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Currently Obsessed With: June 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

June has been really hot, and it makes me want to do less stuff than normal!  I’m eternally grateful for air conditioning, and no humidity, because curly hair and humidity do not get along.  But I’m really looking forward to July, because of the Knit And Crochet show (which I’ll talk about in a little bit).  And August 1st, I’m going to a Harry Potter party, which will be so much fun!  Putting together a costume will keep me busy this month.

Crochet: 

I haven’t been crocheting a lot, but I have been working on that dish towel I mentioned last month.  Other than that, I haven’t been working on anything.  It uses a shell stitch, which is hard to see in this picture, but I think it would work really well with a light color, with something variegated or even with stripes.

Crochet- June 2015 Dish Towel

I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet, but I’m going to the Knit & Crochet Show.  Since it’s in San Diego this year, it’s super-easy to go, and I’m taking a couple of classes, so that will be fun too!  I’m definitely looking forward to going, and it’ll be fun to buy yarn!  And learn new crochet things.  I already got my pass, getting me into the show floor, and I just need to pick up the badge holder I got (because I know I’ll have a hard time finding my pass), and I also get a goody bag of some sort.  I do need to bring yarn and other crochet supplies, and not surprisingly, I have yarn for one class.  But not the other one, because it requires fingering/DK/sport weight yarn, and, of course, I don’t have any of that yarn.  But still, yarn!  And learning yarn things!  It’s very exciting, and I will definitely have more on that later!

Books:

It hasn’t been a huge book-buying month, but I did buy The Color Purple by Alice Walker…because it was 9 cents (yes, really) on Kindle, and I just couldn’t pass it up!  I’ve wanted to read it for a while anyway, so it was well worth it.  I also got Joyride by Anna Banks from Audible, and I’m excited about listening to it.

I’ve been checking out books like crazy from the library, and I love that they have a library card for your keychain.  It’s awesome! I know it’s not that hard to pull out my wallet to get my library card, but somehow, it seems easier to get my keys out.  I know it makes no sense, but it’s still awesome.

T.V./Movies:

I’ve been watching Gray’s Anatomy like crazy!  I don’t even remember watching Season 1, but according to Netflix, I did, because I started at Season 2.  I’m on season 10 already, and there were a bunch of things I had completely forgotten about!  It’s changed a lot- I mean, of course it has, because it’s been on for a long time, but it’s amazing how much the show has changed.  I can’t believe it!

I did watch a few episodes of Sons Of Anarchy, and I don’t know how I feel about it, but I’ll give it until the end of Season 1 to see if I want to keep going with it.

I’m always looking for t.v. recommendations, so feel free to comment if you have any suggestions!

Around The Internet:

So many things!  I think I’m sharing a few most of what I pinned this month, but a few things I couldn’t pin. You can check out everything here.

Book Riot always has really interesting posts, but there were a few I really liked: this one about how to analyze white characters in book reviews, this one about being a Harry Potter house counselor, and this post about why it’s important for boys to read books about girls.  The one about spoiler alerts is interesting, but I also felt a little bit like there was something wrong with people not liking spoilers.  I don’t know if that was the author’s intent, but that is how it came across.  Let’s just be cool with other people’s preferences, whatever they are, okay?  Also: I love that this post pokes at how escapist thrillers are horrible for readers, and it reminds me of a lot of the things that romance readers hear.  And this post about reading habits based on your Hogwarts house further confirms that I am a Hufflepuff.  But Ravenclaw is also scary accurate too, and if I weren’t Hufflepuff, I’d want to be in Ravenclaw.

There’s an awesome post over at Dear Author about what books are.

I love this post over at The Perpetual Page-Turner about not being too old for YA.

I really want to try Death Wish Coffee.

This interview with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is amazing, and got me a little teary-eyed.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the link between the bacteria in your gut and your mood.

The Midnight Garden has an interesting blog post about fandom and criticism, especially in relation to recent episodes of Game Of Thrones.

This proportional map of the world’s largest languages is fascinating.

The History Of Tampon is easily the most interesting thing I’ve read in a long time.

And the final thing I want to share: awesome library cards.

Music:

I haven’t been listening to a lot of music, and I haven’t been in a big podcast mood either, but I have wanted something to have on in the background, so I’ve been re-listening to the Parasol Protectorate series.

I will leave you the one song I have been listening to- Align by Aby Wolf, which was the Weather on a recent Night Vale episode, and I love it so much that I really am going to have to get her full album.

Have a happy weekend!  And happy July 4th to everyone in the U.S.!

Currently Obsessed With: May Happened!

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things and the interesting things I find from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

It’s June!  And we’re almost half-way through the year, which is weird.  It went by really fast.  And speaking of it being June, I had a birthday a few days ago.  I didn’t do much, other than go to the mall and get some lotion from Bath And Body Works ($5 sales are very dangerous, I’m amazed I walked out with a couple of things) and watched part of the Harry Potter marathon on ABC Family.  And I made a cinnamon roll cake.  It was yummy!

Crochet:

I’ve been crocheting (of course) and I made a couple of bags.  They’re quite stretchier than I expected, but that’s fine, since I’ve used one to bring in lunch and snacks to work.  I’ve been working on my blanket too, and it’s slowly getting bigger.  It’s long enough to keep half of my legs warm, and right now, it feels like I have so much more to go…and it also feels like I don’t have enough yarn to go.  But I’ll deal with it if it gets to that point, which will be quite a while at the rate I’m going.

