I Heart Joss Whedon

Just when I begin to despair over the state of television, Joss Whedon pulls through for me again!

Go here, watch this. I'm too lazy to repost it. I have to wait until next year, but it will make the rest of this year worth it! Whee! (P.S. Naturally I knew this show was coming, but hadn't seen anything about it until now.)

By way of an aside, I got a sunburn yesterday - first of the year. It's tradition, ya know.

Gloomy Mondays

Today I was feeling kind of bummed. Until I saw this on the show "How I Met Your Mother":



Wow - I am impressed that people would go to such lengths to make something so perfectly Eighties!

I had the chance to talk to Kestrel's teacher today about the Friday occurrence. More on that later. Just enjoy the video!

C.S.I. Returns!

Oh, I love September and all the premieres it brings! We watched the first half of the new C.S.I. (Las Vegas) season and it was pretty good. The only thing is, that when I went to go to sleep afterwards, I realized I was quite freaked out by the ending. I had to come back downstairs until I was so tired I couldn't stand it. It was so weird! The gory stuff I can handle - I can watch all the shots of inside corpses, etc. - but as soon as there is something psychological that could really happen, I'm done. So now I am on tenterhooks to see what happens.

Oh, and seeing the preview for the Grudge 2 didn't help much either. I watched the first one when I was very close to being due with Hayden and I had so many contractions (from fear) that I thought I might deliver him at home! Craziness!

Speaking of pregnancy, check this out. So amazing! I remember those acrobatic days and nights!

A Black Band Around my Arm

I'm grieving. No, nobody has died in my world, not a person anyway. Last night was the...choke....series finale of Charmed. Tonight is the series finale of Alias. My heart is heavy. I have watched both of these shows from the very beginning and now they are over. And all I have to look forward to for viewing is (vomit) Reality Television. A scourge to TV-Land and a pox on my life. So that's it. All of my "butt-kicking-girl shows" are done; Dark Angel lasted two seasons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer lasted seven seasons, Alias has lasted five seasons and Charmed made it for eight. Alas, they are no more. Oh, I'll watch the reruns, but it won't be the same as anticipating a new episode week after week. Let's have a moment of silence....

I know it is hard to imagine an almost 38-year-old enjoying these shows so much and being so upset that they are finished, but I'll be honest with ya. Contrary to what "experts" say about television numbing your mind and filling your head with garbage and making you sloth, my experience with t.v. has been quite the opposite (except of course where reality t.v. is concerned). The shows I have selected to watch have helped to enhance my imagination and further my creativity. If I want to learn, I read; if I want to create, I watch t.v. It's as simple as that for me. I don't like nature shows or anything educational. It's too much like being in a classroom and if I have a choice about that, I choose an actual classroom, not my living room. I am a creative being and I need those outlets on a regular basis. I have never really gotten into the more mainstream shows such as Sex in the City (can't stand Sarah Jessica Parker's bobble-head with the GIANT mole on her face anyway), I came into Friends late in the game (but soon caught up since it's been in syndication forever), I got lured into Dawson's Creek when I was up breastfeeding my daughter early every morning a few years back and there was nothing else on at that time of day. (Still trying to see that elusive final episode so I can tie things together.) Shows like Survivor make me want to cut my own arms and legs off. I don't see how eating bugs and animal scrotum is entertainment. But that's another rant. I don't judge you reality show watchers because hey, if you like that thing - all the power to you. And obviously you aren't the only one, with the amount of RT that is out there now. (Here is where I confess that one of my guilty pleasures is ANTM, so now I sound like a hypocrite!)

Anyway, I am hoping that something interesting will come up to replace what I have lost. Otherwise I may have to boycott television altogether and just buy the season sets on DVD! (I could easily become a hermit that way!)

And now, back to our regularly scheduled Hamster Boy.

There's nothing really new to report on the HB front (hence why I have been rambling for three days). He's crawling like a demon, still not bearing weight on his feet and working on honing that temper for full effect. He's very lovey and hugs me a lot. He's even giving spontaneous kisses on my face; big slobbering mwahs that make me want to cry, it's so cute! His feet look good and I am very diligent about putting on his FAB and leaving it on if necessary. It doesn't bother him to wear it, so why not? His left foot looks like it may be a harder battle. In a natural resting pose, it tends to look turned in still - but I'll follow that up with Dr. Pirani next visit. When I move the foot over and flex it - it moves freely and looks great. So perhaps I am just being paranoid.

