Game of Thrones, Bates Motel, and Working....

Hey, hey...I hope you guys have been having a good week...I'm doing alright, still super busy with everything...but, no one wants to hear me going on and on about work, so I'll skip that...

What did you think about the latest episode of Game of Thrones?

I thought that the episode was pretty good...there are a few story developments that I thought were a bit unexpected:

- I don't know why, but I was genuinely surprised that Littlefinger arranged for Sansa to marry Ramsay Bolton. I mean, come on!! Ramsay is a freakin' BOLTON!! The family responsible for that little thing we call the Red Wedding!!! I know that Ramsay 'gave his word' to Littlefinger that he would never hurt Sansa, but I don't think that even means anything...I mean, the only one that might be less 'worth his word' in all of Westeros than a Bolton wold be Littlefinger. Geez. Poor Sansa...

Margaery + Tommen = 4 - Eva!

- I wasn't expecting the wedding of Tommen and Margaery to come quite as quickly as it did. Maybe I didn't think it was in the works yet because of the blatant lack of fanfare...though, I don't know if it would even be possible to top all of the fanfare of the previous royal wedding. And I'm pretty sure I can't be the only one that found the whole 'wedding night' scene to be more than a touch creepy...I'm not exactly sure how old TV show Tommen is supposed to be, but I know that book Tommen is rather young...like, not even a teenager young! Soooooo, congratulations to Margaery for marrying a man-child with such, umm, natural prowess....but, it's still creepy.

- I'm seriously confused by the things going on with Arya while she's in the House of Black and White...not sure if all the secrecy is part of her padawan training, but we aren't given much to work with at all. I don't know whether I should be afraid for her character or if I should be anticipating a make-over of bad ass proportions...

- How about Jon Snow seriously manning up?!? Seriously! I've always more or less liked his character, so I'm glad to see that he's striving to be a man that's worth his word...


Other than GoT, I've been watching the latest season of Bates Motel...

Bates is on it's third season...I watched the first one on a Netflix binge-watching spree. I really liked it...but when I tried to watch the second season as it aired, I found it rather, 'meh.' So, I just waited until the entire second season was available on Netflix and then binge-watched the whole thing...

I thought that the third season would be the same way, but I'm pleasantly surprised to find that it isn't! It's one of the few shows that I make an effort to watch each episode as it airs. [Or I'll watch the newest episode on the A&E website...but I've been watching each episode before the next one airs! Progress, I tell ya...]

It's a really good show...It's supposed to be chronicling the life of Norman Bates 'pre-Psycho.' I've never seen the movie, so I'm not really sure at what point all of the build-up is supposed to end...but I'm a fan, so far! The story is just darkly-twisted enough to keep me intrigued...it's like...a small town that really tries to be the picturesque, white picket fence town that it portrays itself to be, but there's always an undeniable trace of some menacing evil working just beneath the surface...It's good!!

Alrighty...I've got to get back to work...hope to post again soon!

Hello There, Daydream Boyfriend: Commitment (The Movie)

Last night, I was mindlessly browsing through Netflix and you won't believe what I found...

/Fangirling

It's my daydream boyfriend! On my Netflix! Ridiculous or not, I'm taking this as a sign...we loves me, he just doesn't know it yet! [hahaha okay...that sounds creepy and desperate...it's meant to be read with 99.9% sarcasm...the other .1% is definitely wishful thinking...]

A couple of weeks ago, I watched one of the other Korean movies on Netflix...so now I've got a "Because you watched ______" grouping that brings me all sorts of Korean movies and dramas...

As I was scrolling through them [still very much a noob to the world of Korean entertainment], I remembered reading that T.O.P. did some acting in addition to his swoon-worthy singing. Not knowing how popular his acting works were nor how popular the Korean movies/dramas on Netflix actually are...I wasn't sure if any of his stuff would be available. So, I was delightfully surprised to run across this movie!