Crochet- May 2015 Collage

I’m working on a dishcloth, so I’ll be making a few of those since I have a bunch of cotton yarn that I don’t know what to do with. I did take a look through my stash a week or so ago, and there’s quite a bit of yarn I need to find projects for.  I know I’m not done with the blanket I have, but I am thinking about starting another one, using some yarn I forgot I had, as well as some left-over yarn from other projects.  A blanket seems like a good way to use it up, and it may come out completely ugly, since not all of the colors go together, but I don’t care, as long as I use it up.  Some of the left-over yarn…I’m pretty sure I’ll have to do several color changes in one row, since I have a bunch of yarn that I don’t want to get rid of, but isn’t enough to do anything else with.

Books:

I didn’t get anything in print this month, but I pre-ordered Winter, and got a few assorted e-books: Say Yes To The Marquess by Tessa Dare (if I buy enough romance, maybe I’ll read it?), Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (for book club, and I’m having trouble getting into it, and so I’m very much considering checking out the audio book from the library, because I really think I’ll get through it if I listen to it), Where The Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller, Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld, and UnSouled by Neal Shusterman (all of which I’ve read, and wanted to have a copy of),  and Wildflower by Alecia Whittaker and The Second Mango by Shira Glassman (just because, but really, it’s because they were, like, 1.99 and it’s rare for me to find those sales through B&N for books I don’t have, but I love B&N, so whatever).

I also got Dangerous Deception from audible, and at the very least, I want to re-listen to Dangerous Creatures, because I’ve been on a re-listening kick lately, so after I finish the Parasol Protectorate and Ancillary Justice, I’ll probably move on to that. And go back to Ruby Red, since I’ve had to put it on hold for the second time recently.

T.V./Movies:

I haven’t seen any movies since Age Of Ultron, but I have been watching t.v.!  Of course, I’ve seen all of the finales for the shows I watch, and I’m really curious about where some of them are going to go in the next season (especially Once Upon A Time, I wasn’t expecting that to happen, so I hope everything works out okay).  I don’t really watch a lot of the summer stuff, except for Food Network Star, and I keep meaning to watch So You Think You Can Dance, but I always forget to.  I’m trying something different this summer, in that I’m putting my HuluPlus subscription on hold.  Which is actually pretty awesome, and I don’t really use it during the summer, so I’m trying that out to see how it goes.

On Netflix, I’ve been watching Doctor Who, and I’ve finished the 7 seasons that Netflix has.  It’s fun, and I can’t believe it took me so long to watch it.  My favorite Doctors (from favorite to least favorite) are David Tenant (I wasn’t sure about him at first, but I really liked him), Christopher Eccleston and Matt Smith.  I know there’s another Doctor after Smith, but I’m not there yet, so I don’t where he’d fit in.  And as for the Companions, (favorite to least favorite), Rose is awesome, Donna is hysterical, the Ponds were pretty cool, and Clara (who’s not memorable to me, even though I just finished a season with her in it) and Martha (who seemed really boring and didn’t have much of a personality) were tied for least favorite.

I’m trying to figure out what to watch next, but I think I want to finish Breaking Bad, and after that, I might watch Sons Of Anarchy. I’ve been wanting to re-watch Gray’s Anatomy from the beginning, just to see how much the show has changed.  (I have watched season 1, and maybe I’ll randomly watch episodes).  And I’ve pretty much abandoned my Gilmore Girls re-watch, and I saw it in my Netflix queue the other day, and that reminded me that I pretty much abandoned it.  I should start watching it again, maybe after Breaking Bad and Sons Of Anarchy so I can actually feel like I’m focusing on it properly?  I am definitely not going to make promises, though, because I feel like I’ve said I’m going back to it and never do, and if I am going to start watching it again, I actually want to make sure I’m actually going to do it.

Around The Internet:

You can check out everything on Pinterest.  Which, by the way, I started adding the date in the pin description so I actually have an idea about when I’m pinning stuff.

It rained spiders in Australia.  I’m terrified of spiders, so I’m glad I wasn’t there for that.  It’s an interesting article, and if it had to be somewhere, Australia is where I can picture it happening.

This is an interesting map about the most popular book set in each state.

This story about a student-athlete who committed suicide was heart-breaking.  You never know what people are going through.

I loved this post about ballet and race.  (I totally want to read Tiny Pretty Things, by the way.  It looks amazing).

11 Icelandic Words And Phrases- my favorite is On With The Butter.

This post about the One Woman In Serious Literature is hysterical.  I totally want to know what books inspired this post.  And it brings up why I dislike so much the “strong, independent woman.”  It totally conjures up a certain type of character that irritates me immensely, and this post pokes at the that.  (I couldn’t pin it to pinterest, unfortunately, so you won’t find it there).

Music:

I haven’t been listening to a lot of music over the last month, but I do love these songs.

  • Riot by Sara Haze.  I believe it’s a cover of the Rascal Flatts song (which I haven’t heard), but I love her version of it, and it totally sounds like a song she would write.

  • See You Again by Charlie Puth & Wiz Khalifa.  It totally makes me want to cry every time I hear it.

  • Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon.  It’s a fun song!

  • Geronimo by Sheppard.  Like Shut Up And Dance, it’s a fun song.

Happy June!

