She Likes Purple

ATX Festival tickets are on sale

After I bragged about meeting Jason Street (Scott Porter, if you don't live in world where Dillon, TX is a real place), a few of you asked that I update you when tickets for next year's ATX Festival went on sale. Hey, they're on sale! 

The price is only going up and up and up, so I'd really recommend you buying now. Also, I promise to share a margarita with you or, better yet, one of these. I've been dying to have another.

ATX Festival

Did you know I like a few TV shows? (Just a few.) (And a few more.) So, it's almost as if the ATX Television Festival was created just for me. It certainly sounds like my kind of weekend, an entire weekend of panels and screenings for TV shows past and present. I got to find out if it was indeed my kind of weekend this past weekend.

I snatched up a ticket last fall, determined for the chance see a few Friday Night Lights stars in person but really nothing could have prepared me for just how awesome a weekend it would turn out to be for a TV fan like me.

For the cost of your ticket, you can get into 3-4 panels/screenings a day. I chose FNL, Party of Five, Parenthood, and Veronica Mars on Saturday, and then an Actor's Roundtable on Sunday. Because of my work trip two weeks ago and also because of a pretty full plate, I couldn't head out of town for any of the Friday panels (next year, Friday, I am coming for you), but it was still a perfect weekend.

I hung out with Julie and Erica most of the weekend with a special shout-out to Natalie for letting us stay with her and drink coffee on her lovely back porch each morning.

The screenings and panels (at least this year) were all great sizes. You were near the actors, and it felt personal and like the cost of the ticket was absolutely worth it. The moderators, volunteers, and organizers were all great, too, and everything ran smoothly. 

Our first screening was Friday Night Lights, and we ended up in the first row of Austin's Paramount Theater. Oh, and I also ended up in the concession stand line behind Mae Whitman, which was a cool way to kick off the morning. I nearly said "You stink Justin Matisse" to her but resisted. She's probably thankful for that. As is security.

After they brought out some of the show's actors...

No big deal, just sitting in front of Scott Porter and Matt Lauria

...they introduced a clip from the show, a clip that was (as the audience probably noticed) just of Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler. Then the moderator went ahead and made all of our days (years, quite possibly) by INTRODUCING CONNINE BRITTON AND KYLE CHANDLER (they weren't previously announced to be there, total surprise).

I resisted the urge to jump on stage and touch her hair. Most restraint I've ever showed in my entire life.

This was my favorite panel of the weekend not only because of Tami's hair (although that was 90% of it), but also because the panel was a perfect combination of show clips, the actors talking about the clips, and then a time for audience questions.

The other panels were still really good, though.

 (From top to bottom, left to right: Party of Five, Chris Lowell & Rob Thomas from the Veronica Mars panel, my Veronica Mars ticket, and the Actor's Roundtable with a bunch of awesome actors including JOSHUA MALINA.)

SPEAKING OF JOSHUA MALINA:

Basically two degress away from Aaron Sorkin, no bigs. He was so gracious and kind, too, although his expression in this particular picture isn't proof of that. Really, so nice.

After that picture was taken, we had an actual conversation with Scott Porter, who is also incredibly nice. He said he'd be back next year "if they'd have him." Oh, Jason Street, I think any TV festival would have you. 

It was a great weekend, so worth the ticket cost and the drive down. I plan to be there next year, and if you like TV at all, you should come too.

If TV doesn't appeal to you, did you know Austin has both queso and margaritas? 

The Great Gatsby Book & Movie Review

*Spoilers about both ahead...

The Book

I hated The Great Gatsby in high school. In hindsight, I can't really pin-point why because I remembered almost nothing about it, but I do remember we had to examine the book first to last page and it just wore me out. All that symbolism is a lot for a 15 year old to truck through, especially when some of that symbolism (while no doubt intentional and important) annoyed me more than intrigued me. Okay, okay, I'm sure Gatsby dropped the clock in Nick's house because it symbolized the passage of time and not because he's just rather klutzy. Can we move on please?

Anyway, I did get to re-read it kind of wonderfully with a fresh slate. I remembered bits and pieces but not the twists and turns, and certainly not the ending, so it was like I was reading it for the first time.

One chapter in, and I have to hilariously say that it kind of reminded me of an episode of the Real Housewives. So much wealth and mid-afternoon cocktails while lazily spread out on a couch, complaining about privileged lives. But, even then, you can't deny this book is beautifully, nearly perfectly written. It's the kind of book you highlight passage after passage in because words are woven together the way words were meant to be woven together. 

So, ultimately, I liked it a helluva lot more than I did in high school. Perhaps you can just appreciate such a well-written book at my age more than you can as a teenager and perhaps because there was no homework that came after reading it (thank everything), I could just...read it. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I re-read it.

But, oh man, did I hate nearly every single character in this book. These were terrible people, just terrible, and not terrible in the way I usually like my characters--terribly flawed but so terribly human that you relate to them and end up incredibly fond of them. Terrible as in, YOU ARE TERRIBLE, JUMP OFF A CLIFF. 

