She Likes Purple

Becoming a Vegetarian

Over the last few years, I've gone long stretches of time without eating meat. Always temporarily and mostly just to see if I could. During those periods, I missed burgers, a well-cooked steak, seafood and a few other things, but my favorite meat dishes ultimately made for a very short list. I made some delicious meat-free dishes during that time instead. I found the most delicious veggie burger in walking distance from my house (at Twisted Root; I'll absolutely take you if you want to try it out). I bought and loved a few cookbooks that are filled with rich and filling vegetarian dishes. Then, each time I'd re-introduce meat into my diet, I had this nagging feeling I shouldn't.

I don't feel like an expert on very much (shoes and Sons of Anarchy notwithstanding), but I do feel like an expert on my own gut instinct.

During this last stretch of meatless eating, I took a work trip to Ithaca to sit down with the author of The China Study to discuss the marketing plan for his next book. Both books are on the health ramifications of eating animal protein and, on the flip side, the health benefits of a plant-based diet. Having a meal with him was such a highlight of my year and career, and I felt lucky to listen to his nearly unending knowledge on the subject.

I also watched Forks Over Knives, Food Inc., read books and other materials. I certainly felt armed with plenty of useful information by the time I made my own decision but, ultimately, all that information seemed to pale in comparison to what my gut was telling me, and what it had been telling me for a while.

I'm not here to convince you that your gut is saying what mine is, oh man quite the contrary. Not even Mike, someone I share a kitchen with. (Kyle is basically a vegetarian by choice or whatever you'd call a child who only eats bagels.) I'm just not interested in making anyone's decisions for them (on this or anything) because all that coercing takes time away from watching TV. I'll choose TV over forcing my decisions on you nearly every time, you should know. Kristie, a vegetarian herself, said something so smart once: Being a vegetarian is, for many, about compassion for animals and that should include compassion for your friends and family, allowing them to make their own choices whether those choices include a veggie burger or a beef one.

The transition itself has been surprisingly simple for me. I've gone this long before (two months, now) but I can't imagine it gets harder past the first two months. We'll see, I guess. I find something to eat nearly everywhere I go. I eat plenty in my own house. Pleeeeenty. I never run out of recipes to try, and even in the heart of Texas, no one has attempted a citizen's arrest when I turn down barbecue. It's true, you can easily be an unhealthy vegetarian (you can easily be an unhealthy anything) so my next set of goals include eating smarter, better, and wholer. Making this choice wasn't a quick fix on a lifetime of food issues, not at alllll, but it simplifies some stuff for me, and I hope I can just continue to build on that.

Who knows, I may enjoy a burger on a future vacation and if I ever sit down at Le Bernardin (a restaurant on my life list), I'll probably eat whatever Eric Ripert serves me, even if it's a shoe, but this feels like the right decision for me, for now, hopefully for good. Not that I can ever really know what's up ahead -- minds and hearts and lives and diets change all the time, even my own -- but for anyone who's asked, this has been a pretty simple change and has felt right. (Next up is giving up Diet Coke and I predict that will be a million times tougher.)

I went to a wedding recently and as they passed out appetizers, I asked a waitress if there was any meat in one. She kind of gave me a funny look and said she didn't know. She asked why. "I'm a vegetarian." It was the first time I said it out loud, and it felt a little fraudy. I certainly never said it in the past, when I was just giving up meat here or there. But I guess that's what I am, and maybe it'll feel more legit with some time under my belt.

Still, when I said this to her, that voice inside seemed to exhale. It seemed proud.

If you have any other questions, please please please ask. I'd love to answer them.

TV Tuesday: Sports Night

When I first started watching The Good Wife, I mentioned on Twitter that I never thought Josh Charles was especially attractive until he became Will Gardner. Someone (Nic, I think) encouraged me to watch Sports Night, and I made a mental note to do just that. See, I've decided to actually begin taking TV recommendations from smart people instead of complaining I'm all out of good stuff to watch while ignoring everyone around me. Sports Night also happens to be on Netflix, which is so much nicer than having to pay to watch a show. I bet you're going to bring up that I pay for Netflix. I wish you would stop making so much sense, it's kind of annoying.

