resurrection: I’m actually not sure if I want to keep watching it, so I’ll have to see.  This may be a show I end up dropping, considering I haven’t seen the premiere yet.

Revenge: I am so glad it’s back!  Things will certainly be interesting, with Emily and Victoria, especially.  I feel like I need to go back and watch the entire season for a refresher.

Monday: 

Sleepy Hollow: I could not stay awake during the premiere, which was just as well, because I remember being really confused about what was going on.  I literally watched season 1 just to figure out what the heck was going on.  I’m not sure how I feel about the new sheriff or anything that’s going on.  Is it bad that I feel like I need to watch the first couple episodes a few more times to make sense of everything?

Blacklist: James Spader is still awesome.  He’s a really good bad guy, and I’m curious about where this season will take us, especially with Keene’s husband being dead…right, he died last season?  Maybe I need to go back and watch the finale (because I definitely don’t have time to watch the entire season right now) for to remind myself of what happened.  Also: I need to finish last weeks episode.

Tuesday:

NCIS: It’s interesting that a guy connected to Ari, from season…2?  Ziva’s brother, from when she first came on?  I’ve only started watching a few seasons ago, and it’s only because of random episodes on USA, so I’m not sure what season that’s from.  What it with his fixation on Gibbs?

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: FitzSimmons is not the same with Fitz, and no Simmons.  It’s breaking my heart, it really is.

Wednesday: 

Nashville: I’ve been catching it on Hulu, because for some reason, I cannot handle these 10 pm shows (mostly, but we’ll get to that later).  Reina is totally with the wrong guy, and Juliette realizing that the baby is likely Avery’s, which will probably change her mind about having an abortion…actually had me staring angrily at the computer screen.  I’ll probably have more thoughts in a few more episodes.

Thursday:

Grey’s Anatomy: Meredith is a character I normally like, but she’s pretty damn annoying right now.  I know Christina being gone is hard for her, and she wasn’t going to like anyone who came in, but I really hate how she’s treating Pierce.

Scandal: This show is so addictive!  I’m glad Olivia’s back in D.C., and I’m wondering if we’ll see more of her father.  And Mellie!  I feel so much for her right now.  And…I just don’t know what else to say, but I think it’s going to be a slightly different season than the previous ones.

How To Get Away With Murder: I am not sure what to think!  It feels like there are so many story lines, and I’ve had to watch the episodes a couple times to figure out what was going on- because it feels like there are so many different things going on. I’m actually curious to see how it’ll all come together.  I do like Viola Davis’ character, and Wes is pretty awesome! Considering it’s on at 10, I’ve managed to stay mostly awake, but even that didn’t help me keep up with the different story lines.

Reign: I really like it, but…I don’t know.  I’m not super enthused about it yet, so I’ll probably give it a few more episodes to see if it catches my interest again.  This may be another show I end up dropping…if I do end up dropping something!

An Assortment Of Thoughts:

So, I’m definitely watching a lot of t.v. right now, and for the most part, I can’t seem to drop anything to save my life.  I actually want to go back and watch a few shows from the beginning, like Once Upon A Time and Grey’s Anatomy and NCIS, because I feel like I’m overdue for all three shows.  Especially NCIS, because I came to it so late.  At least you can jump in with it at any time, because I really can’t afford to get it on DVD for the older seasons.

I’m also looking forward to Downton Abbey coming back, but at least that’s a few months away!  Seriously, I feel like I’ve had to re-watch so many episodes.  Partly because I had trouble staying awake during most everything, but also because I’m feeling fuzzy on stuff because there are so many things to keep track of.  I think I need a week or two to get back into keep up with what feels like ALL OF THE SHOWS, instead of 1 or 2 shows like I’ve been doing all summer.

I hope everyone is enjoying all of the awesome t.v. that’s on (whatever it may be).

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite T.V. Shows

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Favorite T.V. Shows

This week, we’re actually taking a break from the normal book-ish topics, and talking about other forms of entertainment! I opted for my favorite t.v. shows, because I really do like to just sit down and watch some t.v. sometimes.  Here are some past and current favorites.

