Jamie's Life Update

Kacey's blog was so awesome and completely accurate in highlighting what to look for in a neighborhood that I hate to point out one tiny inaccuracy. But that's what sisters do, right? Kacey indicated our conversation was over Skype the other day, but we have actually moved on from Skype. We are now Google Hangout people. I don't know if you are aware, but on Google Hangout you can wear a tiara. Also a scuba mask, various mustaches, an eyepatch... even a monocle! It's kind of amazing. You can do other things like share screens, but that tends to make my Internet break. So mostly, it's all about the tiara.

Kacey missed a couple other things that have kept me from blogging, and I want to be honest with all of you that I have disappointed with my lack of posts.

First, I have been watching entirely too much TV. I mean, I've only added two new shows: Revolution, which is fantastic, in case you aren't watching and Elementary, and as I suspected there is no such thing as too much Sherlock. Although I may add Scandal so that Meryl will stop peer pressuring me about it, oh, and probably Arrow....so I guess that will make four new shows. It's a little much. I mean, with Alphas overlapping with the start of network TV, Monday alone has gotten out of control. Plus, as Kacey noted, baseball is still happening (and I love October!). Not to mention all the Presidential debates. I have been watching so much TV that I haven't had time to blog about TV.

Because of that, I had fallen behind a bit in my reading, but it is back with a vengeance. With an assist from the library and some stuff I was waiting on finally coming in, I have been tearing through the books the last couple weeks. I also find that when I am waiting to hear on a house or an inspection and I wake up at 6am on a Saturday or Sunday because I can't sleep, then I can usually knock out a book by around 9 or 10. House buying is incredibly stressful, and somewhat roller coaster-esque. Thankfully I have amazing agents who help me tremendously.

I didn't even get up my fave five from September, and it was good. Quickly: Googling anyone’s Bacon number (as in Kevin Bacon, not the delicious food), Chris Kluwe's amazing openletter, Parks and Rec star Retta's tweets about watching Buffy, AlexCarpenter's awesome reaction songs to the 5 new Doctor Who episodes, and AmyPoehler’s YouTube channel Smart Girls at the Party.

I will try harder though. I will get up a review of Fall TV with some thoughts on where all these shows are going (or how they are ending) by this weekend. And maybe even a little pre-election post. I think it's important to pull out the soap box from time to time.

 

Books read: 41 (BAM, said the lady! Best of the last little group was Divergent, which was amazing, and I am currently reading Robin Wasserman's very intriguing Book of Blood and Shadow)

 

Coming Soon: Sarah writes a tell-all of the celebrity dogs that are staying at the dog hotel. Using, of course, very discreet fake names like Rooby Boo and his annoying little friend Dappy.

Jamie's Fave Five for May

May was officially our month with the most posts ever.  Yay!  Not too bad, huh? I know what you’re thinking, Jamie, you completely dominated the posting in May.  What happened?  I don’t know.  And I really hate to get your expectations up like that and then have to deliver again.  But I’m confident we can at least get close.  Kacey is almost done with school, which should free up a little time for her (well, when she’s not busy applying for jobs), and we all know Sarah has a pile of posts that she’s working on.  And I have some ideas.  Stay tuned.

But since another month has gone by I’m going to try and stick with this whole fave five thing.  Two months makes it a thing, right? So here’s what I was loving in May.

1) Joss Whedon’s letter to his fans - This month was all about the Avengers (I’ve only seen it twice, so far...) and the rest of the world realizing what all of us Whedonphiles have known for years, Joss is a genius.  Or, to use the popular (although admittedly cheesy) rhyme, Joss is Boss.  But in case you were concerned that it was going to his head that he has what is destined to be in the top 10 (5? 3?) all time grossing films, never fear.  Joss posted this lovely letter to those who have loved him the longest on Wedonesque, a very popular fansite.  

2) Doctor Who Tumblrs - Originally this was going to be a specific image (an Avengers/Doctor Who mashup, involving a mischievous look from Matt Smith’s Doctor beneath a picture of Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury assembling his team), but I can’t find it.  And when I was trying to find it, on tumblr, I instead came across a plethora of awesome images on tumblr and so many amazing Doctor Who images.  Many of which I was previously missing out on (since I was not caught up and did not want to stumble upon any spoilers).  There are quite a few, but I’m partial to the official one, seen here.  

3) tvbythenumbers - I was checking this site compulsively as the various seasons winded down and the major networks announced cancellations and new lineups for the fall.  They tracked (well they track) ratings and made predictions on what shows would survive the year.   Like Nate Silver for TV.  Okay, maybe not that good, but until Nate adds TV ratings to his repertoire, tvbythenumbers is a more than adequate substitute. While I have many issues with the ratings system that networks are ruled by, my favorite shows (well, and every other show) live and die by it, so I figure it is good to pay attention.  This year was mostly kind to me, with Fringe getting a 13 episode final season (instead of cancellation) & a second season of Hart of Dixie.  However it was less kind of my dad, who saw Alcatraz, A Gifted Man, & Missing cancelled.  Sorry Dad!

4) Book Club Question List - I had to send this out to my book club.  While not all are completely accurate, there are definitely more than a few that are ‘so us’, and those that aren’t crack me up anyhow. Like the obvious “is there more wine?”  Although we don’t typically ask that, because we’re generally never short on wine, the question is just can you please pour me some more wine.

