Currently

HBO.com

Watching: Six Feet Under, my hands-down all-time favorite show.  I've been slowly re-watching the entire series (five seasons) over the past year, and it is still just as moving and overwhelming as the first go around.  Seriously... THE best show ever.  If you haven't watched it, I strongly suggest you do so as soon as humanly possible.  As naive and teenager-y as Claire is for most of the show, I can't get over how many remarkable ideas she comes up with.  I could quote her for ages.  To sum it up, the show is a beautifully written depiction of family dysfunction, birth, death, love, the ups and downs of relationships, the search for beauty and truth, self-actualization and growth, survival and impending finality.

Anticipating: the release of Catching Fire this coming weekend.  I probably won't be able to see it until sometime next week because I have to work Friday and Saturday.  I remember really liking the book, but I think Mockingjay is still my favorite, and I am really excited to see how it translates to film.  Also anticipating Thanksgiving and Christmas, of course.  Casseroles, pies and rolls, oh my!  I would like to get all of my Christmas shopping out of the way early this year.  I did pretty good last year, but I always leave a few things for the last minute, like those impossible-to-buy-for family members.

Eating: lots of rice.  I've never been a huge rice-eater, but lately I've been making a couple of different rice recipes as a starch for meals.  This Mexican rice recipe and this orzo-white rice blend are both really delicious components in any weeknight feast.  Last night I baked some chicken, spinach & feta sausages and served them with carrots, broccoli and the orzo-rice mix.  It was pretty delicious and very filling.  Tonight, I'm probably going to make chicken and dumplings in my Crock Pot!  It's a little chilly outside today, so why not whip up something that is sure to warm our bellies?

Wondering: if it's lame to give homemade Christmas gifts when you're an adult?  I've had the crafting bug as of late, and I have a few ideas that would make good gifts, but I'm not sure if that's something that people still do in their twenties?  I don't want anyone to think I'm being cheap and thoughtless!

Listening to: the new Arcade Fire album, Beck, Michale Graves, Warpaint, Interpol (always), Daughter, the Arctic Monkeys new album, Cults and Chris Isaak.  I'll post a playlist sometime this week with my favorite songs from these artists so you can check them out for yourself.

As always, many thanks to Danielle for providing the inspiration for these Currently posts.

xoxo

Euphoria

Lots of magnificent things have been happening lately.  It's been really wonderful.  Jason and I took that amazing trip to the west coast.  It's finally Fall, my favorite season, even though the temperatures won't actually start to cool off for another few weeks here in Austin.  Who cares if Texas doesn't experience full "seasons" climate-wise?  Fall is a magical time of year for me - whether it's hot or cold.  It's my birthday month, my favorite holiday's month, there's an exciting new scent in the air that makes everything feel new and refreshing for some reason.  It's simply magic.  There's just no explaining it.

The Breaking Bad series finale happened, and it was even better than I was expecting it to be.  New Girl, Parenthood and Homeland are back on.  The Vampire Diaries is about to be back on.  

I successfully threw Jason a surprise party for his 30th birthday this past weekend, and so many people came out to help us celebrate, even in the gross, rainy weather.  It made my heart so happy!  I can't wait to share some pictures from the big event, thanks to Emily and Sarah, who were my fearless photographers for the evening.  

Pretty soon we'll begin our search for a rental house.  I'm a gigantic ball of nerves every time I start to think about moving.  The hassle, the time, the expenses, the deposits, the headaches, the stress... ick.  Here we go again.  At least this time, we will hopefully be moving somewhere with an actual yard for Fozzie and more square footage for our ever-growing collection of stuff we have accumulated as a couple over the past four years...

Oh, and ACL is this weekend! 

Well, it's just about bedtime for me.  I just wanted to check in and share a few things that have made me feel especially grand as of late.

Goodnight

xoxo

Netflix Recommendation: Hit & Miss

Earlier this week, on an average, run-of-the-mill week day, I found myself bored, and consequently itching to get wrapped up in a new TV show because, let's face it, Dawson's Creek runs a little too deep for my liking.  Deep in the cheese factor, that is.  I thought My So-Called Life was rich with teen angst and drama...clearly I hadn't even begun to understand the real meaning of teen angst.  Many thanks to Dawson, Joey, Pacey and Jen, I now have a clear-as-glass understanding of it.  Get over yourselves already, people.  So anyway, I added a bunch of TV shows streaming on Netflix to my Instant queue, and decided to give Hit & Miss a try.  Boy, oh boy, am I ever so glad I did.  This show is an absolute gem.  Now, it is British.  I am typically uninterested in any and all things British, but this is too golden not to love.  Originally shown on British network, Sky Atlantic, the six episodes of the first and only season premiered in the U.S. via DirecTV's Audience Network two months later.  The show's creator, Paul Abbott, is known for his brutally over-the-top trashy tale of a large, uber dysfunctional South Side Chicago family in Shotime's Shameless, starring William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, which has won a number of awards and a respectable amount of critical acclaim.  I would describe Hit & Miss as pretty similar to Shameless, not necessarily plot-wise, but definitely in character personality and development.  

