Happy Halloween! I think...

Can I be honest? I haven't ever admitted this before (except on one of your blogs the other day) but, for the past few years I've been a bit of a bah humbug when it comes to Halloween. This year I couldn't even muster up the energy the put out our Halloween decorations. I think poor Madeleine feels kind of bad about that, too. She's getting gypped by my lack of enthusiasm. I did ask her a few weekends ago if she wanted to help me decorate. She declined and that was that. Now I feel a little guilty, but it's too late to do anything about it. Oh well.

For the record, when my kids were little and even before I had kids, I was totally into it. Choosing costumes, decorating the house, carving pumpkins, roasting pumpkin seeds, going door to door. Heck, Geoff and I used to fight over who got to take the girls treat or treating. (We ended up taking turns. One year he would take the girls and I would stay home and pass out candy and the next year we'd switch). I was always disappointed when it was my turn to stay home.

Of course my girls are too old to trick or treat now, but I find myself annoyed by this holiday. I'm not charmed by the cute little hobgoblins who come to my door anymore. Instead I'm aggravated that I have to keep getting up and answering the door - while keeping my crazy pug under control. I no longer take time picking out the "best" candy to pass out. Now it's just grab and go. And speaking of grabbing and going, when did it become customary for the darling little trick or treaters to reach into the candy bowl and grab giant handfuls of candy? That really annoys me. It seems so rude and well... grabby. I know I sound like a grumpy old lady and that bothers me. Because really I'm not a grumpy old lady most of the time. I think of myself as being fairly youthful really. So why does Halloween get under my skin?

I think I've figured it out. I felt the exact same way about other childhood traditions. Like those book orders that seemed to come home every other week from school. And not just one - the teachers would send home several from different companies. And how about those little valentine's that kids give out in elementary school. And volunteering in my kids' classrooms or at their school events. All of these things started out so fun and exciting - for my kids and for me. But after so many years, I just got tired of it. The bloom was off the rose, I guess. And it all felt like a chore. The charm was gone. And somehow Halloween fell into the same category. It all makes me feel a little bad. But I can't really help how I feel. So now you all know my dirty little secret. Underneath my cool and hip facade (quit laughing), I really am a grumpy old lady.

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TV Quick Quips

Well, it's official. My blog has completely degenerated into a mindless mess of TV gossip. I'm not even managing to post Thankful Thursdays anymore. Nothing but TV Quick Quips. That's a fairly accurate indication of the state of my brain at the moment - a mindless mess. How sad. I promise that as soon as I have something intelligent to say, I will post it here. In the meantime, here's my thoughts on this week's episodes of my favorite shows:

The Biggest Loser - My daughter watched this episode before I did and when it was over her eyes and face were so puffy from crying I hardly recognized her. I'm not kidding. She warned me it was a tearjerker. As you all know, one thing I love about this show is how I get a good cry while watching it. Very cathartic. This week was especially emotional since we got to hear more of Abby's and Shay's stories. Abby has touched me from the very beginning. That woman is more than an inspiration. She is a wonder. I just love her. She just radiates love, acceptance, kindness, generosity of spirit and joy. I was so sad to see her leave the ranch. But as she said, she had completed her journey. For her it wasn't about learning how to lose weight. It was about learning how to love again and how to LIVE and not just to exist. She accomplished that. Seeing her now, it's so clear how happy she is. I wish her all the best that life has to offer. No one deserves it more. Next time I feel like complaining about my problems, I'm going to remember Abby and her bright smile.

Modern Family - Comedy Gold. This show is just one good laugh after another. I could totally relate to Clare after she got the kids off to school. All she wants to do is sit and read and then Phil wants to spend time with her. I don't know about the rest of you moms, but I know that once my kids get out the door in the morning, I pretty much need a nap to recover. And it's not even 7:30 in the morning yet. But it was really Cam who stole the show this week, in my opinion. Loved the pie eating to get to the boo boo bear out of the freezer. Loved him running at the car screaming with a trash can to free Lily. Loved how he dresses Lily up as Divas and takes her pictures. Still my favorite show.