Anyway, it also happens to be a half-hour comedy, so each episode is something like 21 minutes and I can fly through three episodes in an hour while folding laundry or writing thank-you notes. Notice I said I can fold laundry, not that I do.

Sports Night is an Aaron Sorkin show, so it's all about the quick dialogue and whip-smart-but-goofy-and-flawed characters. It's a lot of fun, even when it's a little over-the-top with its earnestness at times. You enjoy getting a glimpse of this unique work environment -- colleagues as family is another thing Aaron Sorkin does well, right? -- and the comedy/stories also stand the test of time since the show was filmed in the late 90s. Check out the computers! It's like a different world.

Josh Charles is one of the main sports anchors (alongside Peter Krause, who I like, but who will always be Adam Braverman to me), and he's just totally adorable in the role. (Check out this scene; it's one of my favorites.) It's funny to me, how I went from watching him in The Good Wife just a few weeks ago -- a show that almost always errs on the side of less-is-more dialogue -- to watching him basically be non-stop charming and chatty in Sports Night. Totally different characters, love them both.

You'll also recognize a whole slew of supporting characters from other Sorkin shows and other shows in general, and it's kind of fun seeing them all fresh and baby-faced nearly 15 years ago.

So, if you're in the market for a new show, especially one that's easy to watch and enjoyable, too, I highly recommend. Especially since I'll likely write about Southland next, which is the exact opposite of easy to watch, my goodness what a pilot that was.

What are you watching this week?

(Oh, this Sorkinisms video is pretty fantastic if you've got a few extra minutes to devote to Aaron Sorkin today.)

Perfect

I do this thing (maybe you do it too) where at the end of most days as I drift off to sleep, I survey all the things I didn't get done on that day's to-do list. Every day, there's something left un-crossed-off and those are the things I focus on at the end of most days.

I didn't do the laundry (again). I didn't buy more checks (for another week in a row). I didn't email that potential Style Lush sponsor. SHIT, THE WATER BILL. (Small Texas city, can you please embrace auto-draft bills already?) I also didn't paint those mason jars even though I bought those mason jars IN 2011 OMG JENNIE JUST PAINT THOSE MASON JARS ALREADY.

It's probably that I have too long a to-do list but it's also probably that there aren't enough hours in the day and then there's also the DVR I like to spend time with. Still, all the good reasons (and good TV) in all the world don't stop me from focusing on the un-crossed-off things on my list at the end of each day.

I am a perfectionist who will never be (close to) perfect, and no matter how easy it is to type that, it's impossible to swallow. It's easy to focus on what I don't get done on any given day, and it's just as easy to lose sight of everything else.

This past weekend, we drove a few hours south to spend time with our new niece. She was a week old, that delicious tiny baby, and I could have snuggled her for days on end. In fact, we did little else this weekend than lounge on the couch, watch Kyle play with his new train track on the hardwood floor and snuggle this new person who will one day be playing with her own toys on the hardwood floor but for the weekend just slept in our arms.

Kyle loved her -- "look at baby Ava!" -- and I loved her and Mike loved her and it's really beautiful to see a family grow and I don't mean that in the technical way, but it's just really beautiful to see hearts expand to welcome more people into the world.

Most days I kick myself over all I didn't get done (THE LAUNDRY, THE WATER BILL, MY GOD, THOSE MASON JARS) and then some days I lounge on a couch all weekend, snuggling a new baby I get to spoil rotten without every worrying about the ramifications of that spoiling while watching my sweet boy play on the floor and I think...I didn't accomplish a single thing this entire day and yet this day is one of the days I'll conjure up first when I begin conjuring up perfect days.

I'm not perfect, not even close, not even close on a good day.

But sometimes life is.

Movie Review: Brave

I was lucky enough to be invited to an early screening of Brave last night (this time it was actually a screening and not some star-studded, business-casual-means-wear-a-ball-gown premiere) and I was a little bummed that the time and place of the screening would make it impossible for me to bring Kyle. We've only taken him to one in-theater movie before, and he did pretty well. I thought it'd be fun to take him to another. Well, small miracles that I ended up inviting Natalie instead.