In the first episode, we are introduced to Mia (Chloe Sevigny), a pre-op male to female transsexual who also happens to be a ruthless assassin.  Mia quickly learns that she is a father to an eleven-year-old boy named Ryan with one of her ex-girlfriends, Wendy, who is now dying of cancer and wants Mia to look after Ryan and her three other children - Levi, Riley and Leonie.  Mia drives to Yorkshire from Manchester to meet her son and Wendy's other children, and ends up moving into the rural, poorly maintained farmhouse with them, despite their initial resistance.  She kind of forces them to accept her as a guardian/parental figure in a sweet, endearing way.  Surprisingly, she fits the mold quite well.  She is also completely upfront with the kids about her transsexual lifestyle, which they maturely digest and accept.  The following five episodes explore the challenges Mia and her family face as she juggles endless roles - transsexual woman, mother/father, protector, girlfriend, assassin and counting...

 I watched the show over a span of three days, but I could have easily made it an all-in-one-day obsession.  Hit & Miss is a magical, chilling and beautiful story that will make your heart both pound and stop within a few brief moments.  If the plot doesn't interest you, at least check out the soundtrack, because it is seriously one of the best I've encountered.

Hemlock Grove

I started watching Hemlock Grove, the Netflix original series, a few days ago, and so far I'm really in love with it.  Yeah, it's all over the place.  Yeah, there are a few plot holes.  Yeah, Famke Janssen's fake accent is terrible and inconsistent.  But, PEOPLE, have you SEEN Bill Skarsgard (Roman Godfrey)??  My estrogen levels are up and down with Lance Liboiron (Peter Rumancek).  He's got gorgeous eyes, but he's a little too scruffy for my liking, and I noticed he has long finger nails which is a total turn-off for me.  Also, I've read reviews that say the acting is bad.  I don't know if we're watching the same thing here because I think the acting is pretty splendid.  For me, this show is like True Blood meets The Vampire Diaries.  It's fairly graphic, from what I've seen so far (S01E02!), yet it's got the teenage appeal because the characters are still in high school.  And, SHOCKER, they actually show them in class some of the time, unlike many other shows with high school characters.  I think the primary draw for me is the overall dark, melancholic mood of the show.  I also enjoy the sadistic, narcissistic nature of the characters, and the soundtrack is amazingly spot on.  Whoever the music supervisor is for the show is an absolute genius.

I don't want to give any details in case you're planning to check it out, and I highly recommend that you do.  It's creepy, it's campy, it's dark, it's seductive and I need more of it in my life.

Eight Years in Stars Hollow

Gilmore Girls, the quirky, beautiful story of an unbreakable friendship between a young mother and her daughter, will forever be at the top of my list of favorite TV shows.  Over the years, I collected all of the seasons on DVD which seems to always be a topic of conversation when someone new comes to my place of dwelling and spots the colorful boxes of girlish, not-so-guilty pleasure.

Although I do have favorite episodes and am partial to certain parts of the girls' story (Jess Mariano!), from 2000 to 2007 the show remained consistently entertaining and well-written.  From time to time, I just have to pick an episode or two or three or twenty to watch and remind myself just how in love I am with this show!  I've recently been watching the seventh, and final, season getting my Logan Huntzberger fix, even though I used to hate him... he does sort of grow on you with those devilish good looks and charming remarks.

I think I've mentioned the best website ever, but to refresh your memory - Forever Young Adult is the brainchild of Meredith Borders, the managing editor of the Alamo Drafthouse and Badass Digest.  Meredith is currently writing an ongoing FYA piece titled The GILMORE GIRLS Rewatch Project in which she discusses, dissects and makes a drinking game out of three episodes at a time starting from the very beginning.  She has covered nine episodes so far, and publishes a new post every Wednesday much to my enjoyment!  I highly recommend following along with the Rewatch Project if you're a GG fan like me, or just check out the website because there are some hilariously addictive features on that thing!  I nearly died when I first found out about FYA because I am nothing if not forever a young adult.  I will admittedly NEVER cease reading every Sarah Dessen novel that comes out, even though they all have the exact same plot.  What can I say?  I'm hooked on young adult fiction about insecure teenage girls who only become their true selves when they meet a cute boy.  Not to mention, FYA features weekly analyses of The Vampire Diaries episodes, another of my sorry/not sorry adult-teenager indulgences.  Just be thankful I haven't started rewatching One Tree Hill... yet.  Because I'm pretty darn sure it's on Netflix Instant, guys.