Currently Obsessed With: April 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

April was super-boring for me, and I am bummed I found out about YALL West after it happened.  I’m totally going next year (assuming it is happening next year, and that it’s in Southern California).  And I didn’t go to the LA Times Festival Of Books, because I wasn’t really interested in any of the panels or speakers enough to go up, and I didn’t really want to go up for just walking around yet.

I also got my hair cut, and I’ve been really lazy about taking a picture of it.  Maybe I’ll actually get around to that this month.

Nails/Beauty:

I don’t know why I have this one as its own section, since this one is going to be its own post from now on. Habit, probably, but you can check out that post here.

Crochet:

I’ve been crocheting!  It seems like lately, I’ve only been crocheting when I was at my knitting/crochet group, because that was the only time I could muster up enough energy to actually crochet anything.  But last month, I made a hat, started on a bag, and I worked on a blanket I started last year.

It’s been too warm the last few days to work on the blanket, but I’m hoping it cools down enough that I can work on it at least a little.  It’s not that long yet, so I’m still at a point where I can still work on it when it’s really warm outside, but it is just long enough that it does keep me warm.

Books:

I got a few books this month.  I’ve been trying not to buy books, because I have so many I haven’t read, and I’m trying to read some of them before I buy more books.  It’s actually working pretty well, and if/when I buy books, it’s probably going to be books super-on-sale or ones I absolutely need to read right away.

Books- April 2015

Anyway, I got Burn Out, ACID, & Control from Mysterious Galaxy.  I’ve only been there for random book signings, and I keep meaning to go back to actually shop but never manage to, which is weird, because it’s a genre bookstore, and totally my kind of bookstore.  But I had to drive up to Escondido for a week, and I was like, I can sit in traffic for over an hour, or I can do something fun and wait it out, so I opted for waiting it out and doing something fun, because that totally made more sense.  And since I had to pass the exit for Mysterious Galaxy, it made perfect sense for me to stop by.

I also got a couple of crochet books (not pictured, but maybe next month) from the totally awesome Heather and Mike and I’m really looking forward to making new things!  And my Audible pick is Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet by Jamie Ford, which I’m excited about listening to. I feel like I say that a lot, but it’s true, even though I’m completely horrible at listening to audio books.  And I’ve resolved to listen to them more.  I think things have calmed down enough that I’m actually able to focus on them, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be listening to more soon!

T.V./Movies:

I saw Age Of Ultron yesterday, and it was so much fun!  There was a pretty good crowd, but I was expecting more of one…but then again, it’s the benefit of going to a theater that’s not super busy.  And if I’m going to watch something like Age Of Ultron, it’s going to be opening weekend, when there’s a ton of people, because it’s always fun to sit in a crowded theater for something like that.  At least for me, but I totally get why people avoid theaters on opening weekend.  You know how Marvel always has 2 scenes, one a little bit into the credits, and one that’s post credits?  Leave once you see the mid-credits one, because that’s the only one.

I’ve been watching Dr Who (finally!).  I love Rose, and Eccleston was pretty aweome, but I don’t know how I feel about Tennant yet.  I’m about to start season 3, so maybe he’ll grow on me?  I am sad about Rose going, but it makes sense that the companions would change.  And for some weird reason I cannot explain, I totally imagined Daleks as Ewok-type creatures.

And I wasn’t that surprised by a recent event in Gray’s Anatomy.  I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but I had a feeling it was going to happening when that episode started, so I wasn’t as emotional as I thought I would be.  But I was a sobbing mess after the episode last week.

Around The Internet:

I came across some fascinating and fun stuff this month.  You can check out everything over on Pinterest.

I love this post about Humans Of New York and a girl named Beyonce.  Humans Of New York is fascinating, I could spend hours looking at it.

Only a related note, Taking Back Detroit is equally interesting and worth checking out.

I love this interview with Laurie Halse Anderson and Courtney Summers.

This Buzzfeed quiz guessing your age based on your taste in books was a lot of fun, and totally spot-on for me.

And I love love love this post over at The Library Canary that’s an open letter to her YA self.  I love things like this.

Music:

I’ve been listening to a few things, but I’ve been listening to the band Joseph a lot.  On repeat, over and over, and I can’t stop listening.  I first heard about them on The Grapes Of Rad a while back, and they are a really talented group of sisters.  I know they’re on tour, and I think they’re coming to San Diego, which, if they are, I really need to get tickets to see them.  Seriously, check them out, I think they’re pretty awesome.

Happy Sunday and have an awesome May!

Currently Obsessed With: March Was Mostly Boring

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things I’m obsessing over.

Currently Obsessed With

March was a weird month, and I talked about how I still felt pretty low energy with reading and blogging. Hopefully April will be better!

Nails/Beauty:

I don’t have much to say, since I’ve already talked up my month in nails, but I did want to talk about that super-sticky base coat I got (since I forgot to mention it).  I did notice that my nail polish started to chip within a day, which is weird because I didn’t do anything different.  But other than a few small chips (and one sort of big one), it’s been okay.

Crochet:

I haven’t really been working on anything- I just haven’t been in the mood or have the energy to crochet anything, except whatever it is I’ve been doing during yarn group.

Books:

I went to a book signing, for Prudence by Gail Carriger, and it was super-fun.  I don’t think I laughed during a book signing so much before, it was absolutely hysterical.  I also got City Of A Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster as my audible pick, and I’m excited because I’ve wanted to read it for ages.