Off to find the next "good" show....

Huh?

Due to a severe lack of sleep over the last two nights, for reasons yet undetectable (yep, here she goes AGAIN!), I am just going to tell you what movies I have watched lately and what I thought of them. Unless I develop narcolepsy and fall asleep at the keybbohrlaflahjsh.................

Fantastic Four - not bad - I always enjoy special effects, especially ones that appear to be powers that I wish really existed. And I love Jessica Alba. I've had a love affair going with her since Dark Angel (all of my favorite shows end up being cancelled, or ending).

A Mighty Wind - love it! - not a new one, but recently had the DVD given to me and I can't stop laughing over the songs! That is one funny group of people, I tell you!

Mystery Men - love it! - again, not new, but hubby just got me the DVD version and it is just kind of slapstick and non-sensical, which is my kind of humour!

The Skeleton Key - dumb - had me guessing but I was kind of choked at the end. And who knew there was a difference between hoodoo and voodoo? Not me.

Serenity - LOVED IT! - and was very sad that it had to end, along with it's originating series, Firefly. I just HEART Joss Whedon! After all, he is the creator of Buffy and Angel. I hope he had many more cool programs planned!

Also, I just discovered that there has been a DVD collection of the Six Million Dollar Man released in the UK somewhere. Talk about excited! I can still hear the nanananananana sound of him jumping and also that cool radar sound of his eye. Plus there was The Bionic Woman, and who didn't love her as a little girl? I mean, c'MON, she had bionic FINGERNAILS! And we can't forget the bionic dog, chimpanzee and Sasquatch (who I always felt sorry for). I'm going to have to investigate gettin' me a copy of that!

So there are my movie reviews for the day. We will return to our regularly scheduled program one day when I get some rest. That is all.

Favorite Buffy Quotes

Yep, I'm a geek! Here's a couple of my faves:

Andrew: "Don't trust him. Robo-pimp daddy's all mouth."
Warren: "Shut up, Andrew! You're just mad I wouldn't build you Christina Ricci."
Andrew: "You owe me, man."
Warren: "Oh, or else what? You'll train another pack of devil-dogs to ruin my prom? Ha! Graduated!"
Andrew: "That wasn't me! How many times do I have to say it? The prom thing was my lame-o brother, Tucker."
Jonathan: "Yeah, well tell him I was at that prom."
Andrew: "Hello! Screen-wipe, new scene. I had nothing to do with the devil dogs. I trained flying demon monkeys to attack the school play. School play, dude!"
Warren: "That was cool. That was kinda cool."
Jonathan: "Remember, everyone was like, 'Run, Juliet!'"


Oz: We should figure out what kind of deal this is. I mean, is it a gathering, a shindig, or a hootenanny?
Cordelia: What's the difference?
Oz: Well a gathering is brie, mellow song stylings. Shindig: dip, less mellow song stylings, perhaps a large amount of malt beverage. And hootenanny, well, it's chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny.


Giles' first entry into his Watcher's Diary: "Slayer is willful and insolent...her abuse of the English language is such that I understand only every other sentence."

Where Would I Be Without T.V.?

I am so bad about blogging - I wish I could do better. I spend a lot of time composing them in my head and then when I sit down to actually type, the thoughts are gone. Perhaps it is because this thing with Hayden is consuming me and I need to focus on his health before anything else. I have been at loggerheads with the husband over the baby's treatment for his feet. BUT because I am a Cancer and we crabs "don't let go" of anything, I have prevailed! I am going to get a referral tomorrow to see another doctor.

In Hayden news, he is very close to rolling over. I can't believe how high he can lift his head and trunk up when he is on his tummy! He strong like bull! He smiles readily even though he tends to be on the serious side. He is very contemplative and will study your face for a long time. I took him and his sister to the park and as he sat in the stroller watching Kes on the swing his head moved back and forth like a little pendulum before he decided that it was funny and then laughed. His clasp has majorly improved and he will grab anything you put near his hand. He's not voluntarily reaching for anything yet unless you show it to him, but he'll get there. The only thing I worry about is if the casts/boots and bar will delay him in rolling over - but we shall see. I understand kids are very adaptive to this stuff.