Five Fresh Finds

I hope each of you are having a beautiful Sunday!  As for me, the highs of this weekend were fantastic, but the lows were the absolute worst.  I felt like I was trying to catch up on work literally all day Friday.  No matter how many tasks I juggled at once, or how quickly I attempted to get things done, I just couldn't seem to keep up with everything.  Alas, that's just the business I suppose...especially this time of the year.

So I've come across, in one way or another, some really great films, music, and TV shows, and each of these things (for lack of a better word) have been on my mind non-stop for the past week or so.  Because I've enjoyed them all so much, I thought I'd take some time to share them with you so you can experience them for yourself if you haven't already.

1.  Harmony Korine's outrageously fun and dreamy Spring Breakers.

Now, I know this film has gotten a TON of buzz all over the media, but, in my opinion, it is well deserved.  My favorite parts were all of James Franco's scenes, of course, because his lines and his image absolutely ruled the film, but I also surprisingly enjoyed the girls' performances.  I was a little hesitant about the movie's credibility when I first heard that the main characters of the story were to be played by some ex-Disney starlets, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It's definitely not for everyone and is super weird at times, but I really enjoyed the bizarreness of it all.  I would dive further into my views on the film, but this Hello Giggles article by Lesley Arfin truly expresses my exact thoughts on the film.  I honestly cannot say it better myself.

2.  Afraid of Heights, the new full-length album from So-Cal pop-punk band WAVVES.

This has to be my favorite album right now!  I just can't stop listening to it.  I mean, King of the Beach was a masterpiece, but Afraid of Heights takes it to the next level.  The band has remained true to their raw, catchy sound, but taken their lyrics to a deeper, darker place, and I am absolutely swooning.  My current favorite tracks are "Sail To The Sun", "Demon To Lean On" and "I Can't Dream."

3.  Deerhunter on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the other night.

Did anyone else happen to catch this crazy weird performance?  Having been a fan of Deerhunter for years now, I half expected them to do something odd because that's just the nature of frontman Bradford Cox, but I was pretty stunned.  Bradford was wearing a leopard print blouse and black wig and had two of his fingers bloody and bandaged as they gripped the microphone he was singing into.  Then, toward the end of the set, he threw the microphone down and walked off down the hallway backstage all the way to the elevator, pushed the signal button and leaned against the wall as the band played out the rest of the song.  Well played, Mr.Cox. 

4.  Hannibal.  

Jason and I decided to give this new NBC show a try since we're both fans of cannibalism (kidding), and the cast looked pretty legit.  So far there has only been one episode, and it was actually really really good.  It held my attention the entire time and even challenged my mind a little (which isn't terribly difficult to do, haha).  I think we'll keep watching it if it stays on par with what we've seen so far.

5.  Bates Motel on A&E.

Bates Motel is another new TV show we've adopted to our every-growing list of shows to keep up with, but I'm totally not sorry.  If you know me well, you know I've been an avid Hitchcock fan my whole life, and, while Psycho has never been my favorite, I love that Hollywood is re-imagining the story this way.  Jason doesn't really like that it's set in contemporary times instead of the original time period, but I don't really mind it.  It's definitely a fresh take on the classic story of a twisted mother-son relationship and Norman's downward spiral into insanity.  I'm anxious to see where the story will lead and eventually end.

Currently

Enjoying: this gorgeous Thursday off from work with Jason!  He flies out early tomorrow morning to Breckenridge, Colorado for our friend Corey's bachelor party/weekend getaway/snowboarding trip.  He'll be gone for three days; it's going to be so weird for me because I've never been alone overnight at home since we've lived together.  So crazy!  Today he has to grab a few last minute items for the trip, and I will happily accompany him so we can get out of the apartment together and enjoy this bright, windy day.  Later on this afternoon, I'm going to assist in the bottling process of his second batch of Green Belt Pale Ale and whip up some crockpot pulled pork tacos for dinner!

Working on: saving money!  I would really like to purchase a new MacBook soon.  My current one is slowly dying on me.  It won't even let me view videos because the software I am running is too outdated to update Adobe Flash Player.  I could go out and buy the newer software, but my disc drive has been out of service for a couple of years now and I'm planning on getting a new computer soon anyway.  I'm also trying to sell my iPhone 4 along with four phone cases on eBay so I can upgrade to the iPhone 5.