*** Potential spoiler alerts ahead!!***

The movie was pretty good...surprisingly good compared to all of the other Korean movies/dramas that I've seen. I had to watch the movie with it's English subtitles, but I didn't find it difficult to keep up with the dialogue. Luckily, I'm a ridiculously fast reader and I love subtitled anime and movies...but I realize that most people do not share my love for subtitled, foreign films. So, please do keep the language difference in mind if you decide to watch this movie.

I thought the overall flow of the movie was very good. There is only one particular spot in the movie that stood out to me as feeling a bit out of place: there's a bit of a rumble involving some good ol' fashioned school bully douchebaggery...immediately following a brief clip of our hero and damsel seemingly removed from the fight scene but without any explanation as to where they have moved to. [No transition, no explanation...and his jacket does a random disappearing act only to reappear a few seconds later] The next scene shows our hero back in his classroom and the rest of the story line flows just fine. It's a very minor point, and I know I'm probably the only non-critic that even noticed it...

Such a cutie!

The movie has got a fair bit of action, some heartbreaking espionage, and sheds a little light on the complexity of North/South relations...I'll admit, I know next to nothing about North/South relations outside of what we can see on the news and the news websites that I read [which, I presume, is also mostly America-generated]. I know that all news channels/sites spin each story to some extent, so I'm not naive enough to believe that everything I see, read, or hear is the absolute, 100%, unadulterated truth. And I was too young to have been told the grittier side of things when I lived in Korea...and that was over 20 years ago anyway...I'm sure things have changed since then...but yeah. I'm still a bit confused over some of the dynamics that were portrayed in this movie...I'll be asking my cousin about it later.

All things considered, I definitely recommend this movie. When you find yourself needing something to watch, pick this one!

/Swoon

Still not completely sure you wanna watch this movie?

It's almost two hours of watching my daydream boyfriend...he's a spy, kicks serious tail, and goes to any length to try and protect those close to him. He rides a motorcycle, stands up to bullies, and plays the piano. Did I mention he rides a motorcycle? [/chuckle me likey the motorcycle]

I'm Still Here!

Hey guys!

It gets better...right? Right?!?

Seems that I've managed to take yet another unplanned hiatus from blogging...my apologies, and I hope that the last week has treated you well...

I survived yet another week's worth of an overwhelming workload.

I'll be the first to agree that it's better to be busy than bored...but being swamped for three weeks is ridiculous! As of now, I haven't been told that I need to work through the weekend...but I wouldn't be surprised if that changed. [Here's to hoping that it doesn't!]

Unfortunately, I don't have anything terribly exciting to post about at the moment.

/Squee!

When I haven't been glued to my work computer, I've been
catching up on the latest few episodes on Arrow and Supernatural...when I'm not watching either of those, I've found myself re-watching some episodes of Ouran...I don't usually go back and re-watch an anime once I've finished it, but I really like this one. I think that a big portion of it's appeal is that it's a funny anime rather than a dramatic or action-y one....most of the others that I've watched revolve around battles or missions of some sort...I like that there isn't some complicated story line to keep up with Ouran [well...aside from the gender-confusion around Haruhi, that is].

So, it seems that Ouran is going to be my go-to anime for a feel-good, relaxing evening...at least until I find another one that I like as much as I like Ouran...

/sigh

I've got some stuff to take care of [I've been procrastinating for far too long]...will post again soon!

Love Netflix, Loathe Mean People...

For anyone who might be confused on the issue...

Trivializing someone else's concerns/frustrations is not helpful. Not at all.

In fact, it's quite the opposite.

By doing so, you'll very likely find yourself added to that person's already bothersome list of frustrations.

You'd think that society would have evolved enough to have such fundamental social niceties hardwired to the point of being a default response...but it's not. Far from it.

Am I referring to a particular experience? Yep.
Am I blowing it out of proportion? Probably.
Is the inevitable realization that I am likely overreacting something that I plan to acknowledge? /sigh...do I have to?

Ugh.

You know...there's a definite downside to constant self-reflection...

9/10, I reach the point of realizing the faults in my behavior...and 9/10 I feel obligated to adjust it...and then 9/10 I end up feeling guilty over the way I handled my reaction to the situation...[note that at no point is an apology from the other party mentioned...nope...]

