Stuff and Things 3/26 (plus TWD semi-spoiler)

+I finally caught up on TWD.  My friend said, "Finally!" and sent me this:

Also, I'm hoping Carl will put down Deanna the way he put down Shane.  I almost thought it would happen there for a second.  There's always next week...

+Speaking of TWD, I say the words "stuff" and "things" a lot.  Like, if you charted my most-used words, those words would be near the top.  For example: Get all your things out of your backpack!  Why is there stuff all over the floor?  Pick those things up!

+Speaking of school, I opened up my closet behind my desk to get something the other day. A conversation ensued (there is always a conversation...).

Kid: I thought a teacher's closet would have hats and clothes in it.
Me: I have a closet at home.
Kid: No, but I thought it would be full of hats or something.
Me: What hats? What hats do I wear?
Kid: Oh, you know.
(I definitely don't know.)
Kid: Or you'd keep like shoes or scarves or makeup in it.

The other kids, who are watching this exchange:

Meanwhile, I'm thinking what kind of time do you think I spend at this school?  I show up at 7:45 on the dot and I leave at 3:35.

Then I gave in and mentioned that when I had a bigger desk with a wraparound front, I would keep flipflops or boots under it because if I wore heels, sometimes they'd hurt my feet.

Kid:  See! That's what I mean.  I knew it.

I feel like I spend all day doing this:

+I went to the dentist on Monday because, when I was at the dentist in December, this particular  hygienist had concerns.  At the time, I was on a medicine that made my gums sensitive.  Well, she took one look at my gums (that she'd just finished poking and prodding) and diagnosed me with end-stage gingivitis (or something like that).  She wanted me to come in for some kind of laser treatment that would leave me hundreds of dollars lighter and "after a few sessions", the problem would hopefully resolve.  I was skeptical. I've been to 4 dentists in the last 6 years and no one had noticed a problem but she was insistent on the fact that my gums were receding and my teeth were in grave danger.

So, I went in on Monday for this follow-up exam and they were ready to do a cleaning and pull out the laser (which I had already planned to refuse because, hey, they can't make me).  I asked that they please just check my gums first.  It was a different hygienist and after just a minute of poking around she determined that there was no problem.  The end.  

+The current status update is that it's spring break, I had what I believe to be the flu on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, and I've accomplished very little.  Except that I've rewatched all five seasons of Breaking Bad.  That's actually accomplishment in my book because it was, sadly, on my list of things to do this month. I was having Carnival Cruise flashbacks though, because when we were stuck in our stateroom on that trip, we watched a couple of seasons of Breaking Bad.  I had taken the DVDs with us because I anticipated airport delays, and Scott had his laptop.  I truly don't know what we would've done without Walter and Jesse's company.  That will go down in history as the best decision I made in the latter half of 2012.  

Anyway, fever plus body aches plus headache plus sore throat is the flu, right?

I was definitely sick last year for spring break too, so I should've seen this coming. 

Friday 5

1.  Look at my friend's dog. You will find yourself puppy shopping.

2.  Breaking Bad did not disappoint.  Thank you, Vince Gilligan.  You did what the writers of Dexter just couldn't seem to accomplish. (Spoilers here if you're interested.)

This show only got better as it moved along.  That rarely happens.  (We know it didn't happen with Dexter.  I'm sorry.  Still not over it.)

3.  Two last Skirtember dresses.  Thanks to everyone who participated!  And thanks to Chantal for hosting it with me!

Dress: BR outlet // Sweater: Express // Sandals: Steve Madden (they hurt! and I'm not a fan of how they make my legs look)

Dress: Ross // Sweater: old // Shoes: Nine West

4.  Have you signed up for The 2nd Annual Great Pumpkin Swap?  

5.  I'm going to do so much stuff this weekend.  Clean, clean, clean.  Grade, grade, grade.  Craft, craft, craft.  Bake, bake, bake.  And organize. 

Who wants to bet that something will come along and distract me and force me to do none of that?

T.V. Talk *Spoilers ahead*

True Blood
Season 6 is over.  Blah.  The only good thing about this is that I can stop looking at Anna Paquin's perfect abs and I can cancel HBO.  I don't think I'll need it again until Game of Thrones comes back.

So what did you think of this?  It seemed a little too "simple".