5) The Opposite of Loneliness - This is simultaneously uplifting and devastating.  This was written just before a young Yale graduate was killed in a car accident.  Tragically this is making the rounds because of her untimely death.  It is an excellent read, and not just for her fellow 22 year olds whom she is addressing, but for the rest of us.

Books read: 29

Coming Soon: Sarah writes an open letter to the Mariners, pleading with them to spread their offense over more games in hopes of trying to win more often.  31 runs over 2 games is awesome, but being swept by the Angels at home is an embarrassment.

Jamie's 50 Book Update

As I approach the half-way point (well ahead of schedule I might add, it is only April 13th), I thought I'd give a little update beyond just the number, plus we haven't posted in a bit. And, it may take me a it to get from 23 to 24 as I am currently taking on the second book in the epic Song of Fire & Ice series, A Clash of Kings.  I have to get this finished before I start seeing the spoilers from season two of HBO's Game of Thrones, which I assume follows the story of this book.  Anyhow, here are the 23 that have gotten me through the first few months of the year (in order read):

Already reviewed:

1) Game of Thrones
2) The Maze Runner
3) The Fault in our Stars
4) Franny & Zooey

Since then:

5) White Cat - Can't wait to read the rest of this Holly Black series, the final chapter of which just came out.
6) Clockwork Prince- I love this Cassandra Clare series about 1200 times more than the Mortal Instruments.  So if a certain Star Wars/V.C. Andrews like twist in City of Bones wasn't your cup of tea, I recommend you abandon Clary, Jace, & Simon for Tessa, Will, & Jem.
7) Ready Player One - My 80s pop culture loving self absolutely loved this book. 
8) The Descendants - Like the movie, I liked but did not love this dysfunctional family story.
9) The Baseball Codes - Great anecdotes, but really it's all about when you need to hit a guy.
10) Rebel Angels - Enjoyed this sequel even more than A Great & Terrible Beauty, and writing this out reminds me I need to pick up the 3rd book.
11) The Lathe of Heaven - I think I like Left Hand of Darkness better (the only Le Guin I have read and compare this to), but this was definitely a fascinating read. 
12) The Handmaid's Tale - This was a re-read for book club, and probably our best discussion ever.  And how very timely, with the current fascination with dystopian novels, plus all the crazy shit the GOP is trying to do to show they are anti-women.  Oh, is that not what they are trying to do? Could have fooled me.
13) The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Picked this up in anticipation of the upcoming film, and now I can't wait.  Teen angst in letter form, love it.
14) The Scorch Trials - The sequel to the Maze Runner, complete with a cliffhanger.  I am noticing that I can get pretty close to my goal of 50 just by finishing up all the series that I have started/continued in 2012.
15) Chocolat - Another book club selection, although we haven't even had the meeting yet.  A delightful book, even if we did pick it largely so that we could watch the movie w/Johnny Depp.  Hey, no judgments.  We have intellectual (often quite feminist) discussions all the time, and if we want to drool over Johnny Depp, then we will drool over Johnny Depp. 
16) Bossypants - I loved this book so much I wrote a whole post on it.
17) The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo - It took me 400 pages to have any interest in reading the rest of this series, but I'm in now, so I'll definitely add those to the list. 
18) One For the Money - My roommate absolutely loves this series, and after one book, I can definitely see the appeal.  I can't say I'll read all 18, but you never know.  Plus, Morelli can come hang out with me behind the counter anytime.
19) Beauty Queens - I think this is my new favorite Libba Bray book, which is no small praise as I love Going Bovine and the above noted Rebel Angels.  But this book is incredibly witty and entertaining, not unlike Libba on twitter. 
20) The Windup Girl - A fascinating world and an intriguing story.  A little slow to start, but it was worth sticking with to see how all the layers evolved.
21) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Quirky, entertaining, & heartfelt, I can see why this has been camped out near the top of the NY Times bestseller list.
22) The Magicians - So what if Harry Potter took place in college and instead of saving the world from Voldemort they just hung out. It would be this. Sex, drugs, & magic (which is even harder than it seemed at Hogwarts).  Oh, and the main character is obsessed with a Narnia-like book series, which is, of course, not quite as fictional as non-magic folks (or Muggles, as Potter fans may call them) may have suspected. 
23) The Scorpio Races - 100 pages into this book about a small community's annual water horse races and I wasn't really sure I cared to finish.  But Maggie Stiefvater's writing has this way of sneaking up on you and by the 200 page mark I couldn't have been more attached to the two main characters as I eagerly flipped the pages to discover their fate.

So far The Fault in Our Stars remains the favorite, but there are still many more to go.  Second place is Bossypants, and third a three-way tie between Game of Thrones, Clockwork Prince, & Beauty Queens. I'll be continuing with kings and dragons for 800 more pages before moving on to Mike Doughty's The Book of Drugs, The Night Circus and the newest Stephen King 11/22/63.  Then I guess I should wrap up all these series I keep starting.  Oh, and maybe next year my goal will be 50 blog posts.

Coming Soon: Sarah critiques the various uses of the high school bathroom scene on TV, from a place to conduct important business (Veronica Mars), to a place to dispose of drugs (Saved by the Bell), to a place to find that talisman that is leading to the school being haunted (Buffy).