Glee - A REPEAT!? Already. Not good. Especially after last week's weak episode. I really needed a great episode to redeem Glee in my eyes. I'm not happy....

The Office - Creed: You're paying too much for worms. Who's your worm guy?

ROFLMAO!! Creed doesn't say much, but when he does he always steals the show. He's always been my favorite character. I say, "More Creed!"

TV Quick Quips

Here's my take on this episodes of my favorite shows:

1. The Biggest Loser - I was actually starting not to hate Tracy as much this week until she admitted to the camera that she hoped the Black team had cheated while at home and had eaten cake, etc. What a mean-spirited little twit. There I said it. I really don't like mean-spirited people. Everyone else at the ranch seems to genuinely be rooting for everyone else's success, but not Twit Tracy. She's mean, phony and two faced. Exactly the kind of person I despise. On another note, why is it that every week the person that goes home is NOT the person I think should go home. I really didn't want Dina to go this week. I think Daniel should have gone home. Now don't get me wrong, I love Daniel. But this is his second chance on the show and he has proven that he is able to lose weight at home. I felt as though Dina really needed more time there. Of course, she did great at home. And I'm glad for that. Can't wait to see what next week brings.

2. Modern Family - Count Manny the Colombian Coffee Drinker. That whole scene had me rolling on the floor. Still loving the humor in this show.

3. Glee - OK this week is the first time the quirkiness that is Glee didn't appeal to me. As you know, I've been curious as to why I enjoyed this show so much. Well this week I felt it was just OK. Nothing really grabbed me. I missed seeing some big group dance numbers. And the dance sequences between Sue and Will and Emma and Will were creepy and not fun or endearing. Of course, Madeleine (of "Glee is life" fame) freaked out when I said I didn't enjoy that episode. So, maybe it's just me. I'm still going to watch more episodes. I'm not convinced it wasn't just a weak episode. Time will tell. What did all you Glee fans think? Did this episode seem up to par or was it lacking Glee's usual charm? Just wondering.

4. The Office - I LOVED the Jim/Dwight prank with the duck mallard. Classic Office. Remember in earlier seasons all the Jim/Dwight pranks? Those were some of the best Office moments. It's been awhile since we've seen that kind of interaction. I hope they keep it up. I didn't mention this after the wedding episode, because I didn't think it was going to matter all that much, but did the rest of you Office fans notice that the actress who played Pam's mom was not the same actress who appeared in a previous episode as Pam's mom. It kind of bugged me, especially since the "type" of person each portrayed was so different. The original "mom" was more a typical mom. This newer mom is more hard edged, more glamorous, more bitter. If this new mom is going to be a bigger part of the show (which it appears she is) that really bugs me. Pam's mom was not originally portrayed this way and had a whole different persona, attitude and look. The writer's need to realize that we serious Office fans notice and remember this stuff. Even if it happened 4 seasons ago. Just saying....

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Theater Review: Avenue Q

As you may know (if you read my last post), I attended a performance of Avenue Q on Tuesday night at Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC). Avenue Q was the second show in the 2009-2010 season and I didn't really know too much about it. I knew that it involved Sesame Street style puppets, but that it was definitely NOT for kids. I will be honest and admit that this was not a show that I was overly excited to see. But, I was pleasantly surprised and I really did enjoy it. Did I LOVE it? No. But I it was very enjoyable. If someone was thinking about seeing it, I would encourage them to do it. But it's not a show that I will be recommending that everyone see.

Avenue Q takes place in a lower income neighborhood in Manhattan. Princeton, a recent college grad (with a degree in English), moves onto Avenue Q to begin his "adult" life. On Avenue Q he meets other people who are just starting out in life and are trying to navigate the grown up world. The show deals with adult themes in a light and humorous way - Internet porn, homosexuality, finding love, finding purpose. All these topics are handled in a Sesame Street like format and set. The songs were very upbeat, happy and funny.