We saw the 3-D version, which I didn't realize before showing up. I was a little disappointed since 3-D isn't really my thing, but this was the first 3-D movie I think I enjoyed more than I would have otherwise. It was visually spectacular and the VisitScotland marketing campaign is pretty genius because that's exactly what I took from the movie: I need to get to Scotland ASAP.  

The story itself -- outside of the breathtaking LOOK of it -- was a little disappointing. The plot wasn't at all what I was expecting. I thought it would be a coming-of-age adventure where this young girl is tested either by her circumstances or ambitions or something along those lines. It started that way, and I thought I knew where it was going until BAM, sharp (and strange) turn in an entirely different direction. I just couldn't really invest IN the story in a big-picture way, and it disappointed me that such a beautiful film wasn't matched by a beautiful story.

I feel I should also say, as the parent of a three year old, I wouldn't take Kyle to see it. He hasn't seen ads for it -- I don't think we watch much live television, only reason -- so he's not asking to go (makes my decision easy) but I also know that big, loud noises and kind of scary animals/somewhat violent scenes frighten him a little bit. The sharks in Finding Nemo just stopped freaking him out a few months ago. So, knowing MY KID, I wouldn't take him, but it's probably fine if your kid varies wildly. As a blanket statement, I'd say that it felt better suited for ages 5-6 than younger pre-schoolers.

Interested to hear what you thought (if you've also seen it early) or think (when you do see it).

***

(A big thanks to VisitScotland for the invite, by the way. It's refreshing when someone takes the time to personalize a pitch note and not make the interaction all about them or their client. The publicist didn't ask for anything, not a review or tweet or "remember this hashtag!" Nothing other than my guest's name. It was really nice, and I do appreciate the invite a lot.)

Our Puerto Rico Vacation, Part Three: Old San Juan + The Logistics (& Cost) of the Trip

(Since it's been a few weeks, catch up: our first leg on the mainland and second leg on Vieques.)

The last stop of our Puerto Rico vacation was a night in Old San Juan.

We opted for the incredible, can't-recommend-enough Hotel El Convento, and it was so charming. The staff was also over-the-top awesome. Seriously, I'd like to live in this hotel in my next life. We were exhausted and famished upon arrival, so we didn't do nearly as much exploring as I would have liked, but reason to go back? Reason to encourage you to stay there when you visit Puerto Rico, so I can stalk your vacation photos? Yes to both!

We ate at the pizza place adjacent to the hotel and we literally chose it because we were (as I mentioned) so hungry and so tired and the thought of pulling out the guide book or Googling made me want to lay down in the middle of the adorable cobblestoned road. We just basically pointed at the closest place to eat and asked for a table. (Here's a link.)

It was delicious! I love when you randomly pick a gem without any planning whatsoever. (They had Peroni, a favorite beer of ours!)

After that, Mike needed a nap, so I took my Kindle to the rooftop pool. I spent a few hours reading, lounging, playing on my phone, and it was so nice.

Then, Mike got up and we went to the complimentary wine-and-cheese cocktail hour the hotel throws EVERY SINGLE NIGHT and enjoyed glasses of bubbly (and beer for Mike) and a helluva lot of cheese. It was nearly worth the stay by itself. Also, it was just for an hour and people were literally piling plates full of cheese and pouring MULTIPLE, LIKE TEN, glasses of wine, so I think it's a fairly liberal complimentary wine-and-cheese cocktail hour and you should feel free to go with an empty stomach. At one point, I said to Mike, "Maybe I should get a second glass, think that's okay?" And he said, "Well that person just took the bottle to her table, so go for it."

After the free booze, we just walked and snapped photos and I picked up a pair of earrings at a local shop. We then stopped in for ice cream at Ben & Jerry's on our way back to the hotel, which is really un-touristy, I know, but it was delicious. I make no apologies about ice cream, ever.