Kestrel continues to be a challenge, but she has the odd good day, where I praise her up the ying yang for being a good girl, in the hopes that she will realize that's the way to go! She is obsessed with the movie "My Neighbor Totoro" and has watched it so many times I have already lost count! She thinks the little girl in the movie is her and will say things like "'member I fall on Totoro?", etc.

In the meantime, when all is just too overwhelming for me (which it often is), I park myself in front of my old friend the television. I don't watch soap operas or many talk shows or anything, but I like to have something with a storyline that I can follow even if I am not watching.

Yawn. This blog bored even me!

Rainy Day

Had a good night with Hayden and was up at around 6:30. He needed a bum change and I had a splitting headache. I now get up with great anticipation of watching "Martha" at 7:00. I like her new show way better and she seems much more relaxed and human and not nearly so anal and uptight. However, I don't see what goes on behind the scenes, too.

I am starting to rethink the whole long hair thing. First off, I knew I would regret getting bangs cut in. They have not looked nice once since I had them done. Also, besides the scads of hair that falls out while I am shampooing, I continually find hairs in Hayden's diaper and I am afraid one will wrap around his winkie and hurt him. Gotta protect the future of my grandchildren, you know!

I am getting excited because my shows are all going to premiere soon, the least of them not being CHARMED! I am SO excited about it I can hardly breathe. I am really happy they are coming back for another season. Then there is Alias, CSI (original), NCIS, and America's Next Top Model! Can't WAIT!

Am going to try and get a pair of my pants made today at my Mom's so I can put them on Hayden, now that he has casts back on. I want to try and make a pair for Brianna, too so her mom can give me feedback. Also, my sister is in town again and I get to see her, too! Sweet! I miss her so much when she's not here.

I am going to go to the little drop in baby play group today at the Strathcona Community Centre. Even though Hayden is too little to play, the other mothers encouraged me to come for the adult interaction. I think it's a great idea. Plus, there's food!

It's raining today. Sigh.

Where I Break Into Song Like My Life is a Musical

Last night I got Hayden to sleep in his crib for about five hours. It was lovely to not share the bed and have to sleep in some hideous contorted position, but I missed him more than I thought I would. Usually he is curled under my arm or has his sweet little face nuzzled into my bare breast (because I fall asleep and don't put it back where it belongs). When he woke up, I brought him into bed with us and there he stayed for the duration of the night.

Therapy went well yesterday. We just discussed everything and how I can start coping better. I want to call the Pacific Post Partum Support Society, but told her that there has been too many people around for me to have a private and honest conversation. So, perhaps once everyone is back to school / work / daycare, then I can give them a ring. In the meantime I have been looking at some exercise classes at the Roundhouse that I may try to attend - if nothing more than for adult female interaction. I just need to make a deal with myself that I will stick with it if I make the commitment. I'd like to make some form of a schedule so that I feel less like I am just going through the motions (break into song here a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer)*, however I feel a bit panicky when I think about doing that because then every minute of my time can be accounted for and that just doesn't happen with babies. Nor does it make me feel comfortable to not have any free time. Could I be more conflicted? I think I will start taking Hayden to daycare once every two weeks so that I can have time for myself and aside from booking spa appointments, maybe keep it open or "free". It's amazing how much losing one day (Tuesdays) screws up my whole week. Everything I do now is planned around that day.

Ah well.

* See Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode #107 "Once More With Feeling", where Buffy sings a song called "Going Through the Motions".

What is a Sister?

So for those people who read this sad little blog and don't know me that well, I have several t.v. shows that I enjoy watching immensely. The majority of them are (or were) about women who kick butt. For example, two that I really liked and are now over were Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dark Angel. Two of my current favorites are Charmed and Alias.

Showcase Diva just recently got the rights to the third season of Charmed, which is great because I've seen every episode of the first two seasons at least twelve times. So the first few episodes have run and while I was watching it this morning, it suddenly occurred to me why this particular show appeals to me so much. Aside from my attraction to the mystic, I realized that it is the sisterhood that really draws me to the show. I am as close to (if not closer) my own sister (my twin, actually) as the characters in this show are and as I watched them mourn the loss of one sister and welcome another, I FELT it. I know that without my beautiful sister in my life I would be nothing. I should confess that I also have a younger sister (18 years my junior) - but the age gap is quite large and creates problems and I find I often have difficulty including her as a sibling in my mind, never mind my life. My twin has always been the world to me. I have said that if I had to choose between saving her and saving my spouse, I would choose her - because I can get another husband. I would never be able to replace her. That sounds hideous I know, and of course I hope to never ever be in that position. I love my husband dearly.