  1. Gray’s Anatomy.  Gray’s Anatomy has had it’s share of good, bad and bizarre, but it’s so addicting!
  2. Scandal.  For the longest time, I meant to watch Scandal, and I finally got around to watching it recently.  Parts of it were pretty familiar, probably as a result of me being lazy after Gray’s Anatomy finished.  But I’m glad I got caught up with it.
  3. NCIS.  I actually came across it on the USA network, so I got into it quite a few seasons in.  But there is a reason why it’s one of the most popular shows- it has some great moments, and the characters are a lot of fun.
  4. Downton Abbey.  I’ve only seen the first couple of seasons, but I will definitely be catching up before the next season starts.
  5. Nashville.  It’s about country music, and I love country music a lot, so I can’t believe it took me a while to get into it.
  6. Gilmore Girls.  I am such a fan of Gilmore Girls (which reminds me that I need to finish up my project to blog my way through the entire series).  I came to Gilmore Girls through ABC Family, and watched only season 7 live, but I fell in love with the town and the characters.
  7. Lost.  I loved Lost when it was on, so I may have to rewatch it one of these days.  Probably after I finish the 50 million other things I need to watch.  It was such a strange show, but strange is something I’m a fan of.
  8. Once Upon A Time.  Considering Lost is one of my favorite shows, it’s no surprise that Once Upon A Time is one of my favorite shows right now, and I want the next season to start to see where they’re going with the season 3 cliffhanger.  I totally wasn’t expecting that particular fairy-tale tie-in!
  9. Revenge.  I started off watching the first season, but for some reason, I never kept up with it after that.  Well, until recently, when I started watching it on Netflix & Hulu, and wondered why I stopped watching.
  10. I really love the Food Network!  I love to cook and bake- but mostly baking- and I have had days where I’ve literally watched it pretty much all day.  And there’s something about the connection between food and memories that’s actually pretty awesome.
  11. For good measure, go listen to Welcome To Night Vale.  While not a t.v. show, it’s one of my favorite podcasts, and I can’t wait to listen to today’s episode, especially after the last couple of episodes.

Currently Obsessed With: The April Edition

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So, Currently Obsessed With is a monthly feature that I started at the beginning of the year to talk about all of my favorite things and latest obsessions.  I can’t believe this is my fourth one already!

So: nail polish seems to be a regular occurence with these posts, which is due to the ever-awesome Julep Maven Box, which you can see in the picture below.

Left To Right: Mariska, an add-on, Bailey, Fiora and Maren

Left To Right: Mariska, an add-on, Bailey, Fiora and Maren

So, it’s not the best photo, but I liked Mariska enough to get it as an add-on, but I haven’t worn it yet.  And I haven’t worn Maren yet either, but I have worn Fiora and Bailey.  I liked Fiora more than I expected, and while I like Bailey as color…it wasn’t the best polish to actually use.  It seemed gloopy, and it felt like it took forever to dry, which is pretty unusual for Julep.  However, Monaco, which was in one of the Maven boxes (not my usual one, unfortunately) is a similar color that isn’t gloopy, so I’d honestly go with that one instead.

I haven’t been crocheting much, so I’ve only done a little bit of work on my blanket.  So, no picture of it this month.  Partly because I haven’t worked on it much, but mostly because I forgot until right now, and quite frankly, I don’t really feel like it.  😦

I haven’t been in a reading mood the last week or two, which is weird for me.  I did go to the L.A. Festival Of Books with some friends and I had fun!  It took place on a Saturday and Sunday, and we went on the Saturday.  I didn’t make it into see John Green, because I didn’t get a ticket online, and I figured there would be no way I could get in to see him.  But I did see a panel on the YA stage with Kelley Armstrong (whom I haven’t read), Rachel Hawkins, Neal Shusterman, and the guy who wrote the Spiderwick Chronicles.  It was actually a great panel, and I liked hearing all of them talk!

I also went to the panel that Tahereh Mafi was on (with a couple other people I now want to read).  It was such a fun panel, and Tahereh is so adorable!  Actually, it was a pretty interesting, entertaining and hilarious panel, and I’m really glad I went to that panel.  It’s definitely a cool event, and there are a ton of booths.  I kind of wish I had gone to more panels, because you can only wander the booths so many times before you get a bit tired of them.  There is definitely a lot to look at, and I think one of my favorite things was this huge wall type thing where people could write what books inspired them.  I really wish I got a picture of it, because it was so amazing to see what books inspired people.  Plus, I went to Roscoe’s for the first time, and they have amazing waffles!