We read and watched tv the rest of the night, and slept something like 11 hours in anticipation of our full day of travel. It was a lovely, relaxing, slow-paced last night in Puerto Rico.

***

Some general wrap-up-type suggestions and thoughts:

- First, we probably would have planned our trip differently if we had the magic of hindsight. We would have split it up with 2-3 days in Old San Juan and 3-4 days on Vieques. Any other part of the island worth seeing (the Central Mountains, the rainforest, etc.) can be accessed via a rental car or tour company for a day trip and staying on another part of the island didn't feel special or worthwhile by itself. Our resort from the first part of our trip, while amazing (I really couldn't have been happier with it), could have been any resort in any beachy area.

(Disclaimer: we didn't get to the southern or eastern parts of the island, though, so those might be worth going off the beaten path.)

- We rented a car and that worked for our specific trip but the driving/roads are far more stressful than we could have imagined. If you plan to stay in Old San Juan/just take day trips for excursions, cabs or tour companies can handle your transporation.

- From what I can tell about the Carribbean (as a general group of islands) while you don't necessarily feel unsafe, there are certainly areas you should avoid, and Puerto Rico is no exception. Know those areas before you go. (La Perla is an area I heard to avoid, but we never got anywhere near it, as far as I could tell, so I can't speak from experience.)

Annnnnnnd, the fun dollars-and-cents section:

We paid for the flights and hotels almost completely with rewards points and airline miles, and here's how:

Flights:

I stalked the aa.com website like a mad woman, which is where we had saved about 125K miles to use for the trip. (Side notes: 1) I opened a Citibank credit card in the fall for a 40,000-mile rewards incentive. In hindsight, this isn't the best travel rewards credit card, but it worked nicely in that we got a lot of miles in a short period of time. 2) We also signed up for a new energy company through AA and got 12.5K bonus miles from that. This energy company was cheaper than our previous one, and I did the entire transfer online, so that felt like no sacrifice at all.)

When we talked about taking this trip, we considered dozens of possibilities. We settled on a time of year (April - June) and then I punched in destination after destination to see if I could find good flight times + low mileage requirements. (Side note: Mike likes to travel, Mike does not like to travel plan. Thankfully, I do!) I also tried to do a very loose hotel cost check to see if we could afford to stay somewhere for a week once we actually got there -- which is how I took Turks & Caicos off the table. Reasonable to get to, hotels were really pricey. At first, Puerto Rico seemed completely off the table as well because from what I could find, it would take about 60K redeemed miles/person to get there and that would eat up ALL our miles. I didn't want that. (As a point of reference, searching now for a week trip to Puerto Rico shows basically the same thing I was finding: 60-70K miles/person.)

One day, I punched in our dates and decided to give San Juan another shot. Well, turns out the exact dates (Saturday - Saturday) were the same old thing (SO MANY MILES) but just a few days difference (Thursday - Thursday) offered a direct flight from DFW to SJU for about 35K/person or 70K total.

I snatched that deal right up.

Hotels:

I booked our first hotel using AA miles, as well. Before I did any deal scouting, I narrowed our hotel choice down to 3-5 places through TripAdvisor for rankings/reviews and Oyster.com for pictures. Hotels that 1) got a generally nice customer review rating, 2) seemed like a generally good price, if we were to pay out of pocket ($140-175/night seemed to be the average), and 3) that looked nice.

Once I had a few picked out, I checked the going rate on AA.com. The miles needed seemed high but you got an automatic 25-33% discount when you signed in with your account. The three nights we stayed at Gran Melia were popping up as worth ~60K miles for the whole time. When I signed in, the miles required dropped to 41.9K.

We had those miles left over from saving miles on the tickets, so I booked that room for no cost.

(It's hard to tell what the dollar value for an AA mile really is, so I can't say that we got such a fantastic bargain booking our hotel this way, but it felt like it, and that's sometimes enough, right?)