Listening to: my new favorite band, alt-J.  Thanks to KUTX, I've been hearing a lot of this up-and-coming English quartet, who happen to being playing SXSW this year!  I'm hoping to catch a day party  or two, so maybe I'll stumble upon one of their sets.

Watching: my current guilty pleasure, The Vampire Diaries.  I just cannot get enough of Stefan, Damon, Elena and their crazy dramatic love triangle.  I'm a little over halfway through season three, and I just know I will be super depressed when I've finished it.  The series started off kind of slow, cheesy and uneventful, but now it's actually got a pretty wonderful story-line with highly-developed characters that I've come to love.  I still have my fingers crossed that Ian Somerhalder (Damon) will be cast as Christian Grey ;)  Oh, and last night I watched the 1985 movie Mask and bawled my eyes out until my face was all kinds of red and puffy.  I had seen it before a loonnngg time ago with my dad, and I had remembered it being pretty heavy, but dear lord, I was a mess!  And oddly enough, I rediscovered my love for Eric Stoltz and researched him online for a while after the movie was over.  I didn't realize that he has dated some of the '80s all-time hottest actresses including Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bridget Fonda.  Wowie wow wow!  Smokin' HOT couples alert.

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy my day!  And you should go have a great one yourself :)

Quiet Mornings & New Music

Good morning!  I just know it's going to be a fabulous day.  Jason left for work about an hour ago, and I took Fozzie out to the dog park for a bit, really just as an excuse to go outside and soak up this 66 degree weather.  Unbelievable!  I feel like it's usually still swelteringly hot at this time of year, but oh well, I'm not gonna fight it.  Yesterday morning I made a delicious egg white omelet with corn, onion and jalapeno jack cheese.  I seriously impressed myself; I'm not too experienced in the making of omelets.  And being the carb-lover that I am, I had to pair it with a piece of cinnamon-sugar toast.  Mm mm good.  Oh, and there may or may not have been a Prosecco mimosa involved.  After breakfast, I started watching Gossip Girl season five, and I am loving it!  I'm sure many will disagree with me on this, but I think the show has gradually gotten better over the seasons.  I love it now that the Upper East Siders are all in college and (a little) more mature.  When I think back to their high school days, it's kind of upsetting to me how annoying Blair was with her dictator approach to friendship and excessive headbands and/or bows.  She's calmed down a ton; I actually like her now.  The rest of my day was pretty boring.  I just did a little Target perusing and hit up Sonic for a vanilla root beer.  When J got home we made tacos and cheese dip and watched the show Parenthood for the first time.  If you haven't watched the show and have access to Netflix Instant, I highly recommend it.  Any Nate Fisher or Lorelai Gilmore fans out there?  If so, you'll enjoy it for sure.  It reminds me so much of the movie The Family Stone.  They're both about large families, the kids are grown with families and problems of their own and they're all so close-knit and spend lots of time together at their parents' house.  Oh, and Craig T. Nelson is the patriarch in both.  Anyway, Parenthood is really wonderful, and like The Family Stone, it makes me want to have a large family someday and makes me hope that my brother, sister and I are close like that when we're older and have families of our own.

Today, I just decided to go with a simple bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a plum for breakfast.  I've been eating a lot of plums lately.  I forgot how perfect they are - sweet and tart all at once.  My plans today include getting off of the couch, going to the San Marcos outlets for a few things, lunch at my favorite sushi spot, maybe the mall for some makeup and baking cupcakes.  We'll see how much of that actually gets done.

Today is a good day for new music!  New albums from Sea Wolf and The Avett Brothers are out today, and you can stream the latest from The Killers on iTunes.  Their album Battle Born is due out Sept.18 alongside Grizzly Bear's Shields.  I'm especially in love with the track "Blue Stockings" off of the new Sea Wolf album, Old World Romance.  September always seems to be a good time of year for new tunes.  Delight in it, my friends.

xoxo

Gossip Girl: Chuck and Blair

Ok, it's guilty pleasure time, guys.  You should really feel thankful that I don't bombard you with my Gossip Girl obsession more often so I think you can handle what I'm about to throw your way.  I've been watching the teen drama for the past 5-6 months or so via Netflix Instant starting with S01 E01, and I just finished the last episode available, S04 E22.  I am dying!  Season four ended with so many crazy cliffhangers I'm about to lose my mind.  Therefore I just had to jerk up my MacBook and youtube clips from season five immediately.  I won't give too much away, but I have to share with you my passion for Chuck and Blair's chaotic frenzy of a relationship.  Chuck has mommy and daddy issues GALORE, and Blair is an anal retentive head case.  Match made in heaven, my friends.  Yes, of course I love Serena and Dan, and they BETTER end up together at the show's conclusion or else.  However, in lieu of what I just witnessed on my television screen I'm a little more fixated on C+B for the time being.  I am going to share with you a few of my favorite C+B scenes throughout the show thus far.  C'mon!  Suffer with me, people.