All of them! Even Gatsby, who I suspect you aren't supposed to find terrible, I found terrible because he thought that a woman who couldn't love him penniless was worth all he went through to win her back. He was in love with a coward and he wasn't even in love with her despite that, he was in love with her without realizing it, and that made him infuriating to me.

Most of the characters were disgustingly rich and disgustingly terrible and disgustingly lazy and also disgustingly drunk most of the book, and I would have hated almost all of them if I had somehow turned up at a party with them. In short, it was a beautiful book about truly terrible people. I have been known to like a sad ending, though, and this book certainly had that. 

Still, let's talk about some of my favorite lines in it:

"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired." 

"It occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well."

The last, perfect line: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

The movie

Well, the movie stayed pretty damn true to the book, didn't it? The words literally appeared on the screen and entire scenes were played out exactly as written. For that, I liked it. It came to life as I had read it, quite honestly, and I only had very small issues with it, including:

1. Leo did a great job, honestly. To me, he's far more attractive in movies than in pictures, and I almost always buy him in a role more than I think I will because he's just better on the screen. (Hello, The Departed, one of my favorite movies of all time.) But he still felt a litttttle old for this role. He's not that much older than the character (6 years), but he felt much older, for some reason. 
2. Speaking of, Daisy was dark-haired in the book (right?) and I think Carey would have looked even better dark-haired in the movie, so why the blonde choice, producers?
3. The ending! One of my favorite parts of the book was how Nick tried desparately to get people to attend the funeral (going into the city to visit Winebrenner, even) and everyone disregarded him. Then, Gatsby's father showed up, and it was this sadly poetic look at how Gatsby built his life around people who didn't matter and abandoned the people who did. I wish they would have showed that scene as written.

At the end of the movie, though, I thought the same things I thought at the end of the book. Such terrible, selfish, bored people. 

I don't know if all this means I ultimately loved it or still hated it.

Probably a little of both.

Seven Quick (TV) Takes

(Obviously we have some spoilers ahead so tread lightly.)

I know, I know, I should just start a TV blog and be done with it. (What if I told you that was in the works? Would you read?) Anyway, that's obviously not available today, and I do have some Very Important TV Thoughts I'd like to share. I won't be offended if you close your browser with an eye-roll, though! But, warning, you will miss a tidbit on Mike's proposal to me and how it's now connected forever to Leslie Knope.

1. I watch and love The Vampire Diaries. No apologies will be made for that, you should know, because I genuinely think it's a stellar show. I hope someone out there watches (hi Liz!) and can commiserate with me over my rage toward Matt. This is a guy who broke up with Caroline because he couldn't deal with her being a vampire. And now he's Elena's chomping toy. I know! He has mad guilt from the accident but if he doesn't high-tail it over to Caroline's house and offer up one helluva an apology soon, I'm going to throw my remote at the TV. Do it, Matt! Apologize! Mike hates it when I throw the remote.

2. Guys, I'm hearing very bad things about Nashville's ratings. Please don't make this another Veronica Mars situation (although we did get three seasons there). Watch! It's good! It's not just about country music! Don't make me weep over its cancellation. Do you want me to weep?

3. I think I'm giving up on Grey's Anatomy. I feel like I was one of the last viewers, loyal even when the show tried its best to make all of his break our loyalty (I will forever have a softness for Meredith Grey; she speaks to me for some reason), but then they went and killed off Lexie and Mark and I think I'm out.

4. Oh, Sons of Anarchy, you are doing all you can to shred my sensitive feelings this season, aren't you? I don't remember being this wrecked after past episodes when I was watching them THREE IN A ROW. But each week this year I feel I've been punched in the gut when the show fades to black and then I think, it can't get worse, it just can't, AND THEN IT GETS WORSE. Oof, Kurt Sutter, ease up, would you! With all that said, I think Charlie Hunnam has been outstanding this season. I have barely noticed his horrible haircut because he's continually blowing me away with his acting. Which means he'll get absolutely zero award nominations. I think that's how those things work. (Also, what do we think, was Gemma high, drunk, or just tired this past week? I am stumped.)

5. Last night's Parks & Rec will stay on my DVR forever and ever. Oh, Ben Wyatt, you perfect TV man, you. (Related note: It's hard to watch Adam Scott in anything else these days because I always feel like he's cheating on Leslie. Stop kissing other women, Adam! Including your real-life wife, please.) Anyway, during his proposal, Leslie said yes before he could finish asking and I DID THIS TO MIKE. I took the ring out of his hand before he was done just like the crazy woman everyone knows me to be. Last night, as we watched, we both got a little excited that Leslie stole my move. I've always wanted to be more like Leslie Knope! Last night I said, "Babe! I Leslie Knoped you!"