We had about 60,000 AmEx points saved, as well. (An AmEx Gold Rewards card is our usual go-to card of choice. It's what we use for nearly all our expenses (except our mortgage, day care, and the few months we were using our Citi card). I really like our AmEx card because you have to pay the balance in full each month, so you can't get into too much trouble, and the customer service is top-notch. While I like them a lot, I sometimes feel we don't get access to exceptional travel deals or rewards through their travel program alone, BUT we do get 20% of our points automatically returned whenever we book a flight, hotel, or package with points. Nice trade off!

We were using our points for our time in Vieques and, thankfully, our options were narrowed down for us since the island is so much smaller. For this part of our stay, I sent all my top choices to Mike and basically said PICK ONE, TRAVEL PLANNING IS EXHAUSTING. He did and I snatched those three nights up with our points. We had to spend $111 out of pocket for our three nights in Vieques BUT we got 20% of our points returned, so we were technically left with points after our purchase.

I waited to book our last night in Old San Juan until just a couple weeks before we left, and we chose the above Hotel El Convento, which would usually be out of our price range, but our remaining points covered about half of it (about $95).

My thoughts on activities and how to eat cheaper than we did

Other than our rental cars and transportation, nearly all the trip's cost was for activities, food, and drinks. We rarely shop on vacation. I'm not sure why, I like the idea of jewelry or art collected throughout our travels, but I also really like to eat, so that's usually what we focus our attention and wallet on.

First up, activities:

Probably a third (maybe even a little more) of the money we spent on the trip went toward activities. I won't regret a cent of that money, though, even the (many) cents we spent ziplining. Experiences are worth it, even the ones that make you want to vomit. (Feel free to quote me on that.) The other two excursions -- snorkeling at Culebra and kayaking with the bio-luminescent plankton -- were two of the trip's highlights and it seems like a small price to pay for those memories. Especially now, sitting on the couch and staring down a laundry pile. Being able to channel such an incredible memory during the busy day-to-day stress of life is worth the cost to me. Not always in the moment -- money is still money and we like to have it when bills are due -- but we try to let go of some of that neurotic penny counting when we're in a place we'll likely never be in again because we know we won't regret it.

There are also a lot of other activities I wish we would have had time and/or money for like horseback riding, a sunset cruise, a tour of the rainforest, a tour of the Bacardi factory (this one is free, but it was just logistically too hard for us to swing), so I'd suggest doing as much activity research as you can before you go so you feel you're getting the best deals and making the most of your time.

Remember that most activities are all-day affairs, and the sun is exhausting, so I wouldn't plan much else for the days you're DOING something. I know it's really annoying to hear vacationers complain about the exhausting snorkel cruise they took with free booze and beautiful views but our Culebra day trip had us in bed by 9pm. After a two-hour nap.

Now, the food

We spent a lot on money on food at our resort the first few nights and that's simply because the ease of eating AT the resort trumped driving into town to find a cheaper and more authentic meal at times. While I don't actually mind spending a little money on delicious food, resort food is usually overpriced just-okay food. Thankfully, we smartened up when we got to Vieques and did a lot more research and ate a lot more deliciously.

So, tip: try to research and bookmark a few places near your hotel or resort so that you can feel good about where you're going and what you'll likely spend (for at least a couple meals) without having to do much IN THE MOMENT to find those places. Look at menus before you go, check out Yelp!, etc. I don't hate spending money on food, but I really hate over-spending on food, and I think we fell into that trap a few times because we were tired and overwhelmed.

***

Holy hell, that was the longest post I've likely ever written and there's probably only ONE OF YOU who will ever find this information useful, but maybe someone will stumble upon it through a random Google search and ask me to write for the Puerto Rico Tourism Board (probably not, after I insulted their ziplining AND drivers), but it still feels good to get it all out.

At the off-chance you have any questions, feel free to leave a a comment or email me at shelikespurple AT gmail.com. I love talking travel. I'd also love to hear how you use miles or points or deals or tips or tricks or anything else to make traveling less expensive and more enjoyable. 

Until the next trip!

The Good & Not-As-Good of Age Three

The not-as-good

This. Still this.

Every cut, scratch, scrape, fall, etc., is the Most Dramatic Thing That Has Ever Happened and Cue All the Tears.