From the reviews I've read and from talking to Margaret, my friend who attended the show with me, it seems that most people find themselves focusing their attention on the puppets and are able to quickly overlook the fact that the puppeteers are on stage. This was not my experience. I found myself having to force myself to pay attention to the puppets. My eyes and attention were were drawn to the actors. Not sure why that is, but I think it's a personality thing. I'm not very good at suspending my disbelief. I'm that annoying person at the movies who keeps pointing out all the holes in the plot. (Yes, I'm THAT girl). In any case, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the show in any way. It's just something I've noticed as I've read other reviews of this show.

Because this show is "acted" by puppets and the puppeteers are fairly unobtrusive, it's hard for me to really critique the actor/puppeteers. Unlike most shows, in this show no one actor stood out from the others. No one had a super amazing voice. I did notice when I read the playbill that the vast majority of the actors did not have any prior experience on Broadway, which is very unusual. Maybe the very nature of the "acting" makes Avenue Q a "breakout" roll for these actors. Not really sure about that. I will say this, all the actors were very talented puppeteers. Some even played more than one puppet, which was difficult for me since I was focusing on the people and not the puppets. Sometimes I was a little confused by that. There were even times when the actor who primarily played one puppet would hand that puppet off to another actor and suddenly play another puppet who was on the stage at the same time. This actor would also do both voices. OK, that got a little tough for someone like me who can't suspend her disbelief very easily. But, not enough to make me stop enjoying the show. It was just something I noticed.

After seeing (half of) Young Frankenstein and now Avenue Q this season, I realized something. Having season's tickets is like being in a book club. You will most likely see shows/read books that you would not normally have seen/read. And sometimes there will be shows/books you don't like. But sometimes you will be pleasantly surprised. And THAT is really exciting. At least for me it is.

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The Play's the Thing!

I am so far behind in blogging about my theater experiences this season. I have always enjoyed live theater and have seen random shows here and there over the years. Last season, however, was the first time I ever had season tickets to any theater. And I absolutely LOVED it! I also saw my first show on Broadway in 2008, went to my first professional ballet and attended one drama at Trinity Repertory. It was truly a great season of theater for me and I vowed that I would keep it up this season. And boy have I ever. I think I may have even gone overboard (Shh! Don't tell my husband). Not only did I resubscribe to the Broadway series at Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) and The Community Players (a local community theater group), I also bought a subscription to Trinity Repertory Company (a local professional theater group). And if that wasn't enough, I also bought a ticket to see To Kill a Mockingbird at 2nd Story Theater - yet another local community theater group. YIKES. Not to mention I still have voucher for one free show at the ballet this year. You would think that I would have the Providence theater scene covered. Not by a long shot. There are several other professional theater groups in the Providence area (Gamm, Perishable, Black Rep and numerous smaller companies and student companies). It was therefore not too surprising when Travel and Leisure Magazine recently named Providence the fourth best theater city in the nation - right behind NYC, Chicago and Minneapolis (Minneapolis? Who knew?).

As much as I have always enjoyed all the theater opportunities here in Providence, it never occurred to me that Providence was unusual in this. But seeing it in print (in a recent Providence Journal article) really made me think about it and realize just how lucky I am. I just wish I had unlimited time and funds to attend all the shows that interest me. (Not a bad problem to have, I know).

Anyway, in the last couple of months I have seen Cabaret at Trinity and Young Frankenstein at PPAC. And tonight I am going to see Avenue Q at PPAC. I feel badly that I haven't managed to blog about Cabaret or Young Frankenstein yet. I'm not sure I will able to do a full on review of either show, but I will give the Cliff's Notes version here.

