Whale Wars

In the absence of LOST, 24, Fringe, The Office, and so many others, Eric and I have found a new favorite show, Whale Wars on Animal Planet. It started in November, but they have been replaying episodes. We're hooked.

It's a documentary series about members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society . The Sea Shepherds were founded by Paul Watson, an activist who was kicked out of Greenpeace for being too hardcore. Yep. Too hardcore for Greenpeace. The series follows the group as they sail around the Antarctic trying to intercept Japanese whaling ships - according to the Sea Shepherds, the whaling ships claim to be conducting research, but they are actually hunting for whales in order to sell the meat, which is extremely valuable in the Japanese market. So they use nonviolent but confrontational tactics to stop them - they throw butyric acid stink bombs (which taint the whale meat and make the deck of the ship slippery and just generally stinky), interfere with nets, and on one occasion, they even ram the ship.

All of these people are quite possibly clinically insane. They're sailing through a minefield of icebergs on a ship that's not designed to handle ice, they head into open waters in tiny little zodiacs in the middle of storms, they stand in plain sight when the whalers ships threaten to retaliate with gunfire...all in the name of saving whales. Whether or not you agree with their mission, their bravery and determination are astonishing. That's great TV.

King of Spain

You know how when you run into an ex you always self-centeredly hope your life is going better than theirs? No such luck for this girl. (There's a bit of adult language right at the beginning.)

Learn Your Rules

My favorite bit from last week's Office. Instant classic!


And a great rendition from some cute kids (not mine).

How to tell good from evil.

Last night's episode of "24" confirmed something I've always suspected:

Clean shaven = good.



Scruffy half beard = evil.

Bret and Jemaine are back!

Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos

Words cannot describe how much I love this show.

Best lines:

(At 10:03, Answering the question: what do women like?)
Jemaine: Women love weaving. They love to weave.
Bret: Nah. Weaving is a man's game.
Jemaine: Bret. You put a woman in front of a weaving machine, and just watch her go.
Bret: No, honestly. My dad weaves, my grandfather was a weaver.
Jemaine: I thought your dad was a sheep lawyer.
Bret: Yeah, during the day, but at night he weaves a lot. I come from a family of weavers.
Jemaine: I've never seen a man weave.
Bret: I love weaving. I'm weaving at the moment. Making a pair of trousers.

(Later)
Bret: Women's rights.
Jemaine: No, that's more a man's thing, isn't it?
Bret: No, definitely a woman's thing.
Jemaine: Nah, my father's a women's rights activist.
Bret: Your dad?
Jemaine: Yeah.
Bret: What about your mum?
Jemaine: No, my mum? No. Dad wouldn't allow that. No way.

Breastfeeding at the Office

I'm pretty liberal when it comes to public breastfeeding (I've done it just about everywhere) but this might just cross the line - even for me.


Speaking of Jan, did you know her candle company Serenity By Jan has a website? You can actually order candles from it. Check out the scent descriptions and testimonials, they're pretty funny.

Don't Read This...

...if you haven't watched the new episode of LOST yet!

Sweet sassy molassey, how crazy was last night's episode?! MOVE the Island?! Wha-ha-ha-haaaat?! Locke met both Alpert and Abaddon pre-Island - and they tried to recruit him?! Claire is chilling with Christian in Jacob's cabin, apparently high out of her mind?! Locke drew a picture of the black smoke as a child?!



Something I had forgotten from previous episodes is that Locke's mother is named Emily. Remember who else was named Emily? Yep, Benjamin Linus' mother. Are they the same person, or is it a coincidence? Could Locke and Ben be brothers? That would be dramatic for sure, and it would explain why they are both "special" enough to be chosen by the Island. The problem with this theory is that Ben's mom died giving birth to him and in the season one episode "Deus Ex Machina" Locke met his mother - and DNA tests confirmed with 99% certainty that she was who she claimed to be. I think we'll find out that there is a prophecy à la Harry Potter about who the next leader will be which involves being born to a woman named Emily L---- (Locke and Linus have the same number of letters.) Richard Alpert is watching after Locke is born - maybe Horace Goodspeed shows up right as Ben is born because he is being watched in the same way, hoping that he will be the Island's next chosen leader.