/siiiiiigh. Okay. I'm resigning myself to about 45 seconds worth of self-contained seething...

/seethe /seethe /seethe /seethe

Alright...so that's that...

I really miss my Netflix. Way more than I should probably miss a streaming video service. Netflix trumps interactions with terrible people every time.

In other news...

I am about 5 episodes from being caught up with Arrow....

I don't think I could put into words how much I love this show! It really is that good! [If you haven't been watching the show...you should start catching up on it now so that you don't end up 10 seasons behind like I did with Supernatural...]

This chick...she's
amazing...

And I adore Felicity Smoak...can we just talk about how amazing her character is? Yeah, there are other strong female characters, but Felicity is my favorite, by far...

She's brilliant, witty, and awkward...and yet she's also confident in her abilities and she stands up for her beliefs, no matter who the naysayer is...

She's quirky and adorable and she definitely holds her own in the midst of a cast of characters that should be overwhelming...pretty sure that Felicity Smoak is my spirit animal /grin...

Been there, too.../ouch lol

Achievement Unlocked: Poughkeepsie...

I've finally done it...

And there was much rejoicing...

I've finished all nine of the seasons of Supernatural on Netflix!

Luckily, I'd set the current season to record on my DVR so that I wouldn't have to wait until it came out on DVD or Netflix before getting to watch it.

It feels a little odd to have finished all of the episodes on Netflix...

Watching Supernatural has been my 'go to' thing for months...now, what will I do?

I've still got the episodes of the current season...but I should be finished watching them in about a week or so. Then, I'll be caught up. And then I'll join the ranks of those who have to wait a minimum of a week between episodes?!? And what if the show goes on one of those ridiculous extended breaks?!? /faint

On the brighter side, I'll finally be able to join those who like to talk about what's currently happening on the show...no more worrying about accidentally reading a spoiler!

/ponders

Okay, I guess it isn't all tragedy.

Not much else exciting going on right now...

The kiddo starts back to school tomorrow [he's protested it pretty much all day today].

That also means that I have to go back to work tomorrow, too [which I've also protested pretty much all day today].

It's probably for the best, though. The lack of schedule that comes along with the holidays has really done a number on my already feeble sanity...

Well, I've got to go and attempt to reinstate the 'school night' bedtime...followed by a long overdue date with my DVR...wish me luck! [With both! I've heard some pretty dismal things about the current season...]

Oooh! I wonder if it unlocks new content!

Fantastic Monday! [Now There's An Oxymoron...]

A few things that I'm excited about:

- This afternoon, I made the decision that I'm going to start reading my kiddo The Hobbit for his bedtime story. He's very much into playing out adventures and what better story to use as an introduction to more 'adult' literature? I gave him a 2-minute break down of the basics of the story, and he's thrilled! I'll be sure to post how the initial reading goes...

- I finally decided on what to get the kiddo as his 'big' gift this year...I placed an order for Amazon's Fire HD Tablet, Kids Edition. The specs are pretty fantastic for the price and it comes with a 2-year 'worry free guarantee,' which sounds like they'll replace the tablet, no questions asked. Definitely a plus! [He and I are both accident-prone...so, it'll be one less thing for me to have to keep a constant eye out for...if it breaks, no big deal!] In addition to the guarantee, it comes with a year's subscription to Amazon's 'Free Time' app service...this is the bit that allows for parental control over content and duration...I'm hoping it works as well as it's supposed to. And if worst comes to worst, I'll have a Fire HD tablet if my kiddo ends up not playing with it very much. [I read on multiple sites that if you disable the Free Time mode, the tablet is a regular Fire HD tablet. Completely adult friendly.]

- I was able to order pizza for dinner tonight for virtually free! Thank you Papa John's points! [Know what happens when you have happy pizza purchasers? Great tips for their beloved delivery drivers!! Add to that the increased tipping tendencies of a former food industry worker, and you've got the makings for something great! Hear that, Papa Johns? Keep up the great work!!]