First, Young Frankenstein (YF). I am almost embarrassed to write about my experience at this show. Let me start by saying it's not the show, it's me. Geoff, who usually loves Mel Brooks, went with me to this show. (He's not as much of a theater fan as I am and he picks and chooses which shows he will or won't see). Since he likes Brooks, he decided to come with me to Young Frankenstein. As for me, I'm not a big Brooks fan, but I thought it might be fun to go with Geoff and witness his enjoyment of this show. Unfortunately, the timing was not great for us. We have been dealing with some difficult issues and we happened to have tickets to this show just 2 days after an extremely difficult event. Neither one of us was in the mood for Mel Brooks. The show was fine, but neither one of us laughed or was much in the mood for this type of show. And here's the embarrassing part...we left at intermission. *hangs head in shame* Our hearts were just not in it and we decided that rather than sit there wishing we were home, we would just go home. And that's what we did. I still can't believe we did that, but it was what we needed to do in that moment.

A week or so after (sort of) seeing YF, we saw Cabaret at Trinity with our neighbors (who we bought season's tickets with). I will admit that I was not too thrilled about seeing a musical at Trinity. PPAC is the theater that gets Broadway shows on tour and Trinity's forte is drama. I will happily admit that I was wrong to be so skeptical. Cabaret was really fantastic. Joe Wilson, Jr., who played the emcee, was beyond phenomenal. He blew me away. It wasn't until about half way through the show that I realized that he is the same actor who played Walter in A Raisin in the Sun last season. He was brilliant in that role as well. And if you are familiar with these two roles, you know that they are as different as they could be. I didn't even recognize Wilson. His transformation into the flamboyant, gay emcee was complete and mind-blowing. Another interesting aspect of Cabaret (and Trinity shows in general) is that after the show a staff member conducts a "talk back", in which members of the audience can stay after the show for 20 minutes and discuss the show with each other and the staff member. We decided to stay and it was fascinating and illuminating. It never ceases to amaze me when talking about books that different people can have such divergent interpretations of the events of the story. Well, the same can be said of live theater. This surprised me because we all SAW the same thing, yet we came away with different interpretations. Somehow reading something and actually seeing something seem different to me. I am not surprised that the written word can be open to interpretation, but events that have been witnessed seem much more concrete to me. I loved experiencing this. It was fascinating.

Anyway, tonight I'm off to see Avenue Q with my friend Margaret. Margaret did some theater work in college and one thing she did was work with puppets (Avenue Q is acted by Sesame Street type Muppets). She is excited to see this show and I'm anxious to see it with someone who has some knowledge of this "medium". Hopefully, I will find the time to write a real review of Avenue Q in the next couple of days.

So much theater, so little time...

Image from Google Images

TV Quick Quips

Here's my take on this week's shows:

1. The Biggest Loser - Well, I thought this episode wasn't going to be a tearjerker at first. And then Rebecca offered Dina her family video and I lost it. And then Liz sacrificed her DVD for Danny and more waterworks. But when Mo offered to go home and the blue team chose him over Tracy I really lost it...and not in a good way. As self-sacrificing as it was of Mo, I can NOT stand Tracy and I can't believe they didn't take the opportunity to get rid of her. The woman is completely irrational. She wants to call all the shots and have it be "game on", but then she can't understand why everyone is angry with her. I'm sick of her tears and her poor pitiful me attitude flip flopped with her complaining about everyone else being babies and her "tough" attitude. You can't have it both ways. You're either a hard @ss or you're not. Choose one. Better yet.... go home! (Next week I'll be sure to let you all know how I really feel) ;)

2. Modern Family - Still loving this one. Loved when Mitchell and Claire's mom, DeDe called Gloria "Charro". Loved when Gloria and DeDe were fighting and Phil kept calling out "I've got Gloria!" Too funny! Loved Claire's face when Phil was grabbing Gloria.

Loved how everyone was humming/singing Dillon's totally inappropriate song at the end of the episode. But the best part was at the end of the show when ABC told the audience we could watch a video of Dillon's song and we could even download it! OMG! How hysterical is that?