I haven’t been in much of a reading mood, but I have been in a t.v. watching mood.  I’ve been catching up on Nashville, which is cool, but I’ve spent a lot of the week making my way through Breaking Bad.  I know I’m way behind a lot of other people as far as Breaking Bad goes, but I can’t stop watching it!  While I do like to watch things live (because I weird like that), I’m also glad I don’t have to wait to watch the episodes

And I think I’m going to wrap this up with some music!  I’ve been listening to Lindsay Stirling a lot, and I am such a huge fan of hers!  Also, I’ve only listened to her new album once, but I’m already in love with it.  I even pre-ordered her album.  I rarely buy full albums, much less pre-order them, but I was just so excited I couldn’t help it!

1- Electric Daisy Violin from her self-titled debut album.  I could totally listen to this song on repeat!

2- Crystallize from her self-titled debut album.  Also a great song I could listen to on repeat.

3- Beyond The Veil from Shatter Me.  It’s such a great song, and while it’s different than her previous songs, it’s a good kind of different.

4- Shatter Me from Shatter Me, with Lzzy Hale.  Oh my god!  This is one of my new favorite songs!

5- Moon Trance from her self-titled debut album.  It’s a good song for Halloween, but I like that there’s this creepy feel to it.

That’s it for this edition of what I’m currently obsessed with!  I hope everyone has an excellent day today!

Closing Ceremonies

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The Olympics are officially over, and now I don’t know what to do with myself.  Sleep, I guess.  My interest definitely dropped off the second week, but I still found myself watching track and field until all hours of the night.  It’s been fun, and Rio seems like a long 4 years away.

I love Closing Ceremonies.  They’re a lot more fun, and a lot less formal than Opening Ceremonies.  The music was great!  Our House is a great song.  One Direction!  I really wanted to sing along…I should have because my grandma’s the only one who would hear me.

Stomp!  Definitely cool.  It feels so much more random.  I love random, so it’s cool.

I love how they’re all walking in together.  It feels like a lot of people are sticking with their respective countries and aren’t really hanging out with anyone else.  Then again, it’s hard to tell a lot of the uniforms apart.  It’s still early, so that could change as it goes on.  Although it’s weird to me that there are athletes who go home after they’re done competing.  Why wouldn’t you stay and get the whole experience?

Loved the Lucha Libre masks.  So cool!

Random question: for the long distance running events…why do they run in a single-file line?

The actual events felt a lot more U.S.-centric than in previous Olympics.  It’s like the rest of the world didn’t matter.  Except for China.  I think they’re the exception.  Like, “oh, we’re only showing these other countries because they happen to be competing against us.”  And it felt like the other athletes/countries we did get to see were the ones that are super-dominant in their respective sport.  It’s disappointing because I LOVE seeing everyone compete.  Not just the U.S. and whoever really good at running, swimming and gymnastics.

Not that it stopped me from watching, because I just couldn’t seem to turn it off.

Bohemian Rhapsody?  They did that during the Opening Ceremony!  Stop recycling music!

John Lennon!  Loved the children’s choir singing.  And George Michael!  His performance was just okay though.

You know what happens when you don’t pay attention?  You miss a fashion show.  Or a more cheerful look at fashion.  Annie Lennox coming in on the ship was really strange.  From Willy Wonka to Russell Brand…wow, they’re really trying to be as random as humanly possible, aren’t they?

Loved the person getting video with their iPad.  And the really bright colors.  Fatboy Slim!

Taio Cruz?  I didn’t know he was from Great Britain.  And what the hell is Jessie J wearing?

Spice Girls!  I am so excited about this!  I think that’s my favorite part.  That old guy dancing to the Spice Girls was really amusing.  Oasis, oh my god.  This is almost as exciting as the Spice Girls.  And Wonderwall is one of my favorite songs EVER.  Totally sang along.

So…when are they handing things off to Rio?  I’m enjoying it and all, but they’re going to get there eventually, right?

Monty Python!  I’m so glad Monty Python made it in!  I don’t watch Doctor Who, so I don’t know if that made it in…because the tardis is the only thing I’d recognize, and I didn’t see it.  Anything else would go over my head.

They’re really big fans of Jessie J, aren’t they?  Was Adele unavailable or something, because you’d assume she’d be there performing.