6. I've recorded all of Arrow and haven't watched any of it yet. Should I? Is it good? (I use "good" relatively, of course. I know we're talking about the CW here, but I'm a regular voluntary watcher of CW shows. I love some quality TV but I also love some teen love triangles.)

7. This is a general TV thing, but I've noticed that I do this one particular thing when I'm watching a show I really love. I continually pause the TV throughout it. I want to make the hour last longer and when I'm obviously enjoying a scene, I'll pause it in the middle and go make a snack or send an email or just relish the moment, which sounds RIDICULOUS as I type it out, but it's become my measuring stick for enjoyable TV. If I recommend something it's likely I've paused it mid-way a few times.

Share any TV thoughts below!

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).

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(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.)

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?

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.

I've also begun searching for leather jackets

So, what did you do this weekend? Lots of laundry? Homemade dinners? Time with friends? Or, were you like me and took to your couch for hours upon hours while watching Sons of Anarchy?* Doubtful, I'm sure, since it's no longer 2008, but I would love it if that is what you did so we could obsessively talk about how Jax Teller can be so damn sexy while wearing such awful clothes.

FINE JAX, JUST TAKE THEM ALL OFF. 

My husband, the guy who's watching all these episodes with me, is one of those annoying (or normal, whatever) adults who quite enjoys tv but never gets invested unless that program is Breaking Bad and then he's all DO NOT SPEAK OR WALK LOUDLY FOR THE NEXT HOUR. BREATHING IS EVEN PUSHING IT. Every other show, no matter how much he likes it, is just entertainment for him and not a visual form of crack.

Then there's me. Ha. HA. Become obsessed with a tv program? No not at---fine. I have been known to enjoy a fan video on YouTube now and again. 

What's so funny about starting (and becoming one-track-minded) about Sons of Anarchy now is that I've tried to watch this show before. I started an episode ages ago and gave up. I even sat through the show's Comic-Con panel in 2010 and could barely bother to look up from my phone. 

This is evidence for all of you who say you tried to give Parks & Rec a try but just couldn't find it that funny. Give it another shot. Give it a few episodes. You will thank me. 

Just like I am thanking whatever led Mike and I to give SoA another try.

Last night at book club -- a group of ladies I plain adore and look forward to seeing each month -- I was like, "Good book, nice writing, enough of that, who wants to talk about Sons of Anarchy and maybe Google image Jax in his varying levels of grittiness?" Thankfully a few people were down. Obviously these are my people. 

If you don't know who Jax Teller is, I like to describe him as a little like Tim Riggins with more charm and, at least through half of season two, a better sense of humor. 

A HAPPIER TIM RIGGINS. 

I'm sorry, but if you are still reading this and not signing into your Netflix account, I'm wondering how our friendship can continue.

Any shows you're a (wee bit) obsessed with these days?  

*After Kyle went to bed, of course. He's been exposed to motorcycles at a very young age, true, but we even have our parenting bar set higher than that. 

My Weekend of Netflix

I ran out of DVRed shows sometime over the long weekend and took to Netflix to see what I could find. Over the course of the weekend, I watched a handful of movies, and I can't remember the last time I sat in front of the tv so long doing nothing but watching. It's been ages. Also, we now have a lot of untouched laundry.

What I watched:

1. The Narrows. Maybe it's because Sophia Bush is in this and I love her fiercely (follow her on Twitter!), but I actually enjoyed this. It's got a few nice twists, I really like Vincent D'Onofrio, and the ending was the best part of the movie, which I always kind of love. Still, it's a pretty cliche movie that's been made so many times before and made better, too.

2. The Romantics. There's a lot to hate about this movie and all sorts of parts annoyed me (hey, Josh Duhamel's character: you're a selfish coward!), but I actually ended up liking it, overall. The dialog was kind of charming, maybe?, and it was filmed well, perhaps? I also thought Katie Homes was a highlight and when was the last time you could say that Katie Holmes was the highlight of anything? Weak recommendation, I know.

3. Not Since You. Horrible, awful, ridiculous movie. The only reason I stuck it out was because I kind of have an inexplicable soft spot for Jack Bass/Agent Quinn (aka Desmond Harrington).

4. Last Night. Here is where I realize that because of watching The Romantics, Netflix recommended a whole bunch of cheating-on-your-significant-other movies to me. Fun! This one was kind of interesting, though, and it ended sort of beautifully, at least to me. Be warned, I like endings that are thought-provoking more than they aren't, so if you want to strangle me after you watch it, I won't blame you. You cringe through this, though, wanting to scream at these people for being selfish and small and shortsighted and then they do or say something that feels very human (well human in a giant, sprawling Manhattan apartment). I didn't enjoy it -- it's really not that kind of movie -- but it's not bad, either. Man, I don't like Eva Mendes though and can't get behind anyone ever being with her on screen or off, RYAN GOSLING WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

5. Drive Me Crazy. I've seen this a dozen times, but I still love it. I watched it again to fall to sleep to and ended up watching the whole thing. It's dated now, but totally delightful. I love it.