3. Glee - My 14 year old daughter has been watching this show from the beginning and in her words, "Glee is life". That seems a little dramatic for me, but then again she's a 14 year old girl - so maybe not! Anyway, many of you have commented on past TV Quick Quips that you also love Glee. And, as far as I know, none of you are 14 year old girls. So, I decided to give it a try. Since I am totally Type A when it comes to TV shows, I decided to watch the shows in order. Thanks to Hulu I was able to watch all the past episodes online, with the exception of episode 1 which was already gone. (I was able to let that go. It was difficult, but I did it). Anyway, I really liked it. I didn't love it, but I'm definitely hooked. And that totally surprises me because most of the characters are exaggerated stereotypes yet the show still works and I actually like it. Usually if a show (or a book) is too stereotypical or outrageous, I can't stand it. But somehow that is not the case here. Not sure what makes it work, but it just does. So far I can't stand the Cheerios Coach. I know we're not supposed to like her, but her character is too over the top, IMHO. I love Emma. She's sweet and a weird throwback to the 1940s. What's with her clothes? I like how Will/Emma/Terry triangle mirrors the Finn/Quinn/Rachel triangle. And even though it's completely wrong and unethical, I'm routing for Will and Emma and Finn and Rachel. Again, very un-Pamlike. So what is it about this show? All of you who love it so much, what do you think it is about Glee that is so appealing? Do you agree with my daughter that "Glee is life"? (And if so, are your 14 years old?)

4. The Office - I thought this episode had some good, classic Office humor in it. Though I watched it so late last night (after my Glee catch-up marathon) that I can't remember any lines specifically). I do remember that Oscar had some great lines and it was nice to see more of him. He doesn't get all that much camera time. Same with Kevin. Maybe since Jim and Pam were out of the office, they could focus more on the minor characters. I loved Oscar's line about the Committee on Rationality (or something like that). Very funny! Love how Toby just walked out of the meeting before Michael even had a chance to kick him out. Loved Creed's (he's my favorite) ideas for small talk (peas, ball bearings, dimes). Not an earth-shattering episode, but a good solid back to basics Office episode. Yay!

How about you? What are your thoughts on these shows or your own favorites? I'd love to hear what you think.

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In The News

Is it just me or were there some really crazy stories in the news this week? As I heard each one I thought, I should blog about that. But then I decided that I didn't really have all that much to say. Then there was another crazy story and again I thought the same thing. By the time the third story hit the news I decided I just can't keep quiet any longer. So in the spirit of TV Quick Quips here is my quick take on crazy news stories - In the News.

1. The first story to make me shake my head and wonder if the whole world had gone nuts was the story of 6 year old, Zachary Christie, the little boy who was facing 45 days in juvenile detention for taking a camping utensil to school! Now don't get me wrong, I get that there are problems in schools with weapons and violence. And I understand there needs to be strong rules against this type of thing. And at first glance, zero tolerance policies seem like a great, strong, no nonsense approach to dealing with this serious problem. But when we begin to apply rules without using common sense then we are in danger of losing our humanity. I'm not sure what the answer is, but putting 6 year olds (or threatening to put 6 year olds) in juvenile detention for 45 days crosses a line I'm not sure we want to cross. Seems more than a little nutty to me.

2. Did you all see the picture of model Filippa Hamilton in the Ralph Lauren ad? Who the heck decided that that photo looked good? Photo shopping, retouching, air brushing, digital manipulation, etc is a real problem in advertising, as we all know. But when the photos are altered so much that the model is distorted so the extent that she no longer even looks human, I think we've gone too far. It's bad enough that women and girls are trying to look like 5' 10", 120 lbs models who are NOT "retouched". Then advertisers retouch them to look even more "perfect" and flawless - presenting an even more unattainable image of beauty. But when photographs are altered into a human form that is so distorted as to be deformed, I think it's time to call them on this insanity and demand that they stop altering photos at all. Enough is enough. I was glad to see Miss Hamilton on The Today Show saying she was dismayed by the photo and the unhealthy image it portrayed. Oh and did you also hear her say that she was fired from Ralph Lauren for being too fat! That's right ladies, being 120 lbs and 5' 10" tall is too fat! No wonder we all hate our bodies. Maybe it's time to do something about it. A magazine editor who appeared with Filippa on The Today Show said something that really hit home. She said that women need to start putting their money where their mouths are. We all say we don't like the pressure these images/models put on us, yet magazine sales seem to indicate otherwise. According to this editor, when magazines feature "real" photos of people or unaltered photos of celebrities, magazine sales drop. Shame on us! We all need to put our money where our mouths are.