Another weird connection is the test that Richard Alpert gave to young John Locke, apparently to find out if he was ready to be recruited to a "gifted school" (which we all know means the Island.) I remembered learning in a World Religions class that a similar test is given to children who are thought to be the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama. Here's part of an article about it:

Officials can decide where to look for the reincarnation [of the Dalai Lama] in several ways: by way of a dream; by watching the direction the smoke drifts after the cremation of the previous Lama and then searching accordingly; or from some sign or vision from a holy lake in central Tibet.

Once found, the officials present the boy with possessions of the previous Dalai Lama to determine whether the boy is familiar with them. If the child chooses the artifacts that belonged to he previous Lama, than that, along with the other signs, is believed to prove he is a reincarnation.

So did those objects belong to Jacob? Or another leader on the Island? Why did choosing the knife cause him to fail the test? It's interesting that the knife was the wrong choice - since that's the object that grownup Locke is always wielding. Maybe it's a sign that he's not being true to his real destiny?

And how about that "Mystery Tales" comic book? The guy with the dark brows looks a lot like the ageless Alpert to me. And notice the floating city.


Thanks to Google, I found out that this comic was published in April 1956 by Atlas Comics (which later became Marvel.) The stories inside include "The Hidden Land!", "A Warning Voice", "The Travelers", and "Crossroads of Destiny". Anyone want to buy a copy on eBay and tell me what the stories say?

I loved the cabin scene, and I'm not embarrassed to admit that I got REALLY scared. As soon as they cue those peeper frogs, I start getting goosebumps. Last night Eric had gone to bed early and there was a huge thunderstorm, so things were set up perfectly for me to get all kinds of freaked out. Then at the exact moment Locke first sees someone sitting in the corner of the cabin, the crappy blinds on our sliding glass door behind me fell off their tracks with a huge crash. I just about peed my pants! I had to do some deep breathing to recover - and then watch The Office to get de-creepified before going to bed.

The Office is Back!

Thursdays are (almost*) right again, starting tonight. Dunder Mifflin employees visit Michael and Jan at their condo for a dinner party and have at least one conversation about Michael having three vasectomies. Not uncomfortable in the least (both the conversation and the vasectomies.) And according to one of the sneak peaks, Jan and I share a hobby: candle making (I wonder if she makes Mandles?) Set up your DVRs!

*They'll be all the way right again when LOST comes back.

Sleep, AI and LOST

Feels like a random post day.

I'm struggling with going to bed at night. I've had this problem my entire life. It's not that I can't fall asleep, it's that I don't want to stop doing what I'm doing and go to bed. You know how little kids never want to go to bed even if they're really tired because they think they're going to miss something? That's me, I guess I never outgrew that. I was up until 3 last night cleaning, working on my Etsy shop, watching TV and reading. Not good.

In better news, my Cadbury Mini Eggs are finally all gone. No more temptation! Until Christmas, anyway. A very good thing for my waistline.

How awesome was David Cook's rendition of "Billie Jean" on American Idol last night? I wish he had gone first, because it would showcase how truly awful Kristy, Carly, and Ramiele were. Kristy's song choice was smart, because people will vote for the pretty blond patriotic girl, but I'm always completely bored and underwhelmed by her vocals, and to be honest that song makes me throw up a little bit. Carly is a great singer but I wish she would stop YELLING everything - not every song has to be powered through. I've been annoyed with her ever since she butchered "Blackbird". Last night she sounded like a mix between Cher and Celine Dion. And Ramiele - just ugh. I hope she goes bye-bye. Brooke White remains one of my favorites for the simple reason that she doesn't belt out every single song - she has some complexity to her voice, and it's not overly trained and forced. Could anyone else tell she was trying really hard not to mouth off to the judges like she usually does? I thought that was funny. And Simon's comment about David Archuleta not picking his own song was interesting given all the rumors about his dad being a pushy stage parent.

