Friday, September 24, 2010

Boys in the Wood (Last night's Vampire Diaries ep)

Elena--I'm torn with her, because if someone killed or tried to kill one of my family members, I'd be ticked too. The manipulation though...two wrongs don't necessarily make a right...

Caroline--After all the trouble she went to, I was sorry to see her lose Matt.


Bonnie--It's not quite the same as the Sookie/Tara relationship on True Blood, but I definitely see parallels.


Aimee-I don't remember seeing her before and I've only read a couple of the books...It'll be interesting to see what happens with this character...whether they keep her and build on her, or she's just there to drive the plot with the main characters.


Tyler and Mason --I want to know why Tyler didn't change (Is he not of age yet or something?). As for Mason, his self-control must be stellar for him not to have annihilated the inside of that truck. With shows like this, it's a given you're going to have to suspend your disbelief though. It's just a matter of how far/long you're willling to suspend it I guess. : D



Damon--The way he jumped in the way of that arrow for Elena...I was also amused by the fun he was having with Vanessa at Isobel's archives. I couldn't figure out whether he was trying to win her back. ( He seemed to be on a campaign last night, didn't he?) Or whether he is hung up on Elena because Katherine doesn't want him/never loved him (i.e. if I couldn't make Katherine want/love me, I'll make Elena want/love me.). He wasn't feigning that hurt last night...I looked at that kaleidoscope of emotions play across his face last night...and he was actually hurt that he didn't have a chance with her anymore. I'm curious to see what he'll do next and if he'll play right into Katherine's hands by doing so. Or whether his anger will help them defeat her.


Stefan--He was fun last night. Wish we saw more of this side of him. This makes it easier for me to see what draws Elena to him.

I found the title of the ep somewhat problematic and this recent development of "compelling" POC to be disturbing for me as well...I don't think they did this last season...I don't believe it would have slipped past me. I feel so torn...I love this genre and I love my eye candy (Mr. Somerhalder)...so I'm going to give the show some more time...Plus, I also hate quitting before I know how a story turns out...

Friday, September 17, 2010

Vampire Diaries Ep Brave New World Does contain spoilers

Carter-- Damn! Damn! Damn! It's like Season 2 of True Blood all over again, only this has been condensed into 1 hour. It makes it no less painful though. Too bad Bonnie couldn't singe Caroline. }:( [Incidentally, the actor that played this character B.J. Britt, also played in Vampires Suck. Gotta love the irony.]

Bonnie--She must really love Elena and have amazing self-control is all I can say. I would love for her to catch a break though...First her Grams gets taken from her, then her potential boyfriend? I'd be more than a little PO'd myself.

Nurse Haynes --Poor baby, but at least she got to live.

Stefan--Why didn't he just intercept Carter? That didn't have to turn out the way it did?

Damon --Where do I even begin?

Katherine--Was she watching from the shadows?

Tyler and Mason--They seem more like Twilight than True Blood weres to me, but it's too soon to tell...

Mayor Lockwood--Wonder what she'll do when she finds out the truth about Damon?

Jeremy--I like what he did, but for some reason I think it's going to turn around and bite him (absolutely no pun intended).

That revelation that a werewolf bite can kill a vampire...I don't think that was an accident. The only question is which one will go? I think I have an idea, but I don't want to inadvertently give up a spoiler...

Elena --she easily could have let Bonnie fry Damon. She has many reasons to hate him and very few to protect him, besides possibly not wanting to hurt Stefan. Why did she intervene?

I also feel that a class and race commentary was being played out somewhat with Caroline preying on Nurse Haynes and Damon setting up Carter for his fall. Nurse Haynes was spared/got a reprieve...So why does the Black male get taken out? Aggression and manipulation play a part here, just like with Eggs on True Blood. As on True Blood there are also not very many multi-ethnic characters...That's why I loved that first Blade movie so much. The vampires were all colors shapes and sizes. Think about it, every culture has vampire myths, right? I think the vampires released from the tomb kind of took care of this on TVD for a while, but then most of them were destroyed...I'm going to give this a bit more time before I quit watching altogether (It'll be hard, because I love this genre so much. And yes, I've tried L.A. Banks and Seressia Glass' books.). I know one thing this episode did give me plenty of was food for thought.

Caroline--Her transformation...I like how they captured the fear and confusion and then I like how she dealt with Damon when she got her memories back. I like the way they don't romanticize the transformation here...The analogy I would have compared it to, particulary with some of Stefan's story arc last season would be addiction (again, not very hard to see and I think it's something of a cliche in this genre...There was a vampire movie actually titled The Addiction too. )

Matt--He was sort of like a puppy last night...It was sweet and kind of cringeworthy at the same time.