In the past I had always felt a little sad for girls that did not have a sister, but in truth not all sisters get along that well. I feel that if you can find a girlfriend who embodies the qualities of a sister, then that is the next best thing. And I realized that I have someone like that in my life. Her name is Laura. I can honestly say that I have never had a girlfriend as close as her. Sure I have had people in my life that I consider(ed) close friends, good friends and indeed even best friends - but Laura crosses that line into sisterhood and I am so grateful for her! She is one person I look forward to seeing always - as much as my own sister. We have similarities that my twin and I do not have. We have an interest in writing and creating, we are both computer nerds (her more than me, tee hee!), we have similar viewpoints. The list goes on. In fact, it comes to me that she gives to me what my sister cannot.

And I couldn't ask for anything sweeter.

Worst New Year's Ever

Worst New Year's ever.

We got to Courtenay and checked into the hotel. Went for lunch and then decided to go over to Tracy and Anthea's house to say hi since I would not be attending the party. I had some mild concern over their dog because certain dogs do affect my allergies and although I have not reacted to Sashia before, I seem to be hyper-sensitive in this pregnancy. That was the least of my concerns as it turns out because they now own two cats. Within minutes of being there and not touching a single thing, not even sitting down - my throat started itching, my eyes itching, I started sneezing and my asthma kicked in. We had to leave.

Back at the hotel the girls went for a swim and then they all got ready to go to the party. I had picked up some treats at the Safeway across the street but was going to just order room service for dinner. Yeah. Right. Except there WAS no room service. So I had to pack up Kes and take her to the nearest restaurant which happened to be Pizza Hut. Not my first choice by any means, but I couldn't carry her any farther. I had contemplated eating at the restaurant, but decided I just wanted to hunker down in the hotel room and so ordered take-out. It was supposed to take fifteen minutes which turned into twenty-five and Kes proceeded to be a complete shithead for the time we were there. She was hungry and tired and wanted a gumball from the machine. I kept telling her that I had no coins for it and she proceeded to try and bum some off the delivery guy who was waiting to take his next order out! Embarrassing!

Got back to the hotel and the line-ups had started for the four different "shows" that were going on there. Once in the room, Kes settled down - she scarfed down a whole ton of caesar salad and some pizza and breadsticks. I watched Castaway - all three hours of it and let me tell you, it was just as boring the second time around. In the meantime, I discovered that we had been promised a "quiet" room and they had put a roomful of teenagers next to us. Now, I am not totally anal - laughing and talking is perfectly fine by me, especially since it was New Year's, but there was constant door knocking and door banging as they went in and out of the room and back and forth onto the balcony. Kes did not fall asleep until after ten o'clock which is just wrong.

I couldn't sleep at all, so I drank my one lonely Guinness that I had, watched the end of The Wizard of Oz, watched "The Burning Log" for awhile and then switched to the New VI for their countdown. They happened to be having a free concert in Nanaimo which consisted of a bunch of performers including Loverboy, who are now very fat, very wrinkly, very balding and generally disgusting to look at! The singing is still okay, but Mike What's-His-Face (Reno?) had squeezed himself into some red leather pants, which he then had covered with a voluminous black button down shirt (to cover how bad it looked I guess). He still had his trademark bandana on. They sang Turn me Loose, which was a memory maker, and then the countdown occurred and I tried to go to sleep.

The others arrive back around twelve thirty and I was still awake. The neighbors partied until sometime around four am. By six I was wide awake, basically after no sleep. I laid there for awhile and then decided to see if Starbuck's was open. I got dressed in the bathroom and snuck out with the room key, the car key and my book. Starbuck's was just across the street, so I went over there. It was still dark and freezing cold. The sign said they didn't open until nine and it was barely seven. I decided that Tim Horton's was most probably open and drove down the street there. Yep - sure enough. Open. Ordered an English Toffee coffee and a Walnut Crunch doughnut and sat there for an hour and read my book. At eight, I decided to go see if anyone was awake and they weren't, so I sat down by the gas fireplace and read some more. That was actually a treat and the only good moment I had there!