Speaking of TV...how am I going to survive the next few weeks without LOST? I might have to rewatch the first 8 episodes of season four. Thoughts about last week's episode - did they really kill off Rousseau?! I saw the bullet go in, but somehow I'm not sure this is the end for her. We've certainly seen characters survive being shot before. There's a lot more to her story (we haven't seen that flashback episode the writers promised not so long ago) and I think she's one of the most interesting characters on the Island, so I hope she's alive. Maybe she'll pull a Locke on us in the next episode. Karl is definitely dead though. Poor Karl. At least he got a cool Star Wars allusion in before he kicked it ("I have a bad feeling about this...")

About Michael; I like the idea that he is trying to redeem himself for betraying his friends. He has always struck me as one of the weakest of the characters when it comes to morals, so it will be interesting to see if he's able to find redemption in his final days. I think he's the one in the coffin (anyone else?)

Why can't Michael kill himself? What does it mean when big gay Tom says "the Island won't let you"? (By the way, I think it's hilarious that Tom used to be the scariest of the Others, and now we find out that he's this jolly gay foodie. Talk about character development.) Here's my out-there theory: it all goes back to destiny. Remember the episode "Flashes Before Your Eyes" where Desmond first time travels? He goes back to his pre-Island life and tries to change things so that he ends up married to Penny instead of on the Island. He finds out that he can't. He meets the mysterious Ms. Hawking, who explains that no matter what he does, he will always end up on the Island because it is his destiny to push the button.

So it must be Michael's destiny to go back to the Island on the freighter and work for Ben, since he's been unsuccessful at three separate suicide attempts. The big question is, how does Tom know that it's his destiny? Here's where it gets even weirder - maybe it's because Tom and Ben can see the future. It's not too much of a stretch - we've already seen this happen with Desmond when he has a vision of Charlie dying. Ben always seems to be three steps ahead of everyone else all the time. I think Ben is able to use the Island's powers to see the future, and I think it has to do with his ability to talk to Jacob. This is why he's so passionate about protecting the Island from being discovered by Widmore or anyone else. Ben knows that it's Michael's destiny to be on the freighter because he's seen it, just like Desmond knew it was Charlie's destiny to die no matter how many times he tried to save his life. It's not that the Island controls destiny, it's that it allows certain people to see what an individual's destiny will be.

Of course I could be completely wrong. But it kind of makes sense, right?

Not Gonna Happen

Last night I read in Real Simple magazine (my favorite bathtub reading experience - because I get too hot if I try to stay in long enough to read a book) that National TV Turnoff Week is coming up. I'm a big fan of the idea in principle, but I have a serious problem with the dates this year: April 21 to 27.

Guess what shows are coming back that week - all on the same day, the 24th? The Office, Lost, and Grey's Anatomy. Yeah, turnoff week isn't going to happen in our household at that particular time. It's like opening a chocolate shop in a little French village during Lent. Although I wouldn't have a problem putting a moratorium on Dora for the week (sorry Sawyer).

Edit: I was wrong about The Office; it's actually coming back on April 10. Much sooner than I thought! I'm still not going to manage to keep my TV off on the 24th though.

LOST Night

Ever since we sprang forward for Daylight Savings, Sawyer has been sleeping in until 9:00 every morning. I've been staying up late at night making soap, reading blogs, practicing yoga, and thoroughly enjoying my late-night alone time, knowing that I can get plenty of sleep by sleeping in late in the morning. Until today, when my little munchkin inexplicably decided to wake up bright-eyed and raring to go at 5:45 a.m. I stayed up until 2 last night. UGH. I lay there for an hour or so while he played with his stuffed animals and read books on the floor. When I couldn't put him off any longer (because he was ready for breakfast) the thought that helped me get out of bed was... "Lost is on tonight!"

I'm trying to remember the last time I was this excited about a TV show, and I can't. There's never been a show like this one that I not only watch every week, but also read about, think about, and talk about in between. It's like one of my favorite books, but in 40 inches of high definition, and I'm only allowed to read a chapter at a time.

