Oh, Hello There.

So the TV has been broken for a week.

A WHOLE WEEK, PEOPLE.

What I'm Watching: Bates Motel

If I haven't told you yet, I like creepy stuff- books, stories, etc. I normally don't go out for spooky TV and movies, but after watching Supernatural last summer (yes, all of it), I've changed and I'm much more open to creepy or scary TV shows now. Enter Bates Motel.

What I'm Watching: Gotham

In case you've missed it, this is one show I don't miss:

Gotham

I hesitated to watch Gotham at first, because I figured (rightly) that some plot devices simply wouldn't work because we all know that certain characters live to know the adult Bruce Wayne, etc. and because I figured it's all kind of been done and the current over-saturation of comic-book media might be getting to me.

But... Gotham! I loved Batman Begins so very, very much, and I really like Batman as a character, so I had to give it a chance.

Fargo and Orphan Black: Amazing TV

from finance.yahoo.com, oddly enough

"Fargo" is a television re-imagining of the thematic elements and the atmosphere of the 1996 Coen Brothers' film of the same name. The TV show isn't set in Fargo, and only alludes to the events of the film, but it's a wonderful homage or follow-up to the film that stands on its own two feet as one of the best shows of the year. 

Martin Freeman, with an amusing Minnesota accent, plays Lester Nygaard, the put-upon, oppressed and bullied insurance salesman who crosses paths with devilishly entertaining bad guy Lorne Malvo, played brilliantly by the incomparable Billy Bob Thornton, which sends Lester's life into a spiral of deception and danger. I came for Martin Freeman, but I'm staying for Billy Bob Thornton. He is unpredictable, diabolical, and amazing.

Finally "Frozen"

A couple of weeks ago, I felt like the last person in the civilized world who had not seen "Frozen". I was alone, living in the Cave of Uncoolness. When people would sing "Let it Go" at the top of their lungs on Youtube or in line at the grocery store, I would cringe and muse over the meh-ness of it Though, Eli McCann's niece's performance was probably the cutest cover I have ever seen. Even when Idina Menzel sang it at the Oscars, I was left thinking, "...and...?" I mean, it's a good song, but I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about.

Captain America: Winter Soldier

Or should I say "Captain YUM-erica". 

Ahem...

Captain America is back! He's got a new uniform, a new sidekick, and a new mission. 

from herocomplex.latimes.com

It's very difficult to talk about a new movie without giving any spoilers, so I guess I'll keep it brief.

Vampire Soap Operas

TV is a great source of escape at the end of a hard day of work. Or a day of hard work. Or a day of easy work. Or a day of hardly working... 

I've Been Hypnotized. By Vampires.

One of the character traits of vampires is their ability to draw their victims into a trance-- hypnotic, suggestive, or otherwise. Then the victims are at their mercy. 

I think I've been hypnotized by a vampire.

Permission to Create

Used with permission from Debbie Ridpath Ohi at Inkygirl.com

I've had a couple of fiction novels knocking around my mind for years now. YEARS. And I wrote some scenes, which I had some sisters and a select few friends read and they gave me really good feedback, encouraging me to continue writing. And I wanted to. I really did. But I got so busy. I started working again (which is now full time) and my kids got older and busier and I let all sorts of reasons and issues get in the way. 

Book Review: Dracula by Bram Stoker

I have never been able to read this 1897 classic, even though I am an avid reader and have no problem with the likes of Shakespeare or scripture, some of the older classics just don't draw me in. So I decided to give Dracula another try and listen to the audiobook. I was in the mood for a good vampire story, but I don't have much interest in the surplus of teenage vampire romances that clog the YA shelves these days (though I am a Twilight reader, I will confess), so I decided to go back to where it really began.