T.V./Movies:

I’ve been trying to catch up on a few things, like Revenge and Blacklist!  I also loved the season finale for Hart Of Dixie, and I’m hoping it doesn’t get canceled, but something about the episode made me feel like it might be, because it felt more like a final send-off.

I saw Insurgent, which I already talked about, and I also went to Cinderella, which I loved.  The costumes and sets were beautiful, and I had Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo stuck in my head for a week.  I do wish the one song that Cinderella and her mom sing were on the soundtrack, but maybe there’s another version I can hunt down.

Around The Internet:

I’ve found a few awesome things I really want to share!

Like this post about Harry Potter Spin-Offs and this hilarious post of Harry Potter Parodies.  I think Sorted This Way is my favorite one of the bunch, but they’re all really cool!

This is a really interesting post about re-reading, and this is an interesting one about pelvic pain and YA.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books has a hilarious post about clippy bookmarks and romance novel covers.

I really like this post about the history of Harlequin.  It’s totally worth checking out, even if you’re not a romance fan.

This blog post about a culture of reading/a culture of buying made me think a lot!  As did this one about e-book pricing…and I think I will never understand e-book pricing.

This blog post about reading diversely reminds me that I really want to do my own post about it (even though the thought terrifies me for some reason).  It also makes me glad I’m such a YA fan, because it seems like there’s a lot of resources for YA fans, but that could just be that it’s on my radar a lot more than adult books.

Music:

I haven’t listened to a lot of music, but I do have a few new albums I haven’t had a chance to listen to. Hopefully, I’ll have more to share next month!

That’s actually it for March!  I really hope April is much more exciting and eventful for me.  Happy Thursday!

Currently Obsessed With: The Final Look Back At 2014

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month but sometimes more feature where I talk about everything I’m into and everything going on in my life.

Instead doing a Currently Obsessed With post just for December, I thought it would be fun to do a year-end one!  It’s been quite a year for me.  Getting a new car is the biggest thing that happened this year (but getting it as a result of a totaled car was not fun) and finding out that my job went from temporary to permanent was also great.  Winning NaNo and realizing that I wanted to re-write was great, but spraining your ankle is not, especially when it means you don’t write anything.  You’d think not moving or being able to walk normally would be good for your word count, except for I kept getting distracted by Netflix and Hulu and the internet.

Nails & Beauty:

I’ve shared quite a few Julep Maven Boxes this year, and I really love getting them!  I’ve opted out for the last couple of months, because I haven’t been super interested in the colors they’ve had.  They’ve been colors I’m not interested in wearing because they’re not my style, and the ones I do like are way too similar to colors I already have, and I don’t need 3 variations of eggplant or navy blue.  I am really glad I upgraded to the customizable box, which is great when I don’t like a color, and want to switch to something I will wear. Obviously, it’s not helpful when I don’t like any of the colors.  But it’s still worth it.

Crochet:

I’ve crocheted quite a bit this year!  Like, I started a blanket that I would go on to abandon once it got crazy hot.  I did pick it back up again on Christmas, but it’s going to be put on hold while I finish up this one project- I believe I mentioned a super-secret crochet project that I will be finished with this month, and then I’ll actually be able to talk about it!

I crocheted a small bird, a Christmas ball coaster turned ornament, and a couple of scarves!  They were all Christmas presents- two for friends (the bird and one scarf, in plum), one for my grandma (the Christmas ball coaster ornament) and for a Secret Santa at work (the other scarf but in blue).

Crochet- December 2014 Collage

About that coaster ornament I came across this really cool pattern for Christmas coasters, and made one for my grandma.   I did feel like looking for cotton yarn, so I used some acrylic, and found that it would be a great ornament, since you have to make a chain so you can hang it on a hook.  It ended up being too big for an ornament, so if I decide to do it as an ornament again, I’ll definitely make it a round or two smaller.

Click here if you want the crochet bird pattern and here for the scarf pattern I used.

I also got a couple of really awesome crochet gifts, and they really are my favorite gifts that I got this year. Golden Snitch slippers and a Hufflepuff Ninja Scarf!  (My nickname is Snark Ninja, and since one end of the scarf had a lot of yellow, my one friend decided the other end needed a lot of black, which is quite ninja-like, hence a Hufflepuff Ninja scarf).

Books:

I have covered general year-end book stuff over the last few weeks: Top 10 New-To-Me Authors, Top 13 Favorite Books, Top 10 Resolutions, which is both bookish and non-bookish, I looked back at the resolutions I made a year ago, and the 2014 End-Of-Year Book Survey.

But there are still a few things I wanted to talk about!

I really want to read more diversely this year (I’ll totally be talking about that at some point in the next couple of weeks), and I used my audible credit to get 2 books- yay for 2 books for 1 credit sales!  I got Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafisi.  I have a couple of Adichie’s book on my TBR, and when I saw Americanah, during Audible’s 2-for-1 sale, I knew I had to get it.  Same thing for Reading Lolita In Tehran, which I’ve wanted to read for a while.  I’m actually glad I checked out the sale, because I found a couple of interesting books.

I got an Amazon gift card for Christmas, and that went towards some Kindle books!  I do have the Kindle app, but I don’t use it often.  Mostly for ARC’s, because for some reason, it’s a pain to get them onto the Nook tablet, and I’m way too lazy to figure it out.

Anyway, here’s what I got:

  • What If by Rebecca Donovan
  • Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
  • As Red As Blood by Salla Simukka
  • Out Of Shadows by Jason Wallace
  • Whatever Life Throws At You by Julie Cross.