Why?

Just got a really disturbing message on fb.
I'm not going to air but so much dirty laundry here, but I wonder why it is that people do the same stuff over and over and expect a different result? There's a quote about that somewhere, I just can't remember it verbatim.

I'm also not in the same financial position I was when I was paying partial rent versus full rent plus utilities, cable, etc. Even with my raise stuff only goes so far. I've cut back quite a bit on luxuries and I'm still cutting. My question is when do you say enough is enough? Especially when nothing you've done thus far has ever helped/been taken for granted?

I'm tired...and if you care even an inkling for the person hitting you up, you're going to be concerned for their welfare...The painful thing here, is that in this instance, I truly do not have any type of a safety net. At some later point I would help if I could, as I've got stuff in the works,...the only thing is the help is needed now...Double edged swords are the worst...

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Crossroads...

Put a little dent in getting my mother's things to her sister...My sis asked for something as well (it's odd, I almost left without this item yesterday, and then I wound up getting guided to it. So, I know my mom is still there if that makes any sense...), so as soon as time and money allow, I will be making the trip to the post office (I wish they weren't short staffed right now. Service sucks depending on when you go in.). I saved some things too, but most of it I don't have the space to keep, or any use for...There's lots of children's clothes and toys for example...If I can get that boxed up and sent to the Salvation Army in time for Christmas...it would be such a wonderful thing! That's the goal I'm aiming for. There are both "old school" and fairly new types of toys...

I haven't been able to find my mother's writings yet...I figure I'll look for that next trip...

I wasn't able to save my mother's Asian parasol. :( I don't know whether dry rot got to it or what, but I was so disappointed when I tried to open it yesterday and it couldn't be salvaged. :(
I've got a theme in the works at my apartment, and it would have gone perfectly.

I figure if I can just space this out over weekends and annual leave days...I can get this done...Still over 30 years of accumulated stuff between 2-3 people...That's tough when for whatever reason(s) you don't have a lot of help. It's not that I'm not grieving either, but I would rather not wait until I have double the grief to deal with, because then, something tells me this task will become even more daunting.

Pictures will come later...I can't afford a digital camera just yet, and unless one has an iphone or a Droid, I find the quality of cell phone pictures is still craptacular for the most part.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Evil is Going On...True Blood Season Finale (contains spoilers)

First off, can I just say WTH?


There was no closure last night at all. If I weren't so emotionally invested in the characters, last night might have frustrated me enough to make me quit watching.
The viewer was left hanging with basically all the storylines last night...

Russell--If Eric escaped can he? Yeah he's been weakened, but he's also older.

Eric--He's out an assassin and what's going to happen as far as vampire politics go? Alan Ball alluded that there will be more to do with this next season. As far as the concrete thing goes, Bill was just sloppy.

Bill--Did he really think he could take out an older vampire with just concrete? He didn't even drug or bind Eric or anything? Cocky, much? And now he thinks he can take Queen Sophie Anne? He must feel like he's got nothing to lose.

Godric--Always nice to see him...Vampire as ghost...Was that a nod to Anne Rice? (Claudia shows up as a ghost in I forget which book...I think it was Tale of the Body Thief...) What kind of unfinished business must you have to come back as a ghost after you've been turned into a vampire?

Arlene--So is the baby evil? I'm guessing it is, if Lafayette's vision is right.

Sam -- That blood on his hands in Lafayette's vision doesn't make me feel good about Tommy's fate. Sam cooked breakfast... Why would you turn one of the coolest dudes on the show into a psycho? :( Fantastic chance for the actor to stretch...sucks to see the character go downhill though.

Tara--She scared me with those scissors last night. Her haircut's cute though. She's been through so much, I'm amazed she didn't go off worse at Sam's confession. Also just when I think her mom's getting it together she loses it again. Poor baby.

Pam--She will always rule! She kicked the assassin's ass. Again, I have to ask what was Bill thinking? Did age factor at all in his planning or lack thereof? Sheesh!

Alcide --Not enough of him last night at all. Andy Swist totally helped cheer me up on that score though. }:D

Sookie--Was it just me, or did anyone else think it was beyond bitchy of Sookie, to destroy Talbot in front of Russell, and then laugh about it like that? For a minute, I almost didn't think it was her... That was the only time I actually felt sympathy for Russell last night...I know she was furious and rightly so, but that just seemed out of character.

Lafayette and Jesus--I'm worried for them...Does Lafayette's vision of Jesus mean that he is evil, or that he only has the potential for it?