- I fully intend to watch about 600+ hours of Supernatural tonight! [Am I exaggerating? /shrug Yeah, probably...]

I hope you all are having an excellent Monday...here's to a great week!

See? Jensen/Dean knows what's up!

Thoughts On Death Note....

Well...I just finished watching Death Note.

Overall, I thought the series was...umm....interesting, I suppose.

Netflix has the series listed as having only one season with 37 episodes. However, as characters and motives change due to the progression of the story line, I think that it's acceptable to view the entire series as having two definitive parts....

Okay. If you haven't watched the show yet and think that you might like to watch it at some point...you should stop reading this post now...some of the things I'm about to say about the show are going to be MAJOR SPOILERS...now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I'll continue...

L

Those who are familiar with the anime or manga know that this odd looking character is L. [L is the brains behind the operation that is trying to capture Kira] He is odd and quirky but he is undeniably a genius...[this is proven several times during the anime]

Bahahaha!

At first, I found his character to be off-putting and rather annoying...but as the story progressed, he quickly became my favorite character. I mean, what's not to like? He's brilliant, self-assured, and delivers some of the funniest lines in the anime...the little comic strip to the right? That's an actual scene from the show...hilarious!

Anyway...somewhere around the halfway mark of the series, L dies. Guys...L dying, to me, was a slightly less scarring version of Harry Potter's Snape dying. [Yes, yes...the death of Snape was much more gut wrenching...but this character death is definitely up there...]

I can understand why L's character had to die for the sake of the story...well, kind of...but this was a pivotal point for me. I found the series to be far less interesting once L was no longer a key player. The absence of his character changed the show to the point that I almost stopped watching it...obviously I continued on to finish the series...but, honestly? I didn't really want to.

Light Yagami

This handsome looking fellow to the left is Light Yagami, pretty sure that it's alright to say that he's the main character of the story.

As the story begins, Light is introduced as a very intelligent high school senior [he boasts the best test scores in Japan] who has the brightest of futures ahead of him. His father is Chief of the Japanese Police Force, a detail that Light eventually uses to his advantage.

Light is the first human that encounters the Death Note dropped by the shinigami Ryuk [I mentioned Ryuk in my previous post on Death Note] and he ultimately becomes the mastermind behind all the Kira killings and the fallout that follows.

Light's character development is...well...it's crazy! He begins with intentions that are, for the most part, 'good.' He aims to rid the world of evil doers and criminals, and he's found ways to do so utilizing the Death Note...but it doesn't take long at all before his intentions become warped into something much, much more sinister.

Truer words have never been
meme'd...

Before you know it, Light has become determined to become the new 'god' of his idea of a Utopian world...one that has been shaped and groomed by himself acting as Kira. It becomes clear that Light intends on achieving this goal through pretty much whatever means are necessary...Light goes so far as to using deaths of his family members to insure his coming out on top...which is just plain dirty.

The depth and detail that Light puts into his plans are remarkable. He is able to correctly anticipate people's actions even months in advance...so, in that aspect, he's quite impressive. There's one twist that occurs shortly before L's death that definitely had me giving him mental applause...but his thought processes are just too insidious to overlook and, in my opinion, render him unlikable. At the end of the story, Light had zero redeeming qualities. None. And that's a lot coming from a girl who typically sympathizes with the bad guy!

Though, I definitely give the writers credit...the progression of Light from innocent high school senior to world dominating sociopath is extremely well-done. By the end of the series, Light becomes a character that is truly unsettling...watch the last episode...tell me that his laughter isn't that of a maniacal villain!!

The 'Post-L' portion of the show focused heavily on Light's interactions with Misa as he manipulates her to fit into his Kira plans.

Misa's the blonde...not the
shinigami behind her...

I really, really dislike Misa's character. Really dislike her.

She's the second human that encounters a Death Note...she becomes the first 'Second Kira' in the story...and she goes to outrageous lengths to meet up with Kira/Light. The story says that she's infatuated with Kira due to him killing the murderer of her parents, but then she meets Light and 'falls in love' with him and the fact that he's Kira.