Have you watched anything great on Netflix Instant recently?

Oh Yeah, I Went to Comic-Con!

Now, before you seeth with jealousy over my recent trip to San Diego's Comic-Con, you should know I spent 80% of my time in the Smart Pop booth. (And zero time hanging out with the Twilight cast.) I was plenty happy in our booth, of course. I got to meet a lot of seasoned Smart Pop fans and make some new ones, too, and I also got to meet a handful of our (uber-talented) contributors, but I can't imagine that's how you'd like to spend your time at Comic-Con, working the booth of a company you don't actually work for. It would probably make questions about our books a little awkward for you.

For your viewing pleasure, though, our booth!

We passed out every book we brought to pass out, and while some people just like free stuff, no matter what that free stuff might be, many people were genuinely thrilled to get a copy of one of our books, and that was such a cool feeling. I wanted to hug every single thrilled person but that might have been weird, even for Comic-Con.

I will say that one thing I really loved about the show was how excited everyone was about everything. There were plenty of weird attendees and plenty of over-confident girls whose costumes made me come very close to shouting, HEY, YOU, YOUR ASS! IT IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US ALL! But, mainly, I was surrounded by lots of talent (from artists to web comic developers to writers to bloggers to media) and lots of people who both loved what they were promoting and loved what we were promoting. It was just a really cool, passionate group of people.

I've decided I like really cool, passionate people.

It was also exhausting. Ten-hour convention days and socializing at night isn't for the weak, let me tell you. But I tend to like exhausting. It's a setting I know quite well.

Anyway, that's the short recap of my (awesome) time in San Diego. I'll round up where we ate and drank in another post. I still need to write about where we stayed in Colorado, too. Someone remind me to do both those things next week!

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I'll keep this giveaway up through Sunday night, I've decided. Winner to be announced Monday, so comment comment comment. Well, just comment once. But saying it three times is for extra encouragement.

Things of Note: Lately

Television this fall has been .... shitty, am I right? I love television, and I watch a helluva lot of it, but I'm almost always doing something else. Laundry, blogging, writing thank-you notes or to-do lists, flipping through a magazine. There are very few shows I turn everything off and stop everything I'm doing to watch. In fact, I can think of just two: The Vampire Diaries and Friday Night Lights (I have DirecTV, so am currently watching (and enjoying) season five).

What's the show you turn everything off for?

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Kyle is finally (!!) saying mama regularly. He's not the most verbal child there ever was, but he speaks plenty and he's been saying dada and daddy for probably a year now. And he could point me out if you ever asked him where mama was, but he just so rarely SAID it.

He says it now.

Hallelujah, I don't have to start guilt-tripping him with details of my labor.

We were in Wal-mart last night (I hate that I ever have to write that sentence), and I was getting frozen veggies on one aisle and Mike was getting something a few aisles away, and I heard Kyle over and over and over going, "mama, mommy, mama, mommy, mama, MOMMMMMMMMY" and I just have never heard a more perfect inappropriate hollering.

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I'm organizing a blogging meet-up dinner thing for people nearby. I think I may officially call it that, even. It's for people who happen to live in North Texas (or anywhere near North Texas, if you happen to enjoy long drives with horrible scenery!). Do you fit that description and want to be on the invite list? Let me know!

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You should really make this lasagna. Jonna made it for us when we were in Boston and then I made it for my in-laws a couple weeks ago and MULTIPLE people told me it was the best lasagna they'd ever had. And I know I told Jonna this same thing.

It's delicious!

And easy!

And...DELICIOUSLY EASY OMG IT'S SO GOOD.

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Kyle's teacher told me he's scrappy, which I sort of loved hearing. She then went onto tell me she thinks this, in part, because a much bigger kid pushed him down pretty hard the other day and he didn't cry or look upset, he just stood up, walked over to a chair and attempted to throw it at this kid.

Like a mini mobster!

My friend Kim said, "Come on, that's a kid you don't have to worry about. He's going to make it in life."

I'm ... proud? Maybe? Or terrified? Either or!

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I'm honored to have one of my posts up at Story Bleed today. Thanks, Jennifer, for selecting it.

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Finally, I finished Mockingjay this weekend (and, therefore, the Hunger Games series) and I just loved it. I cried at the end! Like a very sappy book reader! But, it was ... so good. And so rewarding without being cheesy. I was grumpy the rest of the day after finishing it and Mike finally said, "I know you're upset your book is over, but can you please snap out of it."

I don't even know what book to read next because IT WILL NOT COMPARE. NO NOPE WON'T.

(But, do you have a book you loved recently? Yes, I've asked this MULTIPLE times before and I have a super long to-do read list already, but I love talking books, so let me hear it.)

***

Thanksgiving is next week, which is a great way to show how grateful we are for family and friends and ... BLAH BLAH BLAH MASHED POTATOES DAY!!!