Currently.

Anticipating:  This amazing dinner Jason is making; the apartment is filled with the savory smells of creole spices, shrimp and citrus!  My mouth is watering like crazy, and my belly is growling up a storm.  He's trying out one of the recipes in the Emeril's cookbook his dad gave me this past Christmas.  I'm sure it will be absolutely delicious; Emeril's legit, guys.

Drinking:  A new favorite...Fox Barrel Blackberry Pear Hard Cider.  Cider has always been at the top of my beverage preferences, but it seems like I'm consistently opting for cider over beer these days.  This one is particularly quite tasty.  The blackberry flavor is a perfect counterpart to the pear, making this the perfect, fruity summer treat.

Reading:  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.  I know I'm so behind on The Hunger Games frenzy, but I was holding out for a copy of the second book to become available at our local library.  Three weeks into the hold I had placed on the book, it became clear I was going to have to grow, bottle and drink some miracle patience elixir before I would get my hands on it.  So, I gave in and purchased it at Target.  I am about halfway through and loving every second of it!  So far I like this one better than the first.  It's also neat getting to read the book and be introduced to the characters as they're selecting the cast for the CATCHING FIRE film due out next year.  One of my favorite actresses, Jena Malone has been chosen to play Johanna Mason, so I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Watching:  THE SHINING.  Oh, you know, I was just lounging on the couch after a day of work, as usual, flipping through the TV channels moaning and groaning because nothing interesting was on.  I was mildly intrigued by the "Caught On Tape: Teens Gone Wild" special on MSNBC, but that lasted all of about 35 minutes.  Sure enough, I came across one of the first movies to ever truly terrify me and give me psychotic nightmares.. on Spike of all channels.  Redrum.  REDRUM.  REDRUM.

Counting Down To:  My long-awaited trip to Portland, OR with my best friend, Jessica.  In approximately four days and eleven and a half hours, I will be boarding the plane.  This will be my first flight all by myself.  Not going to lie - I'm a little nervous.  I told Jason I normally don't pay much attention in airports when we travel together, I just follow his lead; my thoughts are much too preoccupied with the excitement of our destination.  We'll see how I do on my own.  I have faith in myself.  I think I can, I think I can.  Haha.

Listening To:  Dark, resonant tunes like this one by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club --

The Day After Independence Day

Greetings, everyone.  I thought I would take a short amount of time to illustrate what I've been up to the past couple of days.  MAGIC MIKE was such a fun movie!  Apparently everyone else was just as excited to see it as I was because the theater was already jam-packed thirty minutes before the showing, and Jason and I weren't able to sit by each other.  That was a bummer, but the entertainment made up for the crummy seating arrangement.  There isn't a whole lot that's better than watching a group of super foxy men bust a move and take their clothes off.  Ahem...the story was pretty good too.

Yesterday on the way home from work I bought True Blood season four on Blu Ray, so that's what I've been doing today.  It's amazing seeing all the little details I missed the first time I watched it.  Season five makes more sense now, haha.  

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Let's Talk Television: Drama

Because I am so into TV these days, I wanted to dedicate an entire post to my favorite shows.  Prior to some serious list-making, I decided to group the shows based on three main genres - Dramas, Comedies and Dramedies (drama-comedies, duh).  In addition to these genres, I am also going to discuss a couple of my favorite miniseries'.  So without further ado, let us begin.

1.  SIX FEET UNDER

Why I love it.

Well, it's my all-time, hands-down favorite show so I don't feel like I should have to explain myself anymore than that, but I suppose I'll indulge you.  The show is centered around the Fishers, a quirky family that runs (and lives in) a funeral home.  It is very dark, heavy and emotional at times, but occasionally you'll catch yourself laughing hysterically.  The main reason why this is my favorite show is because every single episode is flawless.  Some shows will have an episode here or there where not a whole lot actually happens and you get bored and are tempted to get on Twitter or check your email, but NEVER during Six Feet Under.  It is so so so incredibly entertaining and rich with drama, you will never want to stop watching.  I was devastated when I had finally watched the entire series; I wanted more!

Get excited.