I was very disappointed that her character never developed any real depth...throughout the whole series, she's just this gullible, stereo-typically dumb 'pretty girl' who will do literally anything Light asks her to just because she fell in love with him at first sight.

I mean...seriously.

Misa goes along with whatever Light says [she even goes so far as to sacrifice half of her remaining life span, twice!] in hopes of being useful to him so that he might love her back. It's pathetic.

But...the introduction of Misa and therefore the second Death Note does create more complexity for the story...and it gets interesting at times to see how Light manages to juggle not just one, but two Death Notes. [But I still don't like Misa. Nope.]

What else....

Oh, yes. Near.

Near

Near steps in and fills the role as L's true successor [After L's death, Light fills in as the replacement L for the media and what not...but Light isn't actually going to pursue Kira now, is he?]. The story reveals that L and two younger potential successors grew up together in the same orphanage. The two younger ones, Near and Mellow, seems to be at odds over who will be L's true successor...L didn't have the chance to pick one of them before he died. Mellow, the older of the two, gets frustrated at this and relinquishes the role to Near [though, as I'm sure you'd predict, Mellow leaves to pursue Kira on his own].

As a stand alone character, Near is very likable...but as a successor to L? Meh...not so much.

Oddly enough, I can't really pinpoint a reason why I didn't like Near...I think it's because I liked L as much as I did.

In the end, Near is able to out-smart the officially-lost-his-fruit-loops Light, prove that Light is Kira, and expose the second Kira [X-Kira, at this point] all in one fell swoop. Everything goes down inside of an abandoned warehouse...and the scene begins with Near wearing an L mask. That was creepy...

Wait...what?!?

The series has one of the most 'wtf' endings that I've seen to date.

Light has a clear mental breakdown, X-Kira dies with an actual geyser of blood spurting from his chest, and Ryuk has a few words to say before he writes Light's name in his Death Note...

 I grabbed a screenshot from a YouTube video of the blood geyser scene...I'm not going to post the actual video [you're more than welcome to look it up, if you'd like...the character's name is Mikami...] but that should give you a good idea of how crazy Death Note's ending is...

I've read that there have been a few post-production thing released that kind of elaborate on the story's ending and some of the events that happened afterwards...but I'm really not interested in watching them. [That is, with the exception of the one showing Ryuk's thoughts on the whole thing...that, I'd watch...]

Overall...I think Death Note is a good anime, and I suppose that I would recommend it. But once you reach the point that L dies, feel free to skip to the last two episodes or so...but beware of the L-masked Near...there are something that you can't un-see!!

Hey There Mister Creepy Eyes...

Hey, hey, hey!

Hope this Tuesday evening finds you doing well...

Not much for me to complain about at the moment aside from the nagging headache that I'm currently hosting...I'm thinking I can thank the ever-lovely Alabama weather for the headache. Crazy swings in temperatures are pretty normal for good ole Bama...but they're still a huge pain. Average temperatures dropped a good 20-30 degrees [brr!] and we're looking at temps climbing back another 20 degrees or so by this weekend...crazy stuff, I tell ya! I really don't mind the cold, [I'm one of the few Bama residents that actually likes the cold...] but I need some semblance of consistency!

Death Note

Still working my way through Death Note...

It's a pretty short series...there are only 37 episodes available on Netflix. [Madoka had 12 episodes and Ouran had 26...] I'm thinking I could probably finish the series in about a week, maybe two, unless I pick up watching Supernatural again....

One of the main reasons that I've waited so long to start watching Death Note is the sheer creepiness of the guy with the crazy eyes in the background of this picture...[I've since learned that his name is Ryuk. He's a shinigami {literally meaning 'death god'} that's gotten bored and decided to toy around with humans for a bit]

Turns out that I rather like Ryuk. He's much funnier than I'd anticipated...not funny enough to completely override the fact that he doesn't have eyelids [which is always creepy. Always.].