3. Does anyone else think that the flying jiffy pop pan in Denver was a hoax or publicity stunt? Hmm.. Let's review the evidence. This family has previously appeared on the reality show Wife Swap. That's a dead giveaway right there that they are publicity hounds. The story is that Falcon hid in the attic for 5 hours because his dad yelled at him. Yeah right? Do any of you have children? What child can hide for 5 hours? 5 hours in kid life is about 6 months. But wait, there's more. On Larry King Live (I think) Falcon says something to the effect that it was "all a show". His dad says you can't always believe everything a 6 year old says. I beg to differ. 6 year olds don't have filters and tend to be brutally honest. Then this morning the family was on The Today Show where Falcon very conveniently became sick and vomited on camera. What's up with that? Oh and mom just happened to have a large Tupperware container available for Falcon to throw up into. Really? If the parents knew the kid was sick they never should have agreed to let him be on TV. If this was a surprise attack of the vomits, I'm a little skeptical. Seems like a diversionary tactic to me. And lastly, "methinks the gentleman doth protests too much". When asked by Meredith Vieira if this was a hoax or stunt, he got all indignant and angry. That's a big red flag right there.


OK, I know there were lots more crazy stories in the news this week. Which ones have you shaking your head and wondering what the heck the world is coming to? I'd love to hear from you.

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Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursdays are all about taking the time to appreciate all the little things that actually went right during the week. I am someone who can get flustered very easily - even when the smallest thing goes wrong. So why not focus on all the little things that went right and be grateful?


1. I'm thankful that I had an opportunity to play Mah Jong with two groups of friends this week. It was nice to visit with them and it just chill out for a couple of hours. I really needed that.

2. I'm thankful that my 14 year old daughter, Madeleine, spent 4 hours on Saturday helping me sort and organize books for the annual book sale at the library where I work. The book sale is next Saturday and we had received 14 boxes and bags of donations that needed sorting. She also helped me move all those boxes from the library into the storage garage, re-box, label and shift loads of other books. Madeleine is a great organizer and a tireless worker. Thanks Madeleine!

3. I'm thankful that my daughter, Katie, who is a senior in HS this year has made a ton of progress in the college selection and application process this past week or so. Not to mention she is also having to work on her senior project and keep up with her classes simultaneously. The amount of paperwork alone is overwhelming. If you aren't familiar with the senior project let me just say that it is a year round project comprised of fieldwork, a thesis paper and a juried presentation that all senior must complete in order to graduate. There is a handbook given to students explaining the project and process. A 60 page handbook!!! That's right 60 pages. Here's what I think... If a project requires a 60 handbook it's possible it's too complicated. Just a thought. Anyway, Katie is making good progress and I'm so proud of her.

4. I am thankful that Geoff and I had the opportunity to go out to dinner to very nice restaurants twice this past weekend. On Saturday night we went out to dinner and to see a play, Cabaret (which I hope to write about just as soon as I can), with our friends. We went to dinner at a very nice riverfront restaurant I had never been to before and the food was delicious. The play was absolutely fabulous as well. On Sunday night the whole family went out to another "fancy" restaurant in Providence this time with Geoff's parents. Again, the food was fabulous and we all had a nice time.

How about you? What are you grateful for?

Image from Google Image

TV Quick Quips

And then there were three. My TV viewing list is quickly dwindling. I'm finding that I'm not being very forgiving this year when it comes to the shows I'm willing to watch. Which is probably a good thing, since I really don't have all that much time to watch TV as it is. So here's my take on the shows I watched this week:

The Biggest Loser: This show is so cathartic! I love it. Every episode I find myself in tears and I'm really enjoying a good cry once a week. Aside from Tracy (who I still dislike intensely) I love all the other contestants and it's so hard to watch them get voted off. And it's even harder to watch the other contestants vote them off. Why can't they all stay? I even felt bad for Julio this week. I didn't really like him at first, but he kind of redeemed himself in my eyes. I'm glad we get to see how the eliminated contestants did after leaving the show and I'm happy to learn that so far they have all done well.