Seriously.  YOU HAVE JESSIE J, ONE DIRECTION AND THE SPICE GIRLS, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE ADELE?  What kind of closing ceremony is this?  Maybe she couldn’t perform or something.

Rio!  Finally!  I was curious about what they’d do.  It was interesting, but I was definitely expecting it to be more festive and loud.  Where’s the fun and frivolity?  They don’t have to get all crazy, but something a little more festive.  Maybe they’re saving the party for the actual Olympics.  I’m so not going to remember this in 4 years.  It just didn’t stand out.

Cool fireworks though.  And I can’t believe I didn’t mention the stage before!  Very cool that it’s the shape of GB’s flag.

I liked Closing Ceremonies but I thought the Opening Ceremonies were a lot better.  Wasn’t The Who supposed to perform, or did I miss that?  I wasn’t paying attention to parts of it, so I probably missed stuff.  But I don’t remember seeing The Who.

I’m going to miss watching the Olympics.  It’s too bad I’m not a big fan of the Winter Olympics.  But maybe I’ll tune into that.  At least I can watch Gilmore Girls in the meantime…

The Gilmore Girls Project

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I’m a huge fan of Gilmore Girls…and have decided to start a project relating to said show.  Gilmore Girls has been on my mind the last week or so, and after seeing watch-a-thons on a couple blogs I read (for 2 different shows), I decided to do one myself.

Why Gilmore Girls?  I love the show, and it’s been a while since I’ve watched it.  It wasn’t until I got all 7 seasons on DVD that I saw the show in its entirety (and in order, like you’re supposed to).  I saw random episodes on ABC Family, which is what got me into the show.  Season 7 was the only season I saw “live” and in order.  `

My plan is to watch an episode a week.  All GG Project episode posts will be posted on Mondays, and will start next week.

In non-GG Project news, I’m sad the closing ceremonies are tonight.  At least I have something to watch…

The Olympics Are Exhausting

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For the last week, I’ve been up until midnight watching the Olympics.  And it’s been exhausting, because I haven’t been sleeping much.  But it’s been worth it, because I love the Olympics.  Or maybe I’m just really weird or something.

I’ve been watching swimming, and even watched Michael Phelps’ last race.  It was exciting, and cool that he went out with a bang. Speaking of swimming…I watched synchronized swimming.  One, I didn’t want to watch tennis, and two, when else am I going to watch synchronized swimming.  I’m really impressed by how well they can hold their breath underwater.  And 8 to 10 hours training in and out of water?  I wouldn’t think that much training goes into it.

I watched track and field…and immediately wondered why I WAS WATCHING PEOPLE RUN.  Oh, right, because it’s on, and I have this insane need to watch whatever’s on when it comes to the Olympics.  But it was still fun.  Because this is pretty much the only time I care enough about track to watch.

Of course, I watched gymnastics and was glad to see Gabby Douglas win!  It’s too bad Aly Raisman didn’t win the bronze, but she still did really good!  Of course, I’m looking to event finals, which should be fun to watch.  The vault final was great to watch but the girl from Canada falling was scary.

I was really impressed and super-surprised by the fact that one of the gymnasts was 37.  That’s ancient for a gymnast, because most of them are 17 or 18.  Why isn’t this a story?  I totally thought I misheard the commentators, but then realized I did indeed hear her age correctly.  McKayla Maroney falling on vault was bizarre…and just shows that even though she was the clear favorite to win, anything can happen.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to watch any of the trampoline finals, but maybe I catch them in 2016.

At least they’ve played those annoying P & G sponsors moms commercials less.  Because, you know, dads don’t support their kids or anything.  If it were reversed, and they sponsored just the dads, people would be freaking out and talk of boycotting them would likely come up.

Before I start ranting, here are some random thoughts.

  • Volleyball: the changing sides thing doesn’t make a lot of sense.  The hats/visors/sunglasses at night (for beach volleyball) is a little strange, but kind of makes sense given the sand.
  • The female marathon runners look a lot skinnier than the women over in track.  I’m sure they’re all in great shape, but is it a distance and training thing?
  • The obstacles in the equestrian competition are really cool.  And now I want to go horse-back riding.
  •  I can’t imagine swimming without Michael Phelps.  It’s a strange thought.