And one final thing: Pottermore!  I was originally a beta tester when it first opened, but I went away from it for a really long time before coming back to it a few months ago.  I had quite a bit to get through, which was nice.  But I’ve been really disappointed with Order Of The Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince.  Given how big these 2 books are, there hasn’t been a lot of moments or new information, and it’s disappointing.

It does feel rushed to me, even though I know a lot of work has to go into illustrating the moments, and picking them, and adding in sound and the narration and everything.  I’m hoping that at some point, more things will be added to these two books, and that there are more moments in Deathly Hallows.  It seems unlikely but I’m still hopeful.

Book Stats:

I have yet to do a full break-down, but it’s always fun to do this.  I have some general numbers, plus it’s broken down by source, format and rating.

Basics:

Books Read: 140

Average Read Per Month: 11.67

Average Rating For All Books Read: 3.51

Source:

Own: 99

Borrowed: 3

Library: 1

ARC’s (through Netgalley or the publisher): 37 total (28 through netgalley, 9 directly from the publisher)

Format:

E-books: 117

Audio: 16

Print: 7

Rating:

0 Stars/DNF: 10

1 Star: 1

2 Stars: 12

3 Stars: 53

4 Stars: 58

5 Stars: 16

TV:

I’ve watched a lot of t.v. over the last year!  Once Upon A Time is a favorite, as is Gray’s Anatomy and Scandal. New favorites are The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Heart Of Dixie, and The 100.  I’ve been watching Breaking Bad again, and I’m going to start up with Downton Abbey.  And hopefully, I’ll start doing my Gilmore Girls recaps again.  I am sad about the death of Edward Herrmann (and the others we’ve lost this year, like Maya Angelou, Joan Rivers and Robin Williams, amongst others).

Movies:

I’ve seen quite a few movies this year, and here are some of my favorites.

Animated:

  • Frozen
  • How To Train Your Dragon 2

Comics:

  • Captain America 2
  • Guardians Of The Galaxy

Movie adaptations:

  • Divergent made me love Four and Tris even more
  • Mockingjay, Part 1- I really liked that it focused on the characters
  • The Giver, which made me think of the book in a different way
  • If I Stay, which I liked but not as much as I thought
  • The Fault In Our Stars…it took me a good day to recover from all the crying

Also: I love that ABC Family has the occasional Harry Potter Marathon Weekend, which is what I did last weekend.  I watched Deathly Hallows, Part 2 for the first time since I saw it in theaters.  It’s so weird, because I can’t bring myself to watch it on DVD, because I feel like if I do, then the series is really, truly over.  I know it makes no sense whatsoever, since both books and movies have been over for several years now, but…that’s still my general feeling.  T.V. is perfectly fine for some reason, but I just can’t bring myself to watch it on DVD.

Around The Internet:

I’ve shared quite a few great articles throughout the year.  I’ve decided not to share any this month, but I did finally start a Pinterest board for all of them, which you can check out here.  I bookmark so many things, and I knew there had to be an easier way to keep everything in one place.  I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.

My Favorite Things To Listen To:

Albums:

  • Frozen Soundtrack: I’m still listening to it.  A lot.
  • Guardians Of The Galaxy, Awesome Mix, Volume 1: It’s so much fun to listen to, and they did a great job with this soundtrack.
  • Divergent Soundtrack: Still listening to it months later.  It’s a favorite.
  • Shatter Me by Lindsay Stirling.  I am such a huge fan, and I can listen to Shatter Me over and over again.
  • Red by The Dallas String Quartet.  I love that it’s covers played on string instruments.  They are so good!

Songs:

  • Interception from Beautiful Creatures
  • Dark Horse by Katy Perry
  • Sleeping With A Friend by The Neon Trees
  • Ain’t It Fun by Paramore
  • I Will Be There by Odessa

One Podcast Recommendation:

  • Serial, which is now over.  I’m actually glad I started listening at what would be the last couple of episodes, since I got to listen to most of it at once.  But at the same time, I kind of wish I had more time with it.  At least I’ll get to listen to season 2 as it comes out.  Is anyone else listening to Serial?  If you haven’t, I seriously recommend it.

Currently Obsessed With: I Survived November!

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month feature (sometimes more) where I talk about my favorite things and what’s been going on the last month.

I can’t believe November is over already!  It was definitely eventful, with both NaNoWriMo going on, and with a sprained ankle that happened early in November.  Seriously, I fell down and hurt myself, but it’s a lot better.  I’m finally walking without an ankle brace (well, mostly) and I wrote 50,000 words this month.

Nails/Beauty:

I decided to skip the November Maven box.  I wasn’t super into the colors, and the ones I was kind of interested in were way too similar to other colors I already have.  I did get a glitter-y top coat from Sephora, which I did over black.  It has this really cool paint-splattered effect, and it looked really pretty on top of the black, but it was super-hard to remove.  Glitter polish always is, but this is seriously the hardest removal ever. It took me a good hour of soaking my nails in nail polish remover for it to even sort of start coming off, so if I wear it again, I’ll probably do it as an accent nail.

I also got another Urban Decay eye shadow, this time in Bordello.  I like that with Urban Decay, you can create your own eye shadow palattes and switch out the colors.  I have no idea if you can do this with other brands, but it’s nice to be able to create your own, with colors I know I’ll wear, instead of one where I use 1 or 2 and ignore the other ones.