Modern Family: I'm still loving this show! This week's episode didn't have as many laugh out loud moments as the first two, but it's still a keeper. I still think Phil is hilarious. And I love the way his wife handles him and all the other craziness in her life. She's so matter of fact about it. It cracks me up. And how cute is Manny? I loved his scene with Claire. And this week is the first time we've seen much of Alex (the younger daughter). I thought the actress that played her was very good. I loved her expression when Gloria told her the cute bus boy was looking at her. So sweet. Can't wait for next week.

The Office: Where to begin? I loved all the classic Office awkward moments and Michael Scott's crazy behavior and inappropriate (yet innocent) comments. I'm glad to see the writers getting back to more Season 2 like behavior for him. I thought it was very clever that the wedding attendants and Office staff copied that wedding dance from youtube that was all over TV this summer. Perfect! I loved Jim's cute speech about Pam (even though we did see most of it in commercials. GRRR!) I loved seeing Pam in a wedding dress. I loved how Jim was able to make her smile and feel better when she was upset right before the wedding. Here's what I didn't love. I didn't get to see them exchange vows. I really wanted to see that. I feel a little disappointed. Though Jim's look at the camera when they were standing at the railing of the Maid of the Mist after they were married almost made up for it. That look spoke volumes. And I did love the parallels between getting married on the boat and the episode in Season 2 on the Booze Cruise when Jim and Pam have their famous 27 seconds of silence scene at the railing of that boat. Very niiiice! Like Jim, I waited a long time for that day to come!

The Middle: I'm still kind of on the fence about this show. Once again it seemed a bit off. As though it should be funnier than it is. Is it me? I can't figure it out. I'm not sure if I'm going to watch this one again. It's OK, but I'm not sure if OK is good enough. I keep thinking maybe it will all "click" soon, though. We'll see. If I have time and desire I'll continue to watch, if not, I won't. Are any of you watching this one? I'd love to hear your take on it. I just can't figure it out.

Update from last week:

The Good Wife - I had really high hopes for this show, but it's not meant to be. I was finally able to watch last week's episode and it was very weak. I was really hoping this show would focus on the the thought processes of a wife who is thrust in the public eye when her husband's infidelity catches up with him. Haven't we all wondered how the wives involved in the numerous recent scandals were able to stand up in the spotlight when their husbands faced the music? I'd love to see the inside story of how these women are able to cope and how they make the decisions that they do. But that is not what this show is about. It's primarily a courtroom/crime drama - and a bad one at that. There are so many "holes" in this show, that I'm not even going to watch the third episode. More time for reading!

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Sentimental Sunday

I promise that this will be the last post about my summer vacation to Spain. After spending 10 amazing days in Madrid and the surrounding areas we flew to Tenerife in the Canary Islands for a few days of rest and relaxation. While I love sightseeing vacations that are go, go, go and non-stop, Geoff really prefers "relaxation vacations" where the most strenuous decision you have to make each day is what to eat. We were lucky enough to be able to do both on this vacation.

After a 3 hour flight from Madrid and a short cab ride we arrived at our resort - The Santa Barbara. Our first impression was that the resort looked like pictures we had seen of Greece.

The views of the ocean from our room and the cliff walk behind our hotel were spectacular!

There were numerous areas around the resort for sitting and relaxing or lounging by the pool.

Before we got to Tenerife we thought we might make a few excursions to explore the island - both its villages and its natural beauty. But once we got there, we decided to just sit by the pool and read and relax. And that is exactly what we did. It was on Tenerife that that I put my new Kindle to the test. I guess it passed because I read 6 books in 4 days. Maybe Geoff is on to something when he talks about preferring "relaxation vacations"!