Tonight's episode, "Ji Yeon" is a biggie - we're going to find out who the rest of the Oceanic Six are. I've been spoiled on this one, but it will still be exciting to see it confirmed. I have a theory for *why* they are the Six, and I think it's a good one but I'll save it for afterwards so I don't unintentionally give anything away. We're also going to find out who Ben's "man on the boat" is. I haven't read any spoilers on that one (they are out there, but I avoid them like the plague! Which is easier said than done when you read the message boards.) I'm guessing it's Michael. The producers announced last summer that Harold Perrineau is coming back this season, and having him be on the freighter would be a really cool way to bring his character back. I can't think of anyone else who would make sense.

If you're like me and can't get enough Lost, check out some of these sources. They're a great way to pass the time between episodes - and we're about to have a lot of that soon, since after episode 8 next week we won't get another new episode until April 24th.

The Lost Forum. A forum with almost 100,000 members, a great place to talk about theories, reactions, and Easter Eggs. They have a live episode party where you can type as you watch. And they are Nazi-esque when it comes to tagging spoilers, which is great if you're like me and don't want to see them most of the time.

Lost: The Missing Pieces. These are a must-see. If you haven't watched these yet, go do it now! They have key information that wasn't in any of the episodes.

Lost Podcast. Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (or "Darlton" as they're affectionately known on the Lost Forum) talk about the show and answer questions from viewers. They give some important information about the show during these, as well as debunking some commonly held theories (they really aren't all dead!) You can also subscribe to the podcast for free on iTunes. I like to listen to it while I load the dishwasher.

Dark UFO's Screencaps and Easter Eggs If there's an Easter Egg you missed, chances are it will be here, and he posts audio clips sometimes (like when we hear the whispers, or when there is a message hidden in backwards audio). He also links to his site that's all spoilers if that's what you're into.

J. Wood on Powell's Books He's a graduate student at UVA and tackles each episode from a literary and historic perspective. It makes you realize how well read the Lost writers are - allusions galore!

Lostpedia A Lost wiki with just about every informational tidbit about the story, characters, etc. It's great if you can't remember the name of the redheaded anthropologist from the freighter (it's Charlotte Staples Lewis!)



Happy Lost Day!

While we're waiting for The Office to come back...

Enjoy this classic moment from the UK version. During a day of customer service training, David Brent performs songs he wrote as lead singer of the band "Foregone Conclusion." They could've been big.

It's official!

The WGA strike is over! TV Guide announced today that The Office is expected to air six new episodes starting in late April. And Lost is back in production! After the eight episodes already scheduled to air, there will be a four week hiatus, followed by five additional episodes to finish up the season. The time slot for the last five will be Thursdays at 10 pm, after Grey's Anatomy, so when your DVR cuts off the ending of Grey's, don't worry - it will be on the beginning of Lost.

No more strike?

They must have listened to me - Michael Eisner of CNBC says the strike is over. Although no official statement has been released, he claims a verbal deal has been made and will be put into writing over the weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I really really really miss The Office

This is a message for the people involved in the WGA strike: END IT, PLEASE! (I even asked nicely!)

Despite the fact that this is my third post in a row about TV, I don't actually watch that much. But there are a few shows I really love. The Office is one. And since the WGA strike started, I really really miss it. I fell in love with the UK version a few years ago and was very skeptical of the US version when it started. The pilot was not great, and I thought the show was doomed to never live up to its predecessor. Thankfully, I was seriously mistaken. I love this show even more than the original, I think because Michael Scott is a good deal more likable than David Brent. Yeah, he's an idiot, but you can see that he has good (although often misguided) intentions and he has a heart.

This might be my favorite Office moment of all time.

Found...and Lost!