After we got up, got organized, packed up, we went and had some breakfast at White Spot, which was good even though we waited forever! Incidentally, Kes was being a total brat and I just let her scream as loud as she wanted in thanks to the neighbor idiots!

We dropped by the house again to say goodbye and stayed for about an hour, during which time I started wheezing heavily. We left and drove back to Nanaimo to go to the ferry. I was wheezing pretty hard and taking my Ventolin a lot, all the while try not to freak out that it might be affecting the baby. I know it was having little to no effect on me, because I was still wheezing and now totally shaking from taking so much of it. I started having a pretty major anxiety attack in the car waiting for the ferry, but it subsided when we got on the boat.

It was good to get home and settle in. I indicated to Doug that I was not feeling so hot and he asked if I was woozy. I told him "wheezy", not "woozy" (which I have yet to determine what he means when he says that word?!) and that I felt I may need treatment, meaning hospital. I had some tea and dinner and then went to bed with Kes. By midnight I seemed to get a handle on the asthma. Was still awake by seven.

Felt better this morning in terms of asthma, but have been very plugged up and sneezy! I suppose I could have taken an antihistamine, but in my mind, those people are not worth me putting my fetus at risk. There are friends who I will do it for - not them. And I am berating myself for knowingly putting myself in that situation. The first time I didn't know, the second time I did. And knowing that cats are my absolute worst allergy, I cannot in any conscience put myself in situations where I know there are cats unless I take necessary precautions ahead of time. So I am kind of beating myself up today.

On the actual pregnancy front, the baby is becoming quite active and I delight in every little nudge, kick and roll! It seems to be all over the place at once and I love it early in the morning when I put my hand on my belly and feel little pokes! It is the one part of pregnancy that will never grow old for me!

This month will be busy for me, so I am anxious to get it over with! I have to go to about five apointments! Will handle it the best I can in terms of work. Now that there will be four of us, it should be okay!

And Now.....Back to Our Show!

I watched "The Day After Tomorrow" yesterday and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. However, there were a couple of things about this film that bugged me slightly and they were more or less just writing flaws. Normally I just watch films for entertainment and I get annoyed when my husband or his shrink friends try to analyze movies because that's what they are: entertainment.

Now I understand that this was a typical Indomitable American Spirit film and that the base story was Making the Hard Choices and Sacrifice and Overcoming. I actually really like a lot of the disaster films that come out of Hollywood. Dante's Peak is one of my faves and I always watch Atomic Twister (made for t.v.) when it comes on because I think Mark Paul Gosselaar is a cutie! I've even watched Volcano a couple of times.

In the film, the country of Canada was completely decimated and no one even batted an eye. In fact, no one even seemed to notice that an entire nation was lost! I understand that the main theme was "dad has to overcome all odds to get to son", but I figured a moment's silence could have been held. Also, at the end, the "President" thanked Mexico for taking in all of the US residents and looking after them, but in fact the Mexicans had closed the border and the Americans had stormed over the river illegally anyway. Mexico didn't have a choice it would seem. And then there was the inevitable preachy "moral", whereby everyone who watches this film is supposed to realize that if they just recycle that they will surely avoid an ice age. One last thing: I understand how the seven people in the library survived. The son, Sam, had inside knowledge from a phone call with his dad and thereby knew to keep the fire stoked high for survival. But at the end, when the National Guard comes to retrieve them, and up in the air they can see people on the rooftops, how the hell did those people survive? Ooh, and the CGI wolves were a bit too creepy.

Okay, that was more than a couple of things and all purely my opinion. I am not a rah-rah patriot who gets riled up over things, and in fact I even thought perhaps that the writer of this film might be Canadian. (He's not, he's German - I checked!) And like I said, I like to watch films for how they entertain me and for entertainment factor, this film got two thumbs up. In addition to that, while Canadian films have improved drastically over the years (I can remember thinking "oh GAWD" whenever having to watch a Canadian film as a teenager because it was bound to be boring, lackluster, loaded with "ehs" and bad picture quality), America still produces the most films with action and excitement.

And that's all I am really looking for.