I'm trying really hard not to accidentally spoil anything about this series...I spend so much time mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest for anime stuff, that I'll stumble on some of the bigger twists for different series without even meaning to...[it happened when I was looking through some Madoka pins...I managed to accidentally learn about the 'big twist' of episode 3 before getting to watch it...it definitely took some of the 'oomph' out of it]

More anime/life posts soon!

Need A Distraction? Try Anime!

Nothing really noteworthy to recap from this past weekend...nothing I feel like disclosing anyway...nothing like a weekend full of parenting woes to truly bring a smile to your face! [That last bit is written with so much sarcasm, even Chandler Bing would flinch...]

Chandler Bing...a character that
I might have more in common with
than I originally thought...

Nostalgia for fantastic 90's sitcoms aside, parenting can suck. Single parenting can suck twice as much. But, this is not new news to anyone, myself included....so I'm just going to gloss over all of the painful, wince-inducing details and skip on over to better, more entertaining things...such as anime! [Yeah, yeah...roll your eyes if you must, but sometimes getting lost in a good story is the best way to cope with all the suckage that life brings!]

Sadly, I finished up Ouran High School Host Club on Friday. I enjoyed the series much more than I'd anticipated...I don't think I've ever watched a comedy sort of anime, I usually watch ones that are more action-based and have an element of comedy as an added bonus. It was definitely an enjoyable change of pace. 

Over the weekend, I watched the Madoka Magica series. [Puella Magi Madoka Magica, to be exact...thank goodness Netflix has the show listed under the shorter, more manageable title...]

Madoka appeared on several 'anime recommendation' lists that I'd checked out. What piqued my interest was the repeated mentioning of a dark twist that carried through the series despite the outward appearance of a saccharin sweet 'magic girl' anime. Even Netflix got in on the action...the little tagline under the title said "look no further than this series if you're looking to get your dark fix!" Come on...who can resist something like that!

I wanted to like this series...I really, really wanted to like this series...but I'm afraid I found it rather disappointing. 

I think that a big portion of my disappointment can be attributed to having read anything about the series before watching it. I started the series with the expectation of a huge, blind-siding plot twist...and wound up feeling like the 'big twist' was rather...meh.

Though, if I were to be honest, the 'shocking turning point' of the story occurs rather early in the series, in episode 3. That particular point is a bit jarring and can very easily catch you off-guard...but it's nowhere near 'genre-bending,' especially if you know that it's coming.

This is Kyubey...he is terrible!

There are some aspects of the series that I did like...I really liked that there are multiple animation techniques that are used, the style changes as the characters enter into different scenarios. I thought this was a clever method of bringing attention to the stark differences between the good and evil elements of the story. 

I also think that the series did a decent job of trying to portray a different side to the typical 'ruffles and glitter' presentation of the 'magical girl' anime genre...but.../sigh I just didn't love the series. 

Oh well...I would still recommend the show to anyone who has even the tiniest bit of interest...just because I didn't love the series doesn't mean that you won't. 

I started watching Deathnote last night. I'm about 3 episodes in and it seems promising so far...I'll be sure and let you guys know what I think of the series when I finish it...

And I swear that one of these days I'll finally get caught up on Supernatural...don't think I've forgotten about my Winchester boys!

More Awesome Anime!

Hey guys...

I know it's been a few days since my last post...there's been quite a bit of personal/family/moody stuff going on, so...yeah, I hadn't even thought of posting, my apologies..

To make it up to you guys, I'm going to introduce you to two amazing anime series!

The Devil is a Part-Timer

First up is "The Devil is a Part-Timer." This is a series that my brother recommended to me a few weeks back...his exact words were, "you need to watch it. It's hilarious!"

Quite a sales pitch, if you ask me! Hilarity and anime? What more could you ask for?

My brother was spot-on with this one!

As you've probably noticed, I'm not very good at describing anime...but I'll give it a shot!

This anime follows a...umm...interesting cast of characters, to say the least...the main characters are Sadao Maou/Satan and Emi Yusa/Emilia Justina. Emilia is the hero whose life mission is to defeat and destroy Satan, no matter what. The plot twist? Just as Satan is poised to take over the world, he travels through a dimensional gate and finds himself in modern-day Tokyo. How does a now magic-less/powerless evil demon overlord survive and function in Tokyo? That, folks, is the premise of the show!