Yesterday was my thirtieth birthday. It was a really nice day, despite the evidence that I am rapidly aging and my life is at least one third of the way over (as my dad so lovingly pointed out.) I started out the day by finding my iPod, which has been missing for the past week. It was in a bag I had already checked a couple of times. I think it was the universe's birthday gift to me. My sister Megan took me to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch, then Eric came home early from work (with flowers!) We got takeout from Outback and spent a quiet evening at home.

If the universe's gift to me was my iPod, ABC's gift to me was the season premiere of LOST! The plan was to watch it together after dinner, but Eric was so tired that he fell asleep with Sawyer at 8:00. As much as I love Eric's company there was no way I was going to wait until the next night to watch it (and it's a good thing I didn't, because he just got called into work tonight so I would have had to wait until tomorrow!) So I watched it by myself. I got completely freaked out by the part where Hurley is in the jungle and sees Jacob's cabin. But man, what a great episode! As always, there were a few answers, but a lot more questions. I've spent way too much time today reading on lost-forum.com and trying to figure out what the heck is going on. (Lost Media has a great summary that clarifies a few key points, by the way.)

I love the device of using the flash-forwards, but presenting them backwards, so we're moving from the future towards the present moment. It's a brilliant way to create suspense. I was totally proud of myself when I immediately knew the one driving the car was Hurley - I recognized the car from season three. If I hadn't just watched it, there's no way I would have remembered that, but still - any time I guess right about this show I feel proud.

One cool thing I found out on the boards today: the man Hurley saw in the rocking chair in the cabin was Christian Shepard, Jack's father. It's too dark to really tell but someone took a screencap of it and adjusted the lighting and it's very clear that it's him. Of course, this being the creepy island where crazy stuff happens, that doesn't mean that he's alive, or real, just that Hurley saw him. (Screencap from Screencaps and Easter Eggs)


The big question at the end of this episode: Who are the Oceanic Six? We know Jack, Kate and Hurley left the island somehow. So who are the other three? And why did they agree to leave everyone else behind? It seems that after getting rescued they lied and claimed to be the only survivors of the crash, and this is what is wracking Hurley and Jack with so much guilt. Why would their silence be a condition of rescue? My guess (and hope!) is that we'll continue to see the flash-forwards (going backwards) until we get to the point of the rescue and find out what happened. Next week can't come fast enough.

Ready to get LOST?

I am! It's been many long months since the last new episode and I cannot wait for the story to start up again. I've been watching season three on Blu-Ray (which is amazing!) and I just can't get over what a great show it is, especially when watching the episodes straight through and back to back. I have a horrible memory for plots so I tend to get lost when there's a week or more between episodes. Watching them all in a row I *almost* feel like I know what's going on. Almost.

The season four premiere is on my birthday. I'll be spending all day thinking about what's going to happen in an effort to forget that I'm turning 30 (GAH!) There are plenty of questions to ponder: Who is on the freighter off shore? Do they get rescued? Do Jack and Kate end up choosing to leave some people behind, as the "flash-forward" seemed to imply? And who was in the coffin in Jack's future? Is Jacob real? Will Sun be able to have her baby and survive? Is Locke going to take over as the new leader of The Others? Oh, and how much weirder can those people get? And most importantly - will the WGA strike end in time for us to eventually get a full season?

I love this commercial

Sometimes it's the innocence of a child that makes you realize just how big your butt really is.

I just can't figure out why Americans are fat...

Just thinking about eating this is enough motivation for me to stick to my diet for AT LEAST another week.

"Foux de Fa Fa"

If you haven't seen Flight of the Conchords yet, you really should. It is by far the best comedy on TV right now (at least, until The Office starts back up again in September - then I'll have a tough time deciding). If you don't have HBO, check it out on YouTube - although you'll have to hurry, because a lot of them are getting yanked for copyright infringement. Here's a thought-provoking song - "Issues: Think About It" which poses the very valid question, "Why we still payin' so much for sneakers when you got them made by little slave kids?"


Here's another of them performing on Letterman a couple of months ago. "You're definitely in the top three good looking girls on the street - depending on the street."


And one more - a French fantasy. Anyone who's taken French 1 will understand the whole thing.