TV Quick Quips

TV Quick Quips are a little late this week. I've had a crazy week and just haven't been able to watch much TV. I'm almost caught up now, so I thought I'd "quip" about what I have been able to see.

1. The Biggest Loser - OMG! What a tearjerker this week. I cried so hard I actually needed tissues. Anyway, I was so touched by the selflessness of Sean and Antoine's offer to go home so Shay could stay. What amazing men. I just love them both and I'm sorry I won't get to see more of them. But I was happy to see that they have done so well at home. And was anyone else surprised that Alexandra and Antoine are a couple? I so did not see that coming. I am so happy for them. Of course, I can't avoid talking about Tracy. WTF? She is an absolute nut job. I really started to dislike her intensely this episode and I feel so bad for Coach Mo having her as his partner. Jillian is right - the woman in BANANAS!

2. The Good Wife - This is the one show I haven't managed to see yet this week. Next week I will update this week's episode along with the new one. (If I continue to watch. This week's episode will make or break it for me).

3. Modern Family - OK, this show is awesome! After last week I was a little worried that they wouldn't be able to sustain the comedy genius. Happily, I had nothing to worry about. This show is my new favorite (sorry The Office). Loved the way Jay really stepped up to the plate at the end with Manny. I was a little worried earlier in the episode and actually didn't like the one scene where Jay was a jerk to Manny. It still bothers me, but the way he handled Manny when his dad didn't show was amazing. And Phil is absolutely the funniest character on TV! I just love him. This show is non-stop laughs. This is the one show that everyone in the family watches and we actually had to pause and rewind a number of times because we were laughing so hard that we missed the next joke. The jokes are literally one after the other. If you haven't seen this one, I highly recommend it.

4. FlashForward - I only managed to watch half of this episode. It is just way too drama filled for me and the acting and writing are terrible. Not to mention I lost interest. I won't be adding this to my fall lineup.

5. The Office - OK you know how much I love this show, but I must say I think this episode was really just a redo of other episodes where Jim takes control (badly) of the office. There wasn't much new here. This makes me so sad because I want this show to be amazing. And as much as I'm dying for a JAM (Jim/Pam) wedding, I am beyond annoyed that there were commercials telling us the wedding will be next week. I have been waiting 6 seasons for a JAM wedding and I wanted it to be a surprise. The element of surprise has always been what made the JAM relationship so exciting for fans and they took that away from us at the most important moment. UGH! And if that wasn't enough, they even showed clips from their wedding!!!!! I don't want to see Pam in her wedding dress before the big day. I want all the anticipation, excitement and surprise of not knowing anything ahead of time. Thanks for ruining that NBC! Can you tell I'm more than a little disappointed in The Office right now? Am I the only one who feels this way? How about you other fans? What did you think about this?

6. The Middle - This week I added another new show - The Middle with Patricia Keaton. It was pretty good. There were some real truths in this show about parenthood and family life, but for some reason it wasn't laugh out loud funny. It seemed just a beat "off". Not sure why. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but something was just not quite right. I will definitely watch again as I could really relate to a lot of it, but unlike Modern Family it just didn't hit all the right notes.

How about you? What did you think about these shows or your favorites this week?

Image from Google Images

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday this week is going to be the Cliff's Notes edition. These are actually just my notes that I hoped to turn into a "real" post. Unfortunately, I've had a difficult week and have had to focus my attention elsewhere. I apologize, but I must admit I'm grateful that I had made these notes previously because it reminds me that even when life gets a little crazy, I still can still find things to be grateful for. I hope to be back with a fully fleshed out Thankful Thursday next week.

1. Madeleine made dinner for me on Friday night when I was completely exhausted . Greek pasta salad and chicken sausage.

2. Saturday drive to Logan Airport in Boston without a GPS(!) and didn't get lost! Drove right there - no problem. Of course, got stuck in traffic on the way home and it took an extra hour to get home!

How about you? What are grateful for?