Crochet:

I’ve been working on a couple of scarves for Christmas presents- one for a Secret Santa, and the other is from someone at work who wanted a scarf for his wife for a Christmas present.  I found this awesome chevron scarf pattern that I really like, and I totally want to make another one already.  And I’m also using this super-simple infinity scarf pattern.  I’m also working on a super-secret Christmas present that I’ll share next month.  Oh, I’m also crocheting a Viking helmet that is currently on hold, because of the other stuff I’m crocheting. It’ll be awesome, because 1, it’s a Viking helmet, and 2- it’s bright green.  You can’t go wrong with that combination!

I also got a huge bag full of yarn!  Someone at work found some yarn that belonged to her grandma, and she was nice enough to give it to me.  I think I might have a project or two in mind…it’s time to pick up amigurumi!

Books:

I only got School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins.  It’s a Hex Hall spin-off that I’ve been wanting to read for a while. Although…it’s been a while since I’ve listened to an audio book, so it may be time to start getting back into them.

TV:

I’ve finished season 4 of Blue Bloods, but I am also too lazy to hunt down season 5.  I also started watching The 100 (finally!) and I really like it.  I’ve also been watching Pretty Little Liars, which I actually like a lot better than the books (at least, the first 10, because I really didn’t care after the 10th one to keep going).  It’s so addictive, and I wish the books had that quality- if only the books didn’t feel so repetitive.

Around The Internet:

So many things!

Music:

I am sharing the playlist I created for NaNo this year!  Except for Blank Space by Taylor Swift, because her music is no longer on Spotify.  And a few other songs I couldn’t find on Spotify.  Enjoy!

Currently Obsessed With: October’s Over, So Insanity Has Begun

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Currently Obsessed with is a once-a-month (sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things and what’s been going on over the last month.

October is over!  Which means NaNoWriMo has started (and I’ve already talked about it a bit here).  I can’t believe Thanksgiving is just weeks away, and that Christmas will be soon after that!

Nails:

I’m really starting to love the customizable Julep Maven box!  I really do.  For October’s box, I didn’t like 2 of the 3 selected colors, so I switched them out for Logan, and the Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat, plus I added Margarita,  I like the three colors, and I have a couple of holographic glittery top coats that I think might look really good on Ledi, the one color I kept.  I really liked Ledi, and Logan and Margarita were really pretty too.  I love the base coat I got, and I think it’s my favorite of the different ones I’ve used.  I can’t explain why but I feel like it makes my nails slightly more healthy.

I actually don’t have a picture because I could not get a good one if my life depended on, but I may add to next month’s nail polish update.

Crochet/Halloween:

I’m actually talking about my costume here, because I’ve done quite a bit of crocheting for my Halloween costume!  I decided to dress up as Anna from Frozen, for reasons I can’t remember (but probably because it was something I could throw together in a short amount of time).  There is something fun about a DIY-costume, and I was inspired by Disney Bound to do an inspired look, instead of a full-on costume.

Oct 2014 Crochet- Collage

I made a Princess Anna inspired hat that was part of my Halloween costume!  I found the pattern over on Etsy, and while I’m sure I could have found a free version somewhere, I really liked the look of this one.  Not going to lie, it did come out a bit crooked and the streak of white hair was on the wrong side, which, of course, I didn’t notice until I tried it on after finishing it and looked at it in a mirror, but I can actually see Anna wearing a crooked hat!  As for the stripe, I didn’t really care.  Plus…I finished it late Thursday, and there was no way I was going back to fix it.

I also made a capelet to go with my costume, but me being me, I didn’t give myself enough time to work on it. I used this pattern, which I wasn’t sure about at first, but I ended up really liking it once it I started crocheting it.  I got 11 rows done (of 16), and I’ll definitely be going back to finish the last few rows.  The nice thing about this pattern is that 8 rows in, and you have a nice little collarette.  It totally looked okay, though, and I borrowed a brooch from my grandma to pin it together.

I had a plain black top that I wore, and I found this really cute royal maxi skirt at Ross.  I have no idea why I don’t shop at Ross or TJ Maxx more.  I was torn between the maxi skirt and a dark blue knee-length skirt, but ended up getting both for less than each of the couple skirts at Kohl’s I was thinking about getting.  (Although I may end up getting at least one of them anyway because they’re super-cute).

I’m actually glad I went the Anna-inspired outfit, which I like for Halloween, because I’m only going to wear the costume one time.  And with an inspired costume, I end up with something I can wear throughout the year.

Books:

I didn’t get any print books, but I did get a few audio books.  My audible credit went to Crow by Barbara Wright and early in October I got Dark Days by Kate Ormand and We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson.  I’m really excited to listen to Crow, because it sounds really good!  And I feel the same way about Dark Days and We Have Always Lived In The Castle.

TV:

I’m slowly making my way through Blue Bloods, and am currently on season 4.  I’m pretty sure I’ll be done with it over the next week or two, and then…I’ll figure out what I want to watch next!  I really like American Horror Story and Walking Dead so far, and I actually really like everything that I’ve been watching.  I’ve given up on Resurrection- while I liked the first season, I also wasn’t sure about continuing, and with everything else I’m watching, I’ve decided that I will not be continuing with it right now.  Maybe I’ll watch it over the summer or something.

Around The Internet:

Music:

There are a few songs I’ve been listening to over and over this month!