Remember how half a season was devoted to killing off Godric?  I thought something like that would happen with Eric.  For what it's worth, Scott thinks he's not dead.  Something about "we saw him burn, we didn't see him crumble", or dissipate, or whatever.  I had heard a rumor that this was coming...I guess I won't believe it until next season.  Articles I've read online (because I've got the time on my hands to do so) say he'll be back for Season 7. Thoughts?

This is where it started to get weird for me.

We think Lettie Mae is infected, therefore Tara is a goner (not the worst thing, right?).

And I think the hats are pushing the southern charm a bit too far.  We haven't seen these people in church since Season 1...now they're in their Sunday best?  Well, I guess it was 6 months later.  I don't know.  By the end of the episode, I was rooting for Bill.  Also, something I haven't done since the first season.  Not sure how I feel about "Sookcide".

This was a little reminiscent of The Walking Dead, don't you think?

Dexter
This season is getting goooooood.  I'm impressed.  All that Dr. Vogel stuff was forcing me away from the t.v.  Scott and I love Hannah.  We were so darn excited to see her again.

Thoughts on Dexter?  For me, the season started slow.  Now that the Zack kid is gone...and Dr. Vogel's evilness is showing through...maybe we can get back to the greatness that was last season.  Go out with a bang and all that.

Breaking Bad
I was able to spend an hour on the elliptical the other day because I watched an episode of Breaking Bad on my phone.  I'm re-watching it from the beginning, you know, just for kicks.
This show is more complex than any I've ever watched.  I mean, did you read these theories on how the show could end?  It's a lot like Mad Men, in that there seems to be hidden meaning everywhere.

We chuckled the whole way through Walt's confession tape last night.  You are brilliant, Heisenberg.

And Jesse narrowly missed a brush with Alaska.  Whew.  Walt's world is about to implode.  I knew it'd only be a matter of time before Jesse found something out.  I'm really waiting for him to find out about Jane.

Also, we're watching The White Queen on Starz.  Have you seen it yet?  It's like Game of Thrones meets The Tudors (which I still haven't made my way through yet...).  I really like it.  Scott thinks it's a poor-man's-GoT.

Sharing at Mingle Monday

Friday 5s.

(There's a Breaking Bad spoiler at the bottom of this post...)

1.  I'm not sure how he's gotten to be so big.  12 weeks today!  

Remember this?

Ugh.  It hurts my heart.

2.  Here's the Banana Republic dress Scott didn't quite capture last month.  

Dress: BR Outlet ($20) // Sweater: LOFT // Sandals: Old Navy 

3.  Including a new purse.

4.  This is a quick 15 minute circuit workout.  I made it up based on a leg series that an instructor did months ago.  I say 15 minutes because it generally takes me a while to drum up the motivation to do physical activity at home.  If you're motivated, it'll take 10 minutes.  I did this in hotel rooms on the way from Alaska to Missouri.  (Okay, one hotel room.  I did it in one hotel room.)

5.   What did you think of Breaking Bad this past week?  It didn't disappoint for us!  Only 7 left...

Did you watch Talking Bad afterward?  I felt very confused the whole time that was on.  It's Talking DEAD.  Not Talking BAD.  I kept waiting for the host to slip up and say "dead" instead.  I get why they're doing it, but it left me feeling very unsettled.  Not a zombie in sight.  Sad.

Sharing at:

Friday 5

High 5 for Friday

5 on Friday

Friday Things

1.  Plaid.

Shirt: Old Navy // Pants and Boots: JCP

2.  Haircut.  See above ^.  That's almost 3 inches off.

3.  Guess who secured themselves a rental in Missouri?  That's right.  It was a busy week.  But we are moving and I'm thankful we have somewhere to move into when we get there.  Granted, we're renting "sight unseen".  I suppose that's better than 10 days in army lodging desperately trying to house-hunt, right? (Just tell me it's alright, please.)

4.  Breaking Bad mugs.  Thanks Natalie!  How awesome.  Speaking of...we finished the last episode of the first half of season 5 the other day.  Yikes. 

5.  State testing week in 4th grade is over.

Guess what I did while the kids were testing?  Wrote out a brand new resume from start to finish.  That actually felt really good.  At least I can cross it off my "to-do before we move" list.

Happy weekend!  I think I'll go shopping.

Sharing at High Five for Friday

New T.V. in my world

When I find a new t.v. show, I have to talk about it.  And then I have to make sure everyone else is watching it too.  I've waxed poetic about so many in the last year; my favorites probably being True Blood and Dexter.

