What we've been watching.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile + The Ted Bundy Tapes. I admit I didn't know much about Ted Bundy before watching this movie and this docu-series. I recommend it if you're in the mood for non-fiction.

The Perfect Date. A cute high school rom-com. We spent the whole movie trying to figure out what role the main actress played in Superbad.

Someone Great. This had everything in it that I'm grateful I never went through. Breaking up with someone after 9 years of dating? Ugh. I kept saying to Scott WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM? and You probably shouldn't be surprised if someone dumps you after 9 years of dating...if they're not willing to marry you by then, something isn't right. I know not everyone wants to get married, but then what are you even doing? Grow up. And I kept thinking that if they'd just gotten married after two years of dating, this plot point wouldn't even be an issue; they'd be committed to each other instead of the insane childish wishy-washy-ness. The more minor parts of the storyline contributed to the bigger problems in society (drinking to solve problems, drugs, passing out randomly in parks, random hookups, etc), but the whole crux of the main relationship was an annoyance to me. It was 30 year olds acting like 18 year olds.

The Last Summer. This was actually closer to American Pie than I wanted it to be. I don't know why we watched it, to be honest. It was pretty dumb. What realllllllly jumped out at me was how the 18 year old was like You have a job, you pay your bills, you're on your own to the 22 year old guy. I would think that most 22 year olds fall into that category. Or they used to. This is going to be the demise of our society, I'm certain: childhood extending to the age of 30.

[Do you really need a picture for this one?]

Game of Thrones. We finished the last episode in the hotel room in Chicago. Scott kept falling asleep though so I may or may not have half-watched it three times. I have no thoughts, really. Scott was really disappointed in the ending, but I went through my I'm-over-this phase years ago when I stopped following it.

Chernobyl. One of the most depressing things you'll watch, but very informative and true-to-historical events. In fact, we were really enjoying it until they started killing all the pets (spoiler alert), and then that was it. No more Chernobyl. There were only 6ish(?) episodes anyway.

Dead to Me. Like everyone else in the world, I've also watched it. It's okay. It wasn't mind-blowing but it was fine. I really like Linda Cardellini in just about everything.

The Resident. If you haven't watched this show, it's a great summertime binge-watch. It's the only show I've kept up with week to week. That's saying something. A third season starts in the fall, so that gives you a whole summer to watch the current 46 episodes.

Always Be My Maybe. I think Randall Park is hilarious so I had this on my radar and then I took cold medicine last week and could. not. sleep. (I refuse to take the drowsy/nighttime kind because of the baby). So I asked Scott if I could turn on the TV and he's like fine and right away I was like Yes! A movie I wanted to watch anyway! and he was very surprised that I found something so quickly and then even more surprised when I finished the whole thing at 3am.


What have you been watching lately???

Diwali and Stranger Things

On Friday, I headed up to Laramie for the weekend. We had one goal in mind: attempt to trade in the RAV4 for a different SUV. We even sat in one for awhile.

Unfortunately, Toyota of Laramie wasn't will to come down in price from the MSRP (not by much anyway) and we walked away. Oh well. We're exploring different options now. I wanted a new car, yes. But we know our worth and a dealership doesn't get to decide what we're willing to pay. They actually told us that there was no military rebate available, which isn't true. The salesperson was very nice and helpful but the sales manager didn't even want to try so whatever. We'll go somewhere else.

We went for lunch at a sushi place and the UW student next to us was bemoaning the fact that now there will be no final season of House of Cards.

My internal reply was People still watch House of Cards? This is no great loss to entertainment.

Later that afternoon, we headed to the UW campus for the annual Diwali Night.

There are many students from India and surrounding countries at UW working on masters degrees and PhDs. The university gives them money for their research. Most of these are chemistry and engineering students, so most of Scott's friends are from the other side of the world. A few were participating in Diwali night so we were invited.

I was not anticipating the dancing, or the fact that I'd actually have to participate. 

The food was good.

And it was nice and snowy on the way out. 

Sunday morning, we both drove back to Colorado Springs because Scott needed to pick some things up to take back with him. Highlights of this included him telling me I drive too slow, my bluetooth cutting out repeatedly when our vehicles were too close to each other (because my phone is hooked up to both the car and the truck), and then me actually starting to cry in Panera because they put my latte in a ceramic mug (is this 1995????) instead of a to-go cup. In my defense, they let it sit on the counter until our food was ready and it was cold by the time I was buzzed to go get it. Scott asked them to heat it up in a to-go cup and they made me another one. I can't remember the last time I got so upset about something meaningless, which is a fun look into the layers of my subconscious, I guess. 

Sunday afternoon, we watched 6 episodes of Stranger Things, finishing season 2, because that was the best use of our time. I'm okay with that.

No spoilers from me...

What did you think? I like the way it ended. Steve is wonderful. I can't wait for season 3, which seems imminent. 

Two more weeks until Thanksgiving break....