It's funny, charming, and witty enough to make you want to binge-watch the series [which you can do! Thanks, Netflix!]. To make up for my lack of descriptive writing skills, above is a short trailer for the show...

Ouran High School Host Club

Up next is Ouran High School Host Club!

Don't worry, the show itself isn't as nauseatingly tacky as the picture...ok, maybe it is, but don't let it deter you...you'd miss out on a great series!

The show follows a ragtag group of wealthy high school boys. The boys that make up the Host Club are all very different from each other...and yet, they all seem to complement each other...again, it's hard to explain...

I ran across this title while I was trying to find another series similar to Devil is a Part-Timer...I was very skeptical of it, it looked super-cheesy...but I decided to give it a shot on Netflix and was hooked by the second episode!

I wasn't able to find a trailer for the show, so the video is the first episode...or that's what the YouTube description said, I don't have the time to watch the entire thing at the moment...

There you have it! Two more anime series that have my own personal stamp of approval!

Enjoy! ^_^

Thank Goodness for Netflix...

Ever feel like you're just shouting into the void?

/sigh Don't know what I'd do without my Netflix...

Binge-watch more Supernatural? I think yes.

At least Dean approves...

Supernatural...

As I'm sure you guys have probably noticed, I have a tendency to binge-watch absurd amounts of a TV show for a couple weeks at a time... [If you've been following my blog, you've seen me go through Naruto, Arrow, and Fairy Tail phases already] My current television obsession??

/swoon

I know this show has been around for a good while, the 10th season is set to start up on October 7...the 10th season!! [Do you know how many episodes of Supernaturally-charged goodness that means I get to watch?!?]

Over the years, I've dated a couple of guys who were really big on following the show, but I never really watched it myself. Now that I'm watching it, I can't help but wonder why I haven't been watching all along. I mean, it's a show with ridiculously handsome men, other-worldly baddies, ridiculously handsome men, one bad ass Impala, and ridiculously handsome men.

Did I mention the ridiculously handsome men??

Dean Winchester [Jensen Ackles] is currently my favorite...he's the older of the two brothers and has the most bewitching green eyes on the planet. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good looking dude with a bad ass car...

Then, there's Dean's younger brother, Sam [Jared Padalecki]. I'm pretty sure this picture is from an earlier season of the show...his hair seems to get longer with each season. He isn't smiling in this picture, but he's got dimples that are just about the cutest thing that I've ever seen!





Fangirl swooning aside, it's a really good show. I'm only 4 seasons in, and I've seen the show tackle some pretty intense topics [family relationships, faith, loyalty, hidden agendas...]. Thanks to the aforementioned ex's, I'm vaguely familiar with the main storyline up until about season 6...but I'm trying my best to watch the series all the way through without skipping too much.

They're just adorable :)

If you haven't watched the show, I recommend that you do.

If you're like me and are/were harboring some sort of nonsensical reason to abstain from the show, stop. Stop being silly and watch the show. It's awesomeness greatly surpasses whatever nasty former relationship thoughts/feelings that it might conjure up.

If you like the show, leave me a comment/send me an email/contact me through psychic means...we should be friends!

I know that I've left a lot of amazing characters and actors/actresses out of this post, but it's only because the post would be forever long if I tried to mention all of the awesomeness...besides...I've still got 4 more seasons left on Netflix, season 9 to find on DVD, and then season 10 starts in about a week...there will be more Supernatural posts. It's inevitable.

That's a video of Dean/Jensen singing to Eye of the Tiger...not even gonna try and deny it, it's in this post just for me ;) 

More Arrow Please!

I completely forgot to add what I'd found out about Arrow yesterday...

I found out that the second season of Arrow isn't available on Netflix. There are few episodes available on Hulu, but they're mid-season episodes and there are only half a dozen or so that you can watch in their entirety. Also checked the CW website, and it's pretty much the same as Hulu. 