Last weekend, we spent 4-5 hours watching most of Season 2 of Weeds.  Then I popped into Wal-Mart where I bought Season 3 of Justified.  Season 4 is on FX right now.  As soon as I catch up, I can bust into the DVR.  (Scott saw bootlegged Justified in Afghanistan an entire year ago.  Same as he saw The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. Oh, America, why must you make us wait?)

This is what I've been watching lately:

Breaking Bad

Source: Uploaded by user via Michael on Pinterest

AMC is the network that can do no wrong.  Mad Men, The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad are some of the best t.v. shows out there.
After hearing many, many bloggers talk about Breaking Bad, I gave it a whirl in October via Netflix.  I thought, "This will be a way to pass the time until deployment ends."  I had promised Scott we'd watch it together but I was getting desperate.  I watched Seasons 1, 2, 3, and the beginning of 4 while I blogged, cooked dinner, cleaned, etc.  I didn't pay that much attention to it so I was, understandably, lost much of the time.
When Scott came home, we gave it another try.  We started watching a couple episodes a night (as fast as those dvds would arrive), and then I found Seasons 2, 3 and 4 in Target for $15 each one day.  The decision wasn't a hard one.
We ended up taking Seasons 2 and 3 with us on our cruise last month.

This was a God-sent-lifesaver if I've ever seen one.  During our "time of illness", we watched Breaking Bad.  It was the only thing I had to live for on that particularly horrible day.  I had to find out what would happen to poor Jesse and Walt.  I couldn't let the Carnival infirmary kill me off before I knew the ending!  (Dramatic? A bit.)

Anyway, we love this show.  We're caught up through Season 4 and will get Season 5 as soon as it's available.
If you like a smart, complicated drama, you'll love Breaking Bad.

Downton Abbey

Source: mylusciouslife.com via Sarah on Pinterest

This isn't really a "new" show to me.  I started, last March, on Season 1.  I, per the usual, wasn't really paying attention.  I got really bored and didn't finish more than two episodes.

Fast forward to June, I kept hearing about it.  So I went to the library and rented Season 1 again.  I stayed up until 3am finishing it.  Now, this may seem like some great obsessive accomplishment, but it was June, so the sun never actually set.  Therefore my neighbors were mowing their grass at 1am and the sunlight streaming in kept me awake anyway.

That was a lonely, boring time.

Anyway, Downton Abbey is everything a drama should be.  I picked up Seasons 1 and 2 for $12 each on Black Friday and now I'm obsessively DVR-ing Season 3.
This show transports you to another time and era.  I can hardly wrap my head around the idea that people lived like that.  I honestly think that if you think you won't like it, just give it a fair shot.  Even Scott is getting into it.

Weeds

Source: bing.com via Lynda on Pinterest

I'd always known Mary Louise Parker was off winning awards for this show, but I never gave it much of a second thought.  In the summer, I bought my brother Season 7 for his birthday because he said it was amazing and, though I'd tried to force him onto Dexter and it didn't quite work (he doesn't have that same obsessive personality I do), we more or less have common taste.

Scott and I started Weeds right after Christmas and to say we love it is an understatement.  If you are offended by language, I don't know how you'll feel about it, but we just find it amusing.  I recommend it for someone who loves a great story to follow and I've discovered that Showtime rarely lets me down (Season 1 of Homeland is pending...).  There's 7 seasons on DVD, so it'll keep us busy for awhile.  I love it when that happens.

1600 Penn

Source: m.imdb.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I'm snobby about my t.v. and my movies the way some are picky about wine or eating organic.  While I never wash my apples and I enjoy a good $5 bottle of vino, I only want to see the good stuff on my t.v. screen.  None of this Guys with Kids, basic cable, laugh track garbage.  And, good God, no reality t.v. shall ever grace my LG screen.  Don't insult my intelligence, CBS/NBC/ABC is what I often feel like saying. (I realize this could be a major character flaw.)

However, last week, we got sucked into the first two episodes of 1600 Penn.  It was amusing.  It was clever.  Jenna Elfman was fun to watch, as was that little boy, Xander.  The college-age daughter is a favorite of ours.  Not only does she play a Becca in this show, she played Becca in Superbad, one of the greatest films of all time (maybe my snobbiness does have a cut off...).

While it's too early to tell if this will be a hit every week, I definitely recommend giving it a try. Oh, and there's no laugh track.  (Scott just told me it's not getting the best ratings as of now, but I think that's a mid-season release factor.)

Anything good on your t.v. lately?  I think I've exhausted just about every show anyone has ever told me to watch.  I need more ideas.