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

15 Years Later, I Got to Go to Their Concert

The very first CD I ever owned, way back when I was 13, was Greenday's "Dookie." They were the first band I liked, and not because my sister liked them or my parents did but because I did.

I used to listen to "Basketcase" and "She" on repeat.

They played in concert that same year, and I wanted to go so badly. I thought my friends might surprise me with tickets or maybe the tickets would just magically appear in my room. 

I was an optimistic 13 year old, wasn't I?

They didn't appear, of course, but since then, I made it a goal to see them in concert. One day, somehow.

We bought tickets for their concert last year in San Antonio but it was the day after Kyle ended up in the ER for a rather traumatic (for me) chocking incident. No matter how badly I wanted to see that concert, I wasn't leaving my boy for anything. We ate the cost and I sort of thought that was the last chance I'd have.

They came back through Texas -- Dallas -- last night, though, and Mike bought us tickets months ago.

It was a Thursday night, I had to take a half-day from work, we had to ask Mike's parents to babysit late into the night on a work night, we had to drive an hour into the heart of Dallas for the concert, the tickets weren't cheap, the beer wasn't cheap, and I can think of a dozen other things that money would have been more responsibly spent on. 

When we go to our seats, they were just taking the stage. Seriously, we couldn't have timed our arrival any better. And as they walked on stage, I teared up, and all those reasons for not going melted away. I turned to Mike and said, "I'm finally here."

They were unbelievable in concert. They were on fire, engaged with the audience, energetic. They were just incredible. They were also grateful, thankful for their fans. They brought dozens of those fans up on stage, they gave guitars and drumsticks out like candy, they brought kids on stage and let them sing. At one point Billie Joe said, "It's our honor and our privilege to perform for you." I believed that he believed that.

I feel a little silly typing all this out. I'm nearly 30! It was a Greenday concert! But how often do you get to sit at a concert as an adult and listen to the same song you listened to on the floor of your middle school bedroom?

It was a full-circle moment, and I'm just so happy we made it happen.

As Mike and I got out of the car, I turned to him and said, "There's a sippy cup in the car and I have a block in my purse. How rock n roll are we?"

This is why we have our own DVRs

The other night, Mike flew out of the bedroom and ran upstairs faster than I've ever seen him move. And this is a man who plays hockey, on skates, once a week.

I don't know what I thought was going on. I was curious, sure, but not curious enough to follow him up there because I was watching Gossip Girl's season finale. Priorities people.

He came back down a few minutes later, with a huge grin on his face.

"Babe, Futurama is coming back with new episodes in June."

I was glad I hadn't gotten off the couch, I'll say that much.

***

Mike and I have a lot of exciting things planned for June: we're getting new phones, going to Sea World with Mike's family, having some people over to kick off summer, the Eclipse premiere (don't let Mike convince you he isn't excited about this too.) So when we talk about June, we've started calling it Juneapalooza.

(We're so weird.)

So, the other day I said, "I have more good news for Juneapalooza!"

"Cool, what?"

"Well, it's not technically for June. But it's still good news."

"Yeah?"

"One Tree Hill is coming back for an eighth season!"

"That's the worst news I've heard all day. You're ruining Juneapalooza."

(Funny thing about that [admittedly very bad] show: I've promised Mike every year since the fourth season that this will be the show's last year because, yeah, those promises made sense. Every year I have to sheepishly tell him, "Kidding! It's still on air." He doesn't believe anything I say anymore, understandably.)

***

Okay, I know Grey's Anatomy has sucked this year and I still don't quite get why Lexie went blond. I even stopped watching at the beginning of the year because, oh man, they went off course. But, I have a fondness for the show, I really do. I think it's produced some of the best episodes of any series. Like the bomb-in-the-body episode where Coach Taylor got blown up? So good! (Also, I like Meredith. Always have.)

So, when I saw the previews for the finale, I was all about it.

I started watching it last night after Kyle went down and before Mike got home. I knew I'd have to stop it mid-way in order to get in a run at the gym. It just so happened that where I stopped it, when Mike got home, was a particularly tense part.

Mike and I chatted for a few minutes, about taking the trash out and dinner and I was feeling really tense, BECAUSE OF A TV SHOW, WHICH IS RIDICULOUS, I KNOW. But, it was causing me to get a little short with him, snappy even. Finally I said, "I'll just take the trash out later. Forget about it, god!"

"Uh, are you okay?"

"NO!"

"What's...wrong?"

"The Grey's Anatomy finale is just really stressful."

"That's an answer I wasn't expecting."

***

I write about tv all day, every day, and I even get paid for it (in part). (Aside: add my work blog to your feed reader, yo!) It only makes sense that I take shows as seriously as I do.

I'm okay with that.

But I do realize it makes it difficult for many people, including my husband, to take me seriously.

It's a good thing I have the image of my husband running upstairs to check the air date of a cartoon to make me feel better.