This makes me seriously sad, guys. How can Netflix enable binge-watching of shows and not provide all of the completely aired seasons?!? 

/Swoon

Stephen Amell is just too stinkin' adorable! I did find out the the second season will be available on BluRay and DVD in September. I will be purchasing it...assuming that I'll have the funds to do so...Adding an unexpected car payment on top of already tight finances will certainly put a hindrance on buying things for entertainment. 

And, just because...

He's ab-solutely right...someone please give him my contact info! ;)

Kindergarten And The Green Arrow...

Hey Guys! Hope you're having a good morning so far...

Just dropped my kiddo off for his first day of "big kid school" not too long ago. Everything went just as smoothly as I hoped it would, no complaints about the actual drop-off at all! The parents were told several times that we are not to accompany our children into the school, and I was a bit worried that my kiddo would freak out about having to walk into the relatively unknown building all by himself, but he did great! I can't wait to pick him up this afternoon and listen to all the stories that he's going to have about his first day!

I did one of the overly-sentimental mom things and made a chalkboard sign for his first day of kindergarten.

Not actual photo of my child! 

It's got today's date on it, says his "first day of kindergarten," and then lists some of the his favorite things right now, what he wants to be when he grows up, and stuff that I'll want to remember such as his height and weight. I plan on making a similar sign on the last day of the school year, I think it will be fun to see how much he changes during the year!

As some of you may have read, yesterday was my birthday. I survived another year! Woohoo! I intended to write a post summarizing the past year with some witty humor and profound wisdom sprinkled in, and then I managed to wreck my car...so, yeah. I will still write the post, but probably not until later on tonight. 

However, I do want to mention that I finally finished watching the first season of Arrow! I started watching the show (based on the DC comics character the Green Arrow) about a month or so ago at the suggestion of one of my buddies, and I'm helplessly hooked on the show.

The show has an amazing cast!

The first season of the show chronicles Oliver Queen's return from being stranded on an uncharted island for 5 years. His family had thought both he and his father to be dead for the years Oliver was missing, and unfortunately Oliver's father does not make the return trip home with his son.

The first couple episodes of the show were a bit hard to get through, but I think that's pretty common with most shows. It takes a while to get truly interested in the story line and the development of the characters. I'll be the first to admit that I had written off Oliver Queen's character as a Bruce Wayne knock-off, but I'll happily admit that I was wrong and that the Oliver Queen/Green Arrow story line should definitely be given a chance.

 Stephen Amell stars as the show's Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow aka the Hood. In my opinion, he does an excelled job bringing the character to life and portraying the mind-boggling amount of growth that is experienced by Oliver at different points in the story arc.

Plus, you've got to admit he's certainly easy on the eyes...not saying that him being devastatingly handsome is the only reason to watch the show, but it certainly doesn't hurt!

As far as eye candy goes, I'm also a fan of Oliver's best friend, Tommy Merlyn, as well as the actor who plays him, Colin Donnell. Tommy holds his own as Oliver's best friend, most of the time is equally funny, charming, and witty. And he's got the whole dark hair/blue eyes combo going on...gets me every time.

Another character that I have come to love is Felicty Smoak played by Emily Bett Rickards. Felicity has a very minor role at first, she works in the IT department of Queen Enterprises, and both Oliver and his step-father, Walter, approach Felicity for help on various tasks. I absolutely love Felicity's character! She's brilliant (at some point in the show you learn that she's a MIT graduate), she's funny, and painfully awkward. Some of the interactions between Felicity and Oliver are so awkward, you'll literally cringe...for example:

Yikes...

No worries, Felicity...I'm right there with you. 

So, if you haven't checked out Arrow yet, I suggest that you do! The complete first season can be found on Netflix, and I know that some of the second season can be found on Hulu...I'm going to see if I can find the complete second season online somewhere. 

I'll leave you guys with this small montage of ridiculously adorable pictures of Oliver and Tommy (Stephen and Collin) hanging out together. Seriously, I love these two! Add them to the list of celebrities that I need to meet in real life...