The ever-so-sexy Justin Theroux makes an appearance in a few episodes!

Beware.

A "younger" Dexter is the middle brother of the Fisher family and he is in a romantic relationship with a buff, black cop that sort of resembles Sgt. Dokes in Dexter.  Kinda funny, but off-putting at the same time.

Best Character.

Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose).  Not only is she drop-dead gorgeous, but she's such a fun, creative character.  She wears her heart on her sleeve which causes a few problems for her, but it's fun to see her figure things out and make her way out of adolescence.

Worst Character.

Brenda Chenowith (Rachel Griffiths).  This woman just always rubs me the wrong way!  She always acts like her life is so complicated, and she and Nate are never on the same page which is annoying.  She also kind of reminds me of an ostrich for some reason.  I sort of feel sorry for her toward the end of the series, but not enough to not hate her.

2.  BREAKING BAD

Why I love it.

It taught me how to make meth.  Duh. (Only kidding)

Let's see...there's a lot of blood, crazy drug lords and crackheads, but it's mainly great because of the acting.  Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are actor gods basically.  You can almost feel their anger and their pain during all of the wild circumstances and predicaments they are thrown into.  

Get excited.

You will see half of a man's face blown off.  It's pretty awesome.

Beware.

There is a crackhead prostitute named Wendy.  She is gross.  Oh, and if you don't like purple, brace yourself for any and all scenes that Marie is a part of.

Best Character.

Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).  That guy takes a million beatings and is quite good at looking "throwed."

Worst Character.

Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk).

He can be funny, but mostly he's just annoying and kind of grosses me out.

3.  BOARDWALK EMPIRE

Why I love it.

Jason and I recently watched the first two seasons of this show, and I immediately fell in love.  I just ooh and aah at everything - the time period, the music, the fashion, the hairstyles, the gangsters, etc.  It's just such a wonderfully intense, dramatic show.  Most of the characters are even based off of actual historical figures present during Prohibition.  Who doesn't love a good "based on true events" story, eh?

Get excited.

Michael Pitt is shirtless quite a few times.

Beware.

Steve Buscemi is shirtless quite a few times.

Best Character.

Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt).  Young, restless soldier returning home after fighting in WWI trying to find his abandoned place back in Atlantic City.  He's pretty much a walking corpse without fear, and a handsome boy to boot!

Worst Character.

Jimmy's deranged, psycho mother Gillian Darmody (Gretchen Mol).  She is just awful and controlling and sickening.  She lusts after her own son and makes everything miserable for him.  Manchurian Candidate, much?

4.  MAD MEN

Why I love it.

Mad Men isn't just a show about advertising in the '60s.  It's largely about the role and attitude of women during the era, and as the show progresses, it has a lot to do with the rise of feminism and the partial liberation of women.  I say partial because, of course, in many ways we still have a ways to go here in 2012.  Aside from the serious stuff, it's got super sexy actors, old school charm, superior dialog and a wardrobe to envy.

Get excited.

If you're a '60s fan like myself, you'll drool over the nods to prominent historical and social events such as the JFK assassination, the British invasion, the introduction of LSD and the Civil Rights Movement.

Beware.

Sometimes, especially in the first couple of seasons, the chauvinism can sting a little, but hang in there, the tables do start to turn.

Best Character.

Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss).  I just love her transformation from the start of the show to where she is now in season five.  She is for sure a character to be admired.

Worst Character.

For the most part, I like all of the characters, but I'm not the biggest fan of Lane Pryce (Jared Harris).  It's mostly the accent.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not too keen on foreign accents.  

5.  TRUE BLOOD

Why I love it.

Now I know many former True Blood fans have given up on this show, but I still adore it.  Granted, it has gotten super crazy, but that's partly why I love it.  It's obviously not supposed to be real in any way, shape or form; that was a fact from the start, but how can you not love all the new creatures they bring in each season??  Let's see if I can name them all - vampires, werewolves, werepanthers, shape-shifters, mutant evil shape-shifters, fairies, witches, demons, voodoo spirits...and I think I got everybody in there.  So outlandish, so steamy, so violent, so fabulous!

Get excited.

Joe Manganiello is the cream of the crop as far as werewolves are concerned. Hot, hot, hot.

Beware.

This show is not for the squeamish.  There is an excessive amount of blood-sucking.

Best Character.

Do I really need to say it again? I think so.  Alcide Herveaux (Joe Manganiello!)

Worst Character.

Well, as much as I hate to say it, I'm really sick and tired of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin).  She is a severe waffler if I ever saw one, and her voice just isn't cute anymore.

6.  DEXTER

Why I love it.