Post-Mother's Day

I think every day should be Mother's Day. Granted, I'd never get out of bed, would gain every single pound back I've lost over the last four months and would only see my child in passing as Mike handled all the parenting grunt work, but my DVR queue would be completely empty and, also, I'd be very well-rested.

Suffice it to say, Mother's Day (weekend) was nice.

Mimosas-in-the-morning-burgers-at-night-sleeping-in-a-lot nice. So nice, I'm on a serious calorie detox this week. And back in the gym this week like I'm being paid to be there.

(Sadly, I'm not.)

I hope your weekend was equally relaxing. You deserve it.

***

I also finally finished Avatar this weekend. I think I was officially the last person with a pulse who hadn't seen it. I hesitated for so long because I find James Cameron to be horrible and giving him a single dollar gets me all worked up (although, you should know me well enough by now to know I get worked up easily).

I'm also not the right market for 3D movies. If a movie requires an accessory to really enjoy it, I'd prefer that accessory to be a champagne flute or a pair of wedges.

But, I wrote a list of things I wanted to do in 2010 and one item is "see all the nominees for Best Picture." 

So, I watched it, and I'll admit it was pretty good. Entertaining, definitely. Enjoyable, even. But, in the words of my husband: "I liked Iron Man better."

I'd recommend it to you for a Saturday night pick if it turns out you're really the last person on earth who hasn't watched it, but it definitely didn't change my life the way I was told it would. It did change my opinion of Sam Worthington, though.

Yum.

***

Another season of The Amazing Race has come and gone and once again I'm reminded how much energy I invest in a reality show that doesn't consider me at all. My stomach hurt for an hour afterward because my team didn't win. 

That's insane, I know.

What's more insane: I'm still not over Kevin losing last season's Top Chef.

I need more hobbies.

***

I've been thinking a lot about last week's post on dividing household responsibilities and also about what so many of you had to say in the comments of that post.

It got me thinking that I'd like to start a little marriage/family series here. That sounds kind of silly when I type it out, but bear with me.

Hillary said something great in a post of her own the other day: "I read some blogs that are all sunshine! rainbows! unicorns! happyhappyhappy! and I wonder how honest those bloggers are being."

Most of the time when I read those shiny blogs, the ones whose lives are well-decorated without a fight on the horizon, I simply make a mental note not to tell them about the time I actually screamed at Mike over a houseplant (should be noted: I was pregnant at the time).

It's not that I don't believe you can go through life and marriage without ever raising your voice or getting annoyed or arguing over silly things because I do! I actually believe far too much of what I read online! That's a whole other issue.

But, I think there's a way to speak of marriage and family in such a way that helps us all grow, even the people who may have it more figured out than most.

I don't think there's anything wrong with saying: I want to work on this, so I'm going to talk about it. Join me, if you'd like.

I also (usually, ha-ha) love hearing your points of view, your insight, your thoughts on a topic. It helps me see things in a new light.

So, I'd really enjoy talking here about things I think many relationships face: budgets, managing family time, managing time with friends, traveling, remembering to be polite to each other, reconciling decorating differences (tell me I'm not the only one who has fought over paint colors), how to argue effectively, ideas for honoring your marriage and celebrating your partner, dealing with in-laws, bedtime duties, giving gifts, date nights.

I really could go on and on. And I hope to, here, and I hope you'll read along and comment, too.

I'll never stop trying to be a better mother and wife, and I think in order to do that, I have to be able to talk openly and honestly about what I'm facing, what I'm overcoming and who I'm striving to be.

Stay tuned.

***

Also, I want these shoes.

Enough about Lunchables! Let's talk about Twilight!

The other night, I made crab cakes (2010 list item, holla!) and cleaned the house, so when Mike offered up the idea of watching a movie, I offered up the idea of watching Twilight.

And because it was not that simple -- you should know nothing in our marriage is ever that simple (me proposing an activity Mike absolutely does not want to do and him simply saying, "sure!") -- I pulled out the one weapon that usually gets me whatever I want (no, not that, my mother reads this site). I offered to give him a back rub while we watched.

He begrudgingly said okay.

(My husband is the only man alive who would begrudgingly accept a back rub.)

At some point early in the movie:

Mike: When do they start biting people?
Jennie: Uh, later. He has to start sparkling first.
Mike: Sparkling? He sparkles? Real vampires don't sparkle.
Jennie: I think there are a few million tweens who would disagree with you.
Mike: They need to watch Blade.
Jennie: I actually don't think they need to watch Blade, baby.

Toward the end of the movie (that I have already seen three or four times), I remembered I had forgotten to write a post for The Stir and needed to knock that out, so I abandoned Twilight for my laptop, assuming Mike would turn to Deadliest Catch (the new season is way dramatic, he tells me) or Mythbusters*, but, well, uh, how do I say this while protecting my husband's reputation:

The movie stayed on. We both stayed in the room. I was no longer watching, so....

I guess we could just leave it at that. I mean he was already comfortable, the remote was clear across the room, the movie was almost over anyway.