  • All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor- I wasn’t sure about this song at first, but it’s really grown on me!
  • Rather Be Clean Bandit- I don’t know why but this song makes me want to dance.
  • When A Heart Breaks by Ben Rector- There’s something heartbreakingly beautiful about this song.
  • Shake It Off by Taylor Swift- I can’t stop singing along to this song!
  • Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo.  There’s something very chill about this song.
  • Summer by Calvin Harris- I don’t know why my favorite songs by him are the ones he sings on. And Summer is quite catchy.

Currently Obsessed With: Fall T.V.

Posted in Currently Obsessed With, TV by

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).

Currently Obsessed With: September Was Just Weird

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Currently Obsessed With is a monthly feature where I talk about my favorite stuff and interesting things from the last month and also where I talk about what’s been going on in my life!

Nails & Beauty:

So far, I really like the customizable Maven box from Julep!  The September box was my first box after upgrading, and I’m actually glad that I upgraded my Maven box, because the ability to customize to my box is really great when there’s a color I’m not sure about or a color I KNOW I don’t want.  For September, I knew I didn’t want one of the polishes and that actually worked out great, because I was in desperate need of their Freedom Polymer top coat.  I was really happy that I was able to swap out the color I didn’t want for a top coat I really needed.

Maven Sept 2014

Left To Right: Ryan, Mahima, Freedom Polymer Top Coat

I really liked Ryan, which has a matte finish to it.  And I was really intrigued by Mahima, which is gold but not a sparkly, metallic or chrome gold that I’m used to!  I wasn’t sure about it as a creme nail polish, but I was reminded very much of gold leaf that’s used in paintings from hundreds of years ago.

Left To Right: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart

Left To Right: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart

Remember last month, when I talked about the Urban Decay Naked3 palette?  I actually like it a lot! The colors are really neutral, and they’re great for everyday use.  I’m sure someone who’s much more comfortable and confident in their make-up applying skills would be able to create some awesome looks from it, but it’s great for people (like me) who want something really simple in the morning. My only issue is that some of the colors don’t show up really on someone with really fair skin, to the point that even I had trouble telling if I had any on or not.  Granted, I’ve only tried Dust, Burnout, Buzz, and Liar, and Dust and Buzz are my favorites.  Still, I really like the colors, and it’s one of my favorite palettes that I’ve actually used.

Crochet:

I’ve been crocheting a bunch this month!  I tested out a crown pattern for a friend, I made a bunch of face scrubbies, a scarf, I finished the cowl I was working on and I started a washcloth.  I like that the scarf is really textured and wavy, which doesn’t show up very well in the picture.  As for the cowl, I like the color, but I don’t like it as one solid color- it definitely needs a stripe of color every once in a while.  And when I tried it on…it felt like I was being choked a little bit, so I don’t know if I maybe needed to add some extra stitches, or if I maybe need to block it, or if that’s how cowls are supposed to be…I’ve never worn a cowl (or made one, for that matter) so I have no clue if it’s just how cowls are or if it’s the pattern and needs to be a little bigger or what’s going on.

Crochet Sept 2014 Collage

And I abandoned that green shell hat I was working on.  It seemed like it was going to be way too big, and it seemed like each row took FOREVER to do…once I got to the shell part of. One of these days, I’m going to have to completely frog it, so I can use the yarn for something else.  I also tested a pattern for fingerless mitts…well, I got through the one, and now I just need to do the other one.  Hopefully it’ll start cooling down so I can start working on my blanket again too.  Plus, I have my eye on a few other projects, so there may be more news on that front.

Books:

Book Haul Sept 2014

I got Seriously Delish, which is a cookbook by Jessica Merchant…who also has a totally awesome food blog.  I haven’t made anything from it yet, but everything looks so good!  And I want to make almost every single recipe in the book, which is super-rare for me.  I also got Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, and I’m really curious about this Code Name Verity companion novel, especially since I’m reading Code Name Verity right now.

I’m also starting to come out of my reading slump!  Talking about it helped a lot, and I’m starting to get back in the swing of (reading) things.  Seriously, my reading habits are starting to get back to normal, so I think the worst of it is over.

T.V.:

I have been watching so much t.v. that I’ve decided to do a completely different post about it that’s coming up in the next few days.  I will say that it’s partly because fall t.v. is back and partly because I’ve been watching a couple shows on netflix.

Around The Internet:

I’ve come across a lot of interesting things this month, and while I only pick a few to share every month, this month I’ve decided to do a separate post because there are quite a few articles I have thoughts about, and I just want to talk about them a little more.

I will say that I’ve made these crescent sausage bites before, and they go over sowell, and these Nutella brownies are completely awesome.  And I was intrigued by this crock-pot BBQ chicken.

Podcasts:

So, I actually have NO music for this month.  My listening to stuff time has been really sporadic lately, and whatever listening time I do have is trying to keep up with a small number of the podcasts I managelisten to.  I hate having to cut down on the number I listen to, but the time just isn’t there right now.  Anyway, I thought I’d share a few of the ones that I’ve been listening to.