The story line is just so very original.  How clever to come up with a protagonist that's a nerdy blood spatter analyst who leads a double life as a sociopathic serial killer but knows how to channel it to benefit mankind.  Yeah, it gets a little out of hand from time to time, but with all of the idiot chumps running rampant in our society, can you really blame him?  Michael C. Hall is an absolute doll as Dexter...a doll that's out for blood, that is.

Get Excited.

Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 are super entertaining and television gold in my opinion.

Beware.

Season 5 is a different story.  Not sure what happened here, but the plot was boring and whoever decided it was okay to cast Julia Stiles was on some serious crack.  NAP ALERT.  Season 5 is the reason Dexter is so far down my list of best dramas, basically.

Best Character.

Aside from Dexter, his wife, Rita (Julie Benz) is my fave.  Yeah, she goes a bit insane and judgey in season four, but it's okay.  She deserves to be like that. Period.

Worst Character.

Well, Lumen Pierce (Julia Stiles), but I'm also not too fond of Lt. Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Velez).  She's a pill that I refuse to swallow.

7.  THE KILLING

Why I love it.

It's about a female detective not afraid to get her hands dirty, go a little schizo (literally) and break some laws to find justice for a murdered teenage girl's grieving family.  GIRL POWER!  Mirelle Enos is amazing as Sarah Linden.  She may be little, but she is fierce.

Get excited.

As a viewer, you kind of get to be a detective yourself because you only know as much as Linden and Holder, so you're ingesting each piece of evidence and trying to piece together the puzzle as well.  I guess it's not that much different than other cop shows on TV, but still, it's a little exciting, right?

Beware.

There are a few episodes here and there where not a whole lot happens, so it can move a little slow at times.

Best Character.

I'm partial to Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman).  He's an interesting, ever-evolving character.  Just when you think you've got him figured out, something new is revealed and he's nothing like you thought.

Worst Character.

Pretty much everyone in the political side plot.  That stuff just bores me for whatever reason.

8.  LOST

Why I love it.

As crazy and bewildering as it was, there is no denying this show had some of the best writing ever at times.  What a cool scenario...plane crashes out on some deserted island and a ton of people actually "survive" and have to figure out what next.  I love how season one takes a special look at each character individually to illustrate how they ended up on Oceanic Flight 815.

Get excited.

This show is a roller coaster.

Beware.

This show is a roller coaster.  Many things will happen that leave you with puzzling facial expressions and endless questions floating around in your brain.  You think you will get answers in the next few episodes, but it doesn't happen.  The show is called "Lost" for a reason, people.

Best Character.

James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway).  I found Sawyer's story to be the most interesting, and I found Sawyer to be the most attractive.

Worst Character.

Not a fan of Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson).  He is a mousy little weasel, and I just don't like him.

9.  MY SO-CALLED LIFE

Why I love it.

It's teen angst at its most brilliant.  Plus, I am obsessed with Claire Danes!  She's been one of my favorite actresses for a long, long time.  Who better to represent all the tears, diary entires, bad friendships, psychotic thoughts and school girl crushes of high school hell than her?  No one.

Get excited.

It's the Nineties.  This means nineties music, nineties plaid, nineties hair and so much more!!  Just relish in the possibilities.  Oh, and Jared Leto is in it pre-30 Seconds To Mars, so yeahhh.  Dreamboat. 

Beware.

It can get pretty dramatic from time to time.  I remember the Christmas episode in particular being especially weird, but hey, it's a drama and it's TV, so what didya expect?  Gotta keep those ratings up so it won't get cancelled...

Best Character.

I've got to go with Angela Chase (Claire Danes).  Her teenage mood swings are just too good to deny her of this.

Worst Character.

Rayanne Graff (A.J. Langer).  Rayanne is Angela's new BFF that her mother does not approve of, and I have to say, I'm with Mom on this one...that girl is rude and just plain annoying.  I don't care how many times the show tries to make me feel sorry for her; it's just not going to happen.

10.  GOSSIP GIRL

Why I love it.

This is a recent favorite, and I have to admit, I'm only at the beginning of season three, so my opinion is strictly limited to what I've watched so far.  With that said, I'm surprised I actually enjoy this show.  It's not something I would normally be into, but it caught me off guard and I'm quite pleased.  I get such a thrill from watching a bunch of rich kids screw up their lives and then sit back and relax while it all magically falls back into place.  Oh, you little Upper East-Siders.

Get excited.

Lizzy McGuire is currently on the show (at least the part I'm on) and it's pretty fun watching her try to be deviant.  

Beware.