But then.

After Mike got home the other night from hockey practice, we watched The United States of Tara, and after that was over, he said:

"So, uh, I downloaded New Moon for you."

You....did....what....exactly?

You probably don't need me to specify that I actually hadn't asked him to download New Moon for me or that I hadn't even told him there was a sequel or what that sequel was titled. 

Half-way through New Moon:

Mike: Real vampires are not this romantic. Now, in Blade...
Jennie: Please don't act like you're not enjoying this.
Mike: I'm not!
Jennie: You love it. You're totally a Twihard.
Mike: I don't know what that means, but I promise I'm not.
Jennie: Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?
Mike: Babe.
Jennie: I'm Team Edward, but just slightly.
Mike: Jacob's a douche.
Jennie: So....Team Edward?
Mike: Please don't blog about this.

---

*Get this! Mike submitted a "myth" on the Mythbusters message board recently and they picked it! They tested the myth on a recent show. He's such a nerdy Twihard!

Question game: Pieces of overrated crap

At MamaPop today, TwoBusy wrote a gem of a post on overrated Best Picture winners and pointed out how sometimes the Academy translates best to mean not best at all, not even good. (He did another version last week, too.)

I love this topic.

My favorite line from today's post was this:

"Look. I know that something like a billion people saw and loved Titanic, again and again and again. Here's the thing: YOU WERE ALL WRONG."

I hated Titanic. HATED. IT. How do you turn such a historically important event into a three-hour-long cheesefest? And how did James Cameron convince the world (and the Academy!) it was good? I was also reminded that it won Best Picture the same year Good Will Hunting came out. Seriously, if you've seen both those films and think Titanic is/was the better of the two, I may need a moment to say bad things about you behind your back.

But, seriously, I love nothing more than to talk about movies (or really anything that will allow me to use my Riled Up voice), so I wanted to open this up to you:

What's the most overrated movie you've ever seen?

Grace in Small Things: Take One

Schmutzie kicked off the Grace in Small Things campaign as a "daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook." I've always loved the sentiment, but the idea seemed too big for me. This is hilarious, I know, considering the name of the project. But I tend to be a Capricorn in one very specific way: if I can't do something perfectly, I don't do it at all. I couldn't figure out a way to do this every single day without disrupting the rest of my blog, so I didn't participate, even though I wanted to.

God, I'm ridiculous.

Anyway, this is my year, no matter how much the Universe would like to convince me otherwise. Hey Universe, you're not going to win this one, so quit your nonsense!

A reader suggested I make a list of five things I'm grateful for, to gain perspective in light of this crappy week, and her tip reminded me of Schmutzie's project.

Here we go:

1. Yesterday, I took the day off. I shouldn't have, but I did. After spending most of the morning wallowing, Mike said, "Screw it, let's take Kyle to the zoo."

 

It was grand.

2. Emailing Elizabeth. I can tell her anything and she doesn't think I'm a bad mom/wife/person. Just today I told her my kid was being an asshole. If that offends you, I promise not to email you the next time I need to vent. Because, really, that's just the tip of the iceberg, people.

3. Modern Family. Are you watching this show? Oh, it's the best! If you're not, you should set those DVRs immediately.

4. These lyrics: "I let the day go by / I always say goodbye / I watch the stars from my window sill / The whole world is moving and I'm standing still." I love this song because it reminds me, always, that life never waits for you to figure your shit out. You've got to keep up and hang on.

5. I ran 2.5 miles yesterday, and it felt incredible (albeit not easy). That's the farthest I've ever run. In my life. (Pause for applause.) I'll run my first 5K in a little over two weeks. Who wants to meet me at the finish line with diamonds? Or cinnamon rolls?

You can always tell me what you're grateful for. Sometimes reading your comments is the best part of my day, second only to these guys:

 

Although, not the lizard. I mean, I'm sure he's nice and all (although when I say nice, I think I mean not nice even a little bit), but I imagine he doesn't snuggle nearly as well as the two on the left.

Bullets that have nothing to do with each other

- Are you part of Book Lushes? Do you live in the DFW area? If you answered yes to both, go here and tell me if you'd be interested in a local book club meet-up to talk about the March selection. I'm hoping to aim this talk post-April 4, so we can have wine at our meet-up. I think all meet-ups should have wine.

- American Idol. I've read countless recaps saying how horrible this group is and how horrible Ellen is and how the show, well, it has lost it, but no! No! It's usually bad the first live week and Ellen is no Kara, fine, but she's no Paula either, THE WOMAN WHO COULD NOT SPEAK ENGLISH UNDERSTANDABLY. Also, I think there are some incredible singers this go round, really. (Andrew, Lee, Didi, Lilly) (Not to mention, season TWO. AND THREE. Both horribly boring and sub-par seasons that I couldn't even bring myself to watch regularly.)