Eveyrthing in life takes at least 10 minutes even things that should take no more than 10 seconds. Things like walking to the car, brushing teeth, throwing something in the trash, picking up a book, joining me in the other room, answering a question.

He would like to do it himself unless he can actually do it himself or I'm driving and then he wants all the help.

He says "Oops! It was an accident!" a lot. (So, papertowels. We use more this age.)

Three words: Bedtime Stall Tactics. Some more words: "Mommy, I think I'd rather sleep with my eyes open on the couch tonight. Okay?" "Noooooooooot okay."

His filter and volume control aren't quite developed yet, obviously, so there are a lot of shouting questions like "WHY IS THAT PERSON SO BIG?" "MOMMY, WHY IS THAT GIRL'S HAIR SO CRAZY!" Sorry my child just ruined your day and your self-esteem!

The good

He has started playing independently more often. Not that I want him to usher me out of his room all the time, but he just goes in there, plays by himself, and then (get this) cleans up after himself when he's done.

He dramatically fake laughs at my jokes, and that's funnier than anything I could ever say.

He is proud of himself when he does something new or brave. He recently started a Little Gym class and was skittish and shy the first class but this past week, he was a rockstar. At the end of class, he burst through the door and shouted "MOMMY, I DID SO GOOD." I nearly died. On the spot. Of awesome pride over that kid.

Sitting somewhere for an extended period of time is possible now. We went to breakfast the other morning with friends, and he sat through most of it. We went to Mike's hockey game over the weekend (an hour+) and he sat through all of it. I didn't believe this day would ever come.

He is potty trained. (Has been, but I forgot to really talk about it.) I basically roll around in the money we're saving at the end of every day. Actually that's a lie, we've just re-invested that money into bathroom cleaning products, ahem.

He says "I love you" and not just in response to us saying it, which he's done for a while. He says it on his own. The other morning, he woke up, climbed into our bed to snuggle a minute, and said, "I love you, Mommy." The other night when I got home from work and leaned down to kiss his head, he said, "I love you, Mommy! Welcome home!" He will stop saying it one day, sure, but three is so generous with the love. I want to remember that.

He tells these elaborate, don't-make-a-bit-of-sense stories, and I love them so much.

He asks the best questions. "Mommy, who made this house for us?" "Mommy, why doesn't Molly have a car?" (Well, she's never gotten a job FOR ONE.) "Mommy, don't you think we should dance more often?"

Just like the ages that came before, his smile tops the good column, too.

So much more good. Always so much good.

All He Wanted for Father's Day Was Some Uninterrupted Garage Time.

Every year it's the same, thank everything that this kid has this dad.

Happy (day after) Father's Day, Mike! Your kid (and wife and dog) are crazy lucky to claim you as our own.

Kristie's engagement party + the perfect party menu!

Whenever you ask Kyle to name his family, he'll name Kristie before he gets to his tenth finger. She's one of my very favorite people and best friends, and my kid wholeheartedly approves. Blood is thicker than water but sometimes water is turned to blood, or something less icky sounding than that. Kristie is our family, pure and simple, and as she grows her own family -- she's getting married this August to a wonderful man -- we wanted to celebrate with her.

So, A'Dell and I hosted a pretty kick-ass party this past weekend (if you don't mind me bragging a bit) in Kristie and Duvain's honor and it was such fun.

Kristie looked just beautiful -- I'm sure you'll agree -- and it was wonderful how many friends and family turned out to help the happy couple celebrate. It was one of those nights I didn't want to end, and that's how many of my nights with this group of good people is like.

The menu was also a hit.

We did straight appetizers and one kind of champagne and beer. Kept it pretty easy, thank goodness.

We served: baked brie bites (with and without pecans), pizza puffs (with and without pepperoni) caprese pops, jalapeno popper dip (OMG SO GOOD), southwestern eggrolls, mini fruit tarts (so easy!), smores bites, salsa, guacamole, and cupcakes.