Gossip Girl makes you think it's okay to drink underage and go out on school nights without parental supervision.  Look out.  It gets WILD.

Best Character.

It varies depending on how their attitudes change throughout the show, but currently, Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) is my favorite brat.  I hated him at first, but he has definitely grown on me.  There's just something about that low-whisper and charming eyebrow raise.

Worst Character.

Well I don't like Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg) because she's pure evil and every time I look at her I see Harriet the Spy.  And I don't like Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) because I don't like Blake Lively.  She sounds like a 40-year-old.  

This concludes Part One: Dramas of my "Let's Talk Television" post series.  This one took me forever because I had a little mishap and accidentally deleted it when it was almost complete the first time, but I'm counting on that not happening again so hopefully i'll be back with Dramedies real soon.  You know you love me.  xoxo.  (hehe, I had to).

MUSIC MONDAY & Another Update

As a HUGE Bee Gee's fan, (I swear I'm not just saying that because one of the members just died like everyone else tends to do.  I seriously have been a fan for going on 24 years now thanks to my Dad) I would like to dedicate this installment of my Music Monday to the ever-talented, beautiful soul of Robin Gibb.  This one's for you, buddy.

Aside from mourning the loss of Robin Gibb, I've been keeping pretty busy with work and naps mostly with a little bit of physical fitness (how 80s does that sound?) mixed in.  Jillian Michaels has been kicking my booty with her 'Ripped In 30' DVD.  Say what you will, but she is the peanut butter to my jelly.  I have been so sore for the past week because of these interval workouts.  The DVD also comes with a free download of her meal plan.  I've been looking through the recipes, and I'm really excited to try some of them.  Speaking of meals, Jason and I did good this week.  He made some ridiculously delish turkey and chorizo tacos with fresh avocado, cilantro and sour cream one night last week.  Friday evening we hosted dinner/movie night with our friend Amanda and I made homemade tilapia fish sticks with asparagus sauteed in a balsamic-honey mixture with garlic and pecans.  Amanda brought some almond croissants from central market for dessert that were so so scrumptious.  Needless to say, we ate good that night.  Last night I made Asian turkey lettuce wraps with zucchini chips - also wonderful, and tonight Jason made spinach-stuffed chicken with cilantro-lime rice.  It's been a week full of delightful eats and treats that's for sure!  Now, I'm about to catch up on this week's episode of Girls.  Which reminds me - I'm planning a blog entry about my all-time favorite TV shows and characters and recent favorites.  Basically, it will be all things TV as it pertains to the land of Kassie.  Trust me, you'll enjoy it.

Bye for now, lovers.

xoxo

Music Monday & Weekend Recap

I don't even remember when I heard this man's music for the first time, but I am so glad I did.  All of his songs tell a beautiful story- most about love, which is fine with me, but he can also be very political and controversial with his words.  I love when you know an artist is music making for the right reasons.  It's obvious Mason Jennings truly adores his career and uses his talent to respectfully inform and relay a message.  

Merry Monday!  The weekend sure flew right on by.  So, we saw Wanderlust Friday night, and it was HILARIOUS.  From Justin Theroux's ridiculousness to naked old people running in slow motion, I was cracking up the whole time!  Saturday night I drove out to San Antonio to meet one of my best friends, Sammy, along with parents and her 15-month old daughter, Lilly.  I'm kicking myself for not taking any pictures that night!  I even mentioned to Sammy that we needed to get a picture together, but it just never happened.  It was so nice catching up with her; it had been over a year since i'd last seen her.  I've known Sammy for about 11 years now.  We met in orchestra in the sixth grade back when we both played the violin, she wore pigtails everyday and I was certain I'd marry Joel Madden.

Last night I watched the Academy Awards, of course.  I rarely even care who wins which awards; I mostly just like to ooh and aah at the celebs all decked out in their fancy garbs.  Jessica Chastain, Michelle Williams and Octavia Spencer were my picks for best-dressed.  Contrary to everyone else's opinion, I did not care for Gwyneth Paltrow's cape, and I wasn't fond of Rooney Mara's barely-there white gown.  She is too much skin and bones for a dress like that.

Today I got home from work in a cleaning mood, which hardly ever happens so I had to take advantage of the desire.  After cleaning like a mad woman for a couple of hours, I started making dinner.  I tried out the baked apples with savory stuffing recipe I found on Shutterbean, and it was delicious!  I highly recommend it.

I'm working tomorrow and Wednesday and then I'm free for a couple of days.  I'm thinking of venturing out to find a new duvet cover and some decorative pillows, finally.  Cheers to your upcoming week!  May you laugh and play and love and listen to some great music!

xoxo