- Kyle's still not walking, and I actually don't care much. I'm surprised at how not worried I am about this because, ha-ha, that's just what I do. Some adults pay their bills on time and get plenty of sleep and eat all their vegetables whereas I obsessively worry. I know he'll do it when he's ready, though, and he's shown all the signs of getting there. I even think he could probably do it now, he's just not that interested, BUT I keep thinking how much easier it would be if I didn't have to carry him everywhere. To put him down on the ground and let him get himself from point A to point B would be such a nice change of pace. It's more that I'm lazy than worried, you see.

- I ran two straight miles yesterday. I was so exhausted and so sweaty but also so damn proud of myself that when I walked out to my car, I half-expected a marching band playing celebratory tunes and a group of friends clapping and throwing confetti to be waiting for me. I was just so taken aback that I could do that. It wasn't easy, oh no, and I wanted to quit roughly 9 million times throughout those 28 minutes (my pace is slow, yo), but I've never run two straight miles in my life. Even when I was 108 pounds and dancing every day, I wasn't running. This is a DAMN FEAT but, my god, I have to run a whole extra 1.2 miles in exactly a month, and if I do it, I really will expect that confetti. Got that?

- I find myself constantly thinking about Top Chef -- which isn't normal, I know -- but my love for that show runs deep. I get physically sad when a season wraps-up because I know I'll have to wait months and months for another installment, and although I couldn't really get into Top Chef Masters its first season, I will definitely be tuning in when it airs in April. I NEED MY TOP CHEF FIX. Where is the foie gras? And the ceviche? I'd even take gratuitous foam usage if I could just see one little Quickfire. (And all those Top Chef knock-offs don't do it for me. Chopped, The Next Food Network Star, blah blah, NO.) Do you have a show like this? That you are unhealthily attached to?

- We kick off our Meatless March this Monday, and I plan to document it (who's surprised?) but almost exclusively over on my Flickr stream. So, follow along, if you'd like.

We finally have a clean-bill-of-health baby, so we're going to pack our weekend with plans (as in: WE'RE GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE, WHOO), but tell me, what are you up to this weekend?

House husband

One thing I was not entirely prepared to hear when Mike began staying home during the week was this:

"So, on Ellen today..."

Mike thinks Ellen is fantastic, and he now knows who Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are not from all those New Moon trailers or red carpet screams but because they were on Ellen. He didn't know who Helen Mirren is -- hey, if they weren't on the Discovery channel, they weren't on Mike's radar before -- but this year when he saw her on the Golden Globes, he was all, "SHE WAS ON ELLEN!" Yep, celebrities are now all famous because "they were on Ellen."

He also thinks Dennis Quaid is the funniest man on the planet because of this.

Then I came home one night to find him making fondant in our kitchen. Also making: a mess like you've never seen. He'd even visited a bakery supply store earlier in the day to stock up on tools and things.

He spent hours and days designing Kyle's birthday invites, which we of course fought over because if you're not a long-time reader you should know that when it comes to correspondence, my husband and I can seriously brawl.

He knows the pharmacy workers by name and the best local parks, too. He's getting good at this staying-home gig, and nothing proves that more than how much Kyle prefers him to me. I'd be pretty bummed about it if I didn't usually prefer Mike to myself, too.

Before you start feeling too jealous of the husband lottery I won, you should know he still saves the dishes for me to do each night.

Although he'd probably start tackling that chore if Ellen told him to.

My day job

I haven't talked much about what I do to bring home the big bucks (or, you know, the modest ones) and that's because we all have it ingrained in our blogging heads that Do Not Blog About Work is the first rule of blogging. But, I think that's changed some, especially if what you do is a very online-heavy job, and mine is (especially since the first of this year) and also if you don't have too many negative things to say about your job other than there isn't a margarita machine in place of the water cooler. 

So, I work at a publishing company. More specifically, I work at Smart Pop Books, the imprint of BenBella Books (the publisher of the fairly well-known plant-based diet book, The China Study). Smart Pop is pretty fantastic, and although my mortgage is funded by the company, I wouldn't drive two hours a day unless I really, really meant that.

At Smart Pop, we look at the literature, television, and film people love and basically ask: Why? We put together a group of wickedly funny and ridiculously smart people to contribute essays on a variety of different subjects on those properties, and they all answer the question: What is it about this book or show or movie that makes it a phenomenon, that makes it so cult-y?

Some of my favorites have been on: Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars and on Ellen Hopkins' Crank and Glass books.

We also have some really cool upcoming ones, including one on True Blood this June (with some pretty cool contributors, including Jonna). For this title, we're doing something a little different and inviting potential readers (you!) to weigh in on two possible covers. Go vote, please, here.

Additionally, if you leave a comment on this post, I'll choose a winner (randomly and such) and let you select the book of your choice from our full Smart Pop Line. (Leaving this post up through next week, and winner will be selected by next Friday.)

You have supported me through so much, and it has always meant the world. So, I'm sharing a little more about myself and my life with you. Thanks, always, for reading here and wherever else I pop up on the Internet.