I recommend co-hosting your next party, if you get the chance. A'Dell offered up her awesome home and tackled the decorations and booze, and I handled the invites (weren't they fabulous?) and most of the food. It wasn't nearly as stressful as when you handle a whole party yourself, and we also divided those tasks super simply. I did what I enjoy best and vice-versa. No arguments!

I also got to clean up nicely with Mike. That's kind of a rare thing.

It was a night full of laughter....

....and champagne and friends and food and love, and everything I wish most for Kristie and Duvain's life. Cheers you adventure-seeking, life-loving, beautiful couple, you.

***

All of the good photos in this post are courtesy of Jess, who awesomely made the five-hour drive from Houston to celebrate with Kristie and Duvain. Thanks for coming, Jess and Willy, and for letting me use your beautiful pictures!

TV Tuesday: The Good Wife

I talk about some tv shows below. Spoilers included!

I think I missed my calling as a TV writer or TV recapper or paid TV opinion sharer in some capacity but, no problem, there's always Twitter and I can talk at length about television over there, never irritating a soul.

TV really is a passion for me, which makes me sound kind of lazy, I know. (Spoiler: that's because I am.) What's even more a passion of mine, though, is talking about television and pop culture with smart people. This is why I have many archived emails about how Sons of Anarchy is such an interesting example of -- not just what the perfect set of abs looks like -- the gray morality humans can be accepting of. Would we cringe at a news report that a grown man smashed in the face of a porn star? Uh, yes, I'd guess we would. Did we kind of cheer when the grown man in question was Jax Teller? I did, I can admit.

TV makes us relate to characters better than we relate to people because of how much more of the story we're allowed to see, and I find that fascinating.

So, basically, once every couple weeks, I'd like to share (here) some things I'm watching and re-watching and maybe we can start some interesting conversations. (Or, maybe it'll just be me talking! Risk I'm willing to take!)

First up: The Good Wife

Sure, I'd heard this show was very good what with Julianna Marguiles winning all the awards at all the shows (taking an Emmy from Connie Britton, in fact), but I don't really like niche dramas (legal, medical, police/crime). I'd also catch a few minutes here and there over the past couple years, and would never get sucked in.

Starting from the beginning of the series, though, was a whole new ballgame. This show is excellent. The characters are all interesting and likable. (Also unlikable, sometimes in the same episode.) The actors are very nearly perfect, acting often without saying much but still conveying a whole helluva lot. I love that. And, probably my favorite part of the entire show, is how good the writers remember the details. They bring back small characters from episodes past, referencing subtle history as part of a bigger story, and this attention to detail is so refreshing. You are constantly reminded that the writers 1) know what they're doing and 2) they know what they're doing far better than the viewers. (Haven't you watched shows in the past where you just want to offer up your services to the writers as someone ACTUALLY PAYING ATTENTION so they wouldn't miss such obvious things?)

The show is marketed -- at least early on -- as being about the scandalized and humiliated wife of a politician who has slept with a prostitute. Just hearing that premise makes you hate the husband. I sure did. But somehow he grows on you, not in an "all is forgiven" kind of way -- and not even in a way that makes you want her to stay with him -- but just in a "there's more to a person than their worst offense" kind of way. 

I also plan to walk through life continually asking myself, "What would Kalinda do?" (FYI, it likely involves awesome boots and possibly taking a bat to someone's car.)

Anyway, if you're looking for a summer show to get caught up on, I recommend this one!

Do you watch The Good Wife? Do you love it?

Some other shows I have in my queue to watch: Southland, Veep, Homeland, Sports Night, Justified. Anything I'm missing?

He Gets His (Lack of) Golf Skills from Mike

Whoa, you blink and a week passes between posts. I don't know how that happens either. Anyway, a drive-by post today to share some photos from Kyle's first mini-golf outing, from Memorial Day.

(Horrible photos courtesy of Mike's non-iPhone.)

Kyle would hit the ball something like nine dozen times before just picking it up, putting it riiiiiiiight next to the hole, and tapping it in. Then he'd shout, "HOLE IN ONE!" We'd cheer for him and tell him what an awesome golfer he was because there is time enough for giving it to him straight and that time is not at three, during mini-golf.