  1. Welcome To Nightvale.  I know I’ve mentioned this one before, but it’s not going to stop me from mentioning it again! If you haven’t had a chance to listen to Night Vale, you should check it!  It’s what you’d get if you mixed Stephen King, those conspiracy theories people who are on History Channel shows and NPR were mixed together.  I’m sure other people have better descriptions than me, but it’s delightfully weird.
  2. The Book Riot podcast.  I’m a big fan of Book Riot, and their main Book Riot podcast is fun to listen to.  They talk about all kinds of book-ish things, and I’ve heard of some really cool books and news stories because of their podcast.
  3. Alohomora.  I love this Harry Potter re-read podcast.  I look forward to every episode, because the discussion is always interesting, and brings up things I never thought of before.
  4. We’re Alive.  I’m really sad that this audio drama podcast is over, but I’m looking forward to see if/what the people behind it come up with next.
  5. The History Chicks.  It’s been a while since they’ve had an episode, but I like that each episode is an overview on different women from history, with the occasional fictional woman thrown in. I also love that each post on their website talks about each woman and has books, movies and resources on each woman they talk about.

Hope everyone has a great October!

Gilmore Girls 3×19: Keg! Max!

Posted in Season Three, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Keg! Max! originally aired April 29, 2003.  This episode was written by Daniel Palladino and was directed by Chris Long.

Gilmore Girls Season 3 Graphic

This episode opens with Rory and Lorelei not knowing what to do on a Friday night now that they’re not going to Friday night dinner.  They’re having trouble remembering what they did on Friday nights, because they’ve gone to Richard and Emily’s for so long.

Lorelei gets a letter from Chilton, saying that Rory’s time there is coming to an end, and so is Lorelei’s.  Lorelei decides to help out the Booster Club one more time.  Jess agrees to go to the Stars Hollow High Prom with Rory, and Lane and her band are practicing for a gig at a party.  Lorelei has to keep laying people off at the inn, until it’s all repaired, and Lorelei offers to have Nicole stay in one of the few open rooms since he can’t meet them for breakfast over the weekend.

The booster club organized grad night on a yacht, and Lorelei was voted in as treasurer.  Max comes in as the faculty advisor for that meeting, and acts like everything is fine between him and Lorelei.  In a conversation with Sookie, Lorelei says that he treated her like the other parents, and even though she’s still seeing Alex, she’s not sure where Max stands, which seems to imply that she might want to get together with Max.

Jess tries to get prom tickets, but finds out he can’t, since he’s missed so much school he’s not able to graduate- meaning Jess will have to repeat his senior year.

At the party, we find out Young-Chu is still pretending to be Lane’s boyfriend, and that he’s at the party because he has nowhere else to go.  Dave wants to know when Lane is going to end things with Young-Chu, and isn’t happy that Young-Chu has feelings for Lane.  She’ll make prom happen for them somehow.  Jess wants to leave after the band plays a set, but Rory wants to stay, and ends up promising that they’ll go after the band is done playing for the night.

Jess and Rory run into Dean and Lindsay, and Lindsay recognizes him as the kid who used to go to their school.  Lane sees that Young-Chu is still at the party, and starts drinking some beer that someone’s cousin brought over.

Rory looks for Jess at the party, and finds him in one of the bedrooms upstairs.  They start making out, and Jess wants to go further but Rory doesn’t, and he ends up getting mad because he didn’t invite her up there.  Rory leaves the room upset and crying, not sure of what she did wrong, but Jess seems to realize that he did something wrong and goes after.  Rory goes by Dean, who notices that she’s upset, and Jess notices Dean asking Rory if she’s okay.  Dean and Jess (not surprisingly) end up getting into a fight.

Meanwhile, Lane calls her mom (drunk) and starts telling her mom that she likes Dave and wants to go to prom with him, amongst other things.  Dave overhears part of Lane’s call and hangs up the phone for her.

While the party is going on, Lorelei is at another Booster club meeting, where Max is not there as the faculty advisor.  She ends up finding him in his classroom, and he doesn’t want to see Lorelei again, because he can’t trust himself around her. And if he weren’t back at Chilton, he’d be seeing someone he met in California, so things are officially, officially over between them.

The episode ends with the cops showing up at the party, and Jess leaving.

What I Thought:

Honestly?  This is one of the episodes where I don’t understand why people love Jess and Rory together so much.  I know that Jess is a smart guy who’s into music and reading the way Rory is into music and reading, but Jess can be such an ass sometimes.

I know that we know he’s acting like a complete jerk because he can’t get prom tickets because he ditched so much school, and that Rory doesn’t know that Jess couldn’t get prom tickets, but still, I was really angry with Jess!  It’s totally not fair that he took it out on Rory.  At least he seemed to realize that he did something wrong…until he saw Dean trying to figure out what was going on with an upset Rory, and got into a fight with Dean about it.

I get why Rory wants to go to the Stars Hollow High prom, but it still seems a little weird to me.  Maybe because I was not the least bit interested in going to my own prom.

As for Lorelei and Max, it seemed like Lorelei was maybe interested in getting back together with Max. Maybe she wasn’t ready to get married before, but I honestly don’t get this story line at all, because her interest in him seems a little too random.  And I completely forgot about Alex- he was never mentioned after whatever episode he was last in, so it was quite the surprise that Lorelei was still kind of seeing him.  Maybe I assumed they broke up, because Lorelei doesn’t have the best of luck with guys.

Favorite Line:

 Nothing for this episode

Pop Culture:

Prince, Milli Vanilli, Lord Of The Rings

Let’s Rate It:

I thought this episode was okay- it does set up a couple things that will happen in the next few episodes, but overall, not a memorable episode.  Keg! Max! gets 2 mugs of coffee.