I seriously can’t think of any other thoughts right now but I’m sure I’ll think of something as I continue to watch the Olympics.

Gymnastics Is Turning Me Into A Crazy Woman

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I’ve been reminded of how much I love watching gymnastics the last few days, and I’ve noticed something.

It’s turning me into a crazy woman.

It’s entirely possible that I was already like this, and the crazy is just amplified by watching the Olympics.  But I’d like to blame it on gymnastics.

Vault.  OH.  MY.  GOD.  Completely speechless after MyKayla Maroney’s vault.  I’m curious as to what the deductions were, but it was a great vault.

I really liked the Romanians on beam.  Unfortunately, we only saw glimpses of the Romanians and the Chinese.  It’s too bad we didn’t see any of the other teams.  Seeing Great Britain once or twice would have been nice.  And Japan.  And whoever else competed.

Russia just fell apart on both beam and floor, and seeing them cry made me want to cry for them.  I really liked their leotards and the glitter in their hair.  What really did it was floor!  There are no words.  I cried.

That’s right, the seeing the U.S. win gymnastics team gold- for the first time since 1996- made me cry.  There was a lot of nervousness and excitement in wondering if it would happen.  (Of course it happened, I’d have been really surprised if it didn’t).  Lots of waiting while they posted the official score.  And then the jumping up and down screaming.  Then a happy dance.  And finally, crying.  It’s just so exciting!

All-around and event finals are coming up, and that will be exciting too.  I can’t wait!

Skeet Shooting Is An Olympic Sport?

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Every Olympics, I’m always amazed by some of the Olympic sports.

Like skeet shooting, weight-lifting and cycling.  I’m sure they all work really hard at their respective sports, but at the same time, I wonder why I spent an hour or so watching cycling.

I watched a little bit of water polo and men’s volleyball, but it was really more background noise than anything else.  And beach volleyball.  I was utterly baffled as to why the other U.S. team (the non Misty May/Kerri Walsh team) were wearing hats at night.  I get goggles, but hats?  I am so confused.

I have to say that I am really amused by the fact that there’s a beach volleyball court in England.  I don’t know why, but I am.

I have really good prediction skills too.  Sort of.  I was watching the qualification for women’s gymnastics, and correctly predicted that the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and Romania would be amongst the 8 teams in the final.  And Great Britain.  The first five, because those are the countries you would (rightly) associate with really great gymnasts and are the countries that tend to dominate gymnastics.  Great Britain, Italy and Canada, not so much.  But then again, the first 5 tend to overshadow everyone else, to the point that you tend to forget there are other countries competing.

And I do feel bad for Jordyn Wieber.  So I knew that she didn’t make it to all-around because of a technicality, but when I watched it, it was a little hard to feel sorry for her.  I know her dream was shattered but no one’s really talking about how Aly did make it to the all-around finals.  At this point, I feel sorrier for Raisman than Wieber.  Unfortunately, I can not figure out why there’s a two-athlete limit…I know it’s a rule, but how hard is it to explain why it’s a rule?  My thought is that it’s a way to even it out so some of the athletes from countries that aren’t gymnastic powehouses have a chance.

I also watched diving, and I’m always impressed with synchronized diving.  It’s amazing how the divers are in sync and everything.  And swimming!  You can’t forget about swimming.  Seeing Dana Vollmer break a world record was exciting.  Butterfly looks exhausting though.  And the men’s 1o0m breaststroke, where Brendan Hansen just barely beat out the guy from Hungary to get the bronze was exciting.  Especially since he did better than Kitajima, who he has a rivalry with.  And the guy from South Africa breaking the world record.  Swimming was super excited.

Actually, that’s the nice thing about the Olympics.  You get to see a lot of other athletes from a lot of different countries.  And you get to see a lot of sports that you otherwise wouldn’t think of, you know?  Like, when are you going to find yourself watching people riding bikes on t.v.?  Or getting excited over rowing?  Seriously, rowing was exciting to watch.  And then I was like, why am I excited about this?  It makes no sense.  But then again, it’s fun to be excited about things like rowing.  Because when else is this going to happen but the Olympics?

I’m still kind of sad that softball and baseball aren’t in the Olympics, but at least there are plenty of other sports to be excited about.  I suppose that’s enough rambling for today…but it’s not the last time I’ll be rambling on about the Olympics.