As we drove out of the parking lot, he said, "We should do that again sometime!"

Noted, my boy.

TNT's Dallas Premiere

I was invited to a screening of TNT's new version of Dallas -- set to premiere June 13 -- last night, and when I read "screening" in the email, I thought I'd sit in a room with other bloggers, watching the pilot and tweeting. (My brain, it is adorable.) Guys, I can watch/tweet the heck out of a TV show, just ask anyone who has ever met me, and I also like going out on work nights from time to time, where there might be adult beverages and fancy snacks. So, yeah. I was game.

I noticed the screening was at a somewhat fancyish opera house in town, but the dress said business casual, so my mind assumed it was in a room within the opera house or maybe that was just the point of reference and it would be nearby? Or maybe they were pulling out the stops for a small group of tv-loving bloggers.

I invited A'Dell and we grabbed dinner beforehand. I was wearing a (cute, I think) dress from Target, and while I wasn't going to stop traffic, I thought it was appropriate for a small blogger-type event with a business casual dress-code.

Yeah. My thoughts. They were off-base.

It was the premiere! Of the show! With all the actors and media and probably C-list stars from Dallas-based reality shows! On a red carpet!

As far as I could tell, not a single other person was wearing Target.

There were plenty of people wearing ballgowns, though. With sequins. That kicked-off a fun game in my head I now call Who Invited the Poor Suburban Mom to This Fancy Event?

(At one point, we had to actually walk down the red carpet and on one side was a fountain-type wading pool and A'Dell said, "Please don't fall in," as I was taking a picture. She said it with experience as my friend, you guys. She said it because if there was anyone in the world to be invited to a fancy tv show premiere and then FALL IN THE FOUNTAIN, it would be me.)

Still, you know, it was a crazy awesome people-watching opportunity and I don't think I'll ever be in a room with Patrick Duffy again (or Parker from Veronica Mars!) so I enjoyed it. Even though I kept thinking WHY AM I WEARING COTTON? It was exciting. Also, a high-up at TNT gave a very sweet talk about how he took his now-wife out on their first date the night of the original Dallas series finale and they're still married and look! He's J.R.'s boss now! It was really cute.

Unfortunately, the show was....oh guys....not great. I know, this is coming from a girl who is very liberal with her DVR "record" button and who just last week watched (and enjoyed!) a few episodes of Hart of Dixie.

I thought it might have potential, being filmed in Dallas -- a grittier, less-produced feel or something -- but it fell short. The storyline also went wildly all over the place and the dialogue was so cheesy and emotionless, I literally rolled my eyes at times. While the end had a fun twist (sorta) that might lure viewers to tune in again, the twist happened standing on the star of Cowboys Stadium. Who schemes on the 50-yard-line of a football field? It was reminding you, too often, that this was happening in Texas, YEE-HAW.

Pilots are generally bad, I know, so perhaps the kinks will get worked out. I just couldn't help but think of Friday Night Lights, a show also filmed in Texas -- a show with "Texas Forever" as one of its catchphrases -- but a show that was basically about Anytown USA. It had such heart. (Why was I not invited to THAT premiere, I wonder!)

Anyway, some photos I snapped.

You can't tell, but I'm wearing my new Texas necklace. This is what I planned to lead with if anyone questioned my non-ballgown-attire. DO YOU SEE MY TEXAS NECKLACE. I HAVE MAD STATE PRIDE.

Do you see the very faint arrow? That guy was hugging a lot of people. He was either Someone Very Important or just huggy. Hard to tell.

You can kinda see the pool at the mid-left section of the photo. I did not fall in, praise everything.

I've circled Jesse Metcalfe. He's very pretty. He's also quite possibly the worst actor there has ever been.

This is Josh Henderson. He has been in ... some shows and stuff. I mainly know him as the guy who was dating Ashlee Simpson when her reality show first kicked off. (And I have vague memories of him dumping her via...text or something? Jessica was not impressed.) Anyway, if you just cringed because I WATCHED the Ashlee Simpson Show, I should tell you that it was better than Dallas.