Jessica and Hoyt--I love them together. I'm a bit worried about the new house though, what up with the baby doll on the floor?

Summer and Hoyt's mom--I didn't think their little intervention would work, but now she's gone and purchased a firearm. Be afraid, be very afraid. That woman is truly nasty.

Jason, Crystal, and Hotshot--I'm more than annoyed with all the back and forth going on. At least now she admits that she loves him out in the open at least...I still want to know how/if they're going to wrap up this storyline. It's gone so far from what happened in the books that I'm clueless.

I think I got everyone...At least I have plenty of time to order more TruBlood before next season. lol

I'll be curious to see what the commentary on Racialicious will be like. Judging by the reviews/commentary I've seen so far at different websites, a lot of people are frustrated, particularly by the whole Crystal and Jason storyline. Time will tell.

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Vampire Diaries Season 2, Ep 1 The Return (some spoilers)


Where do I begin?






Found the whole Elena/Katherine thing amusing...Especially the visual clues as far as how to tell them apart. :) I'm also curious to see if Katherine will continue to show up in all black or make things a bit more challenging...Where was Katherine lurking to find out all this stuff about Elena? I think that's got to be one of the scariest things about the episode.




Stefan --I still want to know what it is Elena and Katherine see in him, because I just don't know...I find broody and boring dull. It got very old with Angel, I don't love it here either.




Tyler --




Bonnie--I notice she gets paired with Damon in quite a few fanfics...I can't see that happening, especially not after what Damon did last night. She also doesn't strike me as the type to let her hormones carry her away...




Caroline--So, is she going to be a vamp now? I saw the previews from last week and I'm just like "Uh-oh...Is this going to be a repeat of Vicki?"




Damon--I started to feel sorry for him last night...and then he did what he did last night...I think he was even mad at himself, not because it was wrong, but because he realized that by doing that he'd lost whatever small chance he had of hooking up with Elena...




The vampires eating and drinking thing...I wish I understood the biology of this better...I guess it depends upon whose 'verse you're in. I remember some of them did eat in the Jossverse...It was weird. In I Will Remember You from Season 4 of Buffy, Angel makes this huge deal of being able to eat again, yet in Season's 3 -5? 6? of Buffy, Spike partakes of hot chocolate with little marshmallows, Weetabix in blood, Hot wings and bloomin' onions... Damon is also the second vampire I've seen that can get drunk. The food/liquid can't go in and not come out, so how does their biology? Guess that's the wrong word... Thanatology? work...I guess that's stuff they figure viewers/fangirls won't wonder about or won't pay any mind...The funny thing is, I can never shut my brain off and I read/watch too much supernatural/paranormal stuff not to be curious about this...I'm not motivated enough to do a Nitpicker's guide or anything like that...it's just one of those odd little things that set me to wondering is all.







Vh-1's Greatest artist(s) of all time countdown...I think I'm beginning to see...




When they got to the top 10 last night, Vh-1's Greatest of all Time list, kind of made sense to me. It's funny Toure tweeted his frustration about it yesterday, and I definitely get his point [In no universe does Eminem trump Earth, Wind and Fire, Curtis Mayfield and Mary J. Blige... On the other hand, Hendrix totally trumps Prince even without having as much material... John trumps Paul...cultural/global impact seems to also be a factor in how these votes went. I also saw a weird type of arithmetic for example, Michael Jackson placed higher than James Brown and Elvis, because he has elements of both and took his showmanship farther... ]. I think people are slightly more satisfied with genre lists or male/female lists, but even with those, no one comes away ever completely satisfied. Any lists where race inevitably plays a factor is also going to foster debate/provoke thought regardless. Another thing I wondered, was did all of these artists have to have videos? If not, it would have been cool to include a Blues artist or two...Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters...somebody. And as for the architects of Rock...We saw Little Richard [who should have been way higher in the countdown]. We saw James Brown, but what about Chuck Berry? Omissions like that bothered me...Not to mention no Chaka Khan or Minnie Riperton, maybe because they are more soul than rock? But that's subjective too, isn't it? But as I said at the beginning, no one is ever completely satisfied with lists like these...They're something to get people thinking and talking.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Glass half full?

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted.

I've got lower back pain again...I'm not on anything for it...Been wearing out my heating pads to know avail...

I'm still going to the chiropractor...Unfortunately even with my raise, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to afford yoga...Figuring out how to schedule a yoga class would also be a laugh and a half right now.

Still dealing with the same workplace issues as well...I'd elaborate more on that, but I don't think it's a good time just yet.

Despite all this, don't think I don't realize it could be worse.