Linking up with Biana!

5 Friday Bachelorette Things

Now that we've all had time to process the horror of Monday night, here's my thoughts:

1. I do not think Bryan was a wise choice, based on what we saw as viewers. And Rachel was really mean to Peter in an unnecessary kind of way.

2. I think Peter will be the next Bachelor, absolutely.

3. Podcasts you could/should listen to if you want to rehash the finale: Rose Pricks is funny, AfterBuzz is informative, and Here to Make Friends is kind of all-encompassing but their political correctness shows. They won't say anything bad about Rachel because they want her on the podcast.

4. I think Rachel is smart. I don't dislike her. And I know she knows a whole lot that we didn't see #becauseediting. BUT from what we saw, she made a poor choice. Either the producers gave her a bad edit or she really made a poor choice. That's my position on the subject (that no one cares about).

5. And because reading live-tweeting is reallllly amusing:

A Lauren Conrad gif is ALWAYS appropriate. I miss The Hills.

Also, random: GoT was amazing on Sunday night. 

We allllll know 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishers are the real winners. Bryan's run is done.

Thoughts? Who is watching Paradise?

Bachelorette Tweets

When we were driving back from California two weeks ago, I only agreed to drive if I could listen to my podcasts, which is how Scott came to be listening with me. After a particularly funny Rose Pricks episode, Scott's been randomly saying "Mung beans!".

He's turning into a fan. 

I have very little to do with my time these days so a favorite Monday night activity has become reading the live-tweeting of The Bachelorette while I watch.

Tonight is the Men Tell All and that's going to likely be boring, so here's some funny stuff from last week. 

Who do you want to win? 

I'm Team Peter but I have a feeling he'll be the next Bachelor, so I'll settle for that. If Rachel makes a poor choice (in all her intelligent wisdom), she'll have to live with that and we reap the rewards of having a decent Bachelor (i.e. not Nick). 

(I'm way too emotionally involved in this.)

Stuff and Things 4/13

+First, let's get real: I'm sitting here on Wednesday evening, soaking my feet, because I simply must give myself a pedicure tonight because I (a) haven't had time on the weekends to get one, and (b) it's so warm out that I have to wear sandals to work.
The dogs have been walked and fed.
Dinner is not ready.
I should probably do some yoga because I did yesterday and it really helped with stress.
Also, the Roomba is running and I'm listening to a teaching podcast.
Scott will likely be home late.
I'm just hoping my toenails dry before it's time for me to walk the dogs again (#twowalksanighthere).

Let's talk about TV.

+We started watching 13 Reasons Why on Netflix this week. It's well done. I could've sworn I thought read the book in 2010 but apparently my amazing memory has failed me. It didn't come out til 2011. But I did read it long, long ago and...I didn't like it. I remember it was just blah to me. I never, ever recommended it to anyone. I do remember that I got it from the Ft. Richardson library so it was quite possible I read it as soon as it came out in the summer of 2011. I read a lot of books that summer. Now that "everyone" is reading the book, I decided to try the show...it couldn't be any worse, right? I like the show a lot and would recommend it.
(ETA: I was right. I read it in 2010. Whew. My memory is still in tact.)

+Who watched the season finale of Homeland?

It was unsettling. I miss the old Homeland. Like, the 2012 Homeland. Maybe I'll go back and rewatch.

+I have an undying love for The Great British Bake-Off now. Where can I access the seasons that aren't on Netflix?

What are you watching these days? In case you missed it, here's what I'm listening to and what I'm reading. 

That in which DirecTV is the worst

I know. You'll tell me to just get rid of it. But that's not what this post is about. This post is about how much I hate DirecTV and, when we move in a few years, we'll eventually get rid of them. So shake your heads and tell me "I told you so" if you want, but we have it for now. This is just the latest in how much they are not good at what they do, so tell your friends not to get DirecTV.


I ordered a movie, much like I did last week when we watched Passengers.

The movie never came through on the DVR. So I "chatted" to complain.

They actually charged me twice for a movie I didn't get to watch once. And the language barrier here loses a lot in translation.  

He never answered my questions about what to do and what went wrong and what I can do to prevent this from happening again. 

At this point, I just cut it short and resolved to call later if the refund wasn't given. Last summer, when I called to cancel DirecTV (that was short-lived for a few reasons), the person they had call me back to persuade me to re-join spoke perfect English and was very good on the phone. It was like haggling with a car salesman (I re-joined because she gave me a hefty discount and I'll pay $40 a month for DirecTV, instead of the $75 I was previously). 

I can see that they do not use their best people for day-to-day operations. 

Then I got an email with my refund notification. 

The result is that we still haven't seen Arrival. I really hate DirecTV. But Comcast is worse, and that's the only other option. 

This might be the ultimate in 1st world problems. 

However, the movie magically (and for free!) popped up on the DVR on Monday night. We watched it last night. 

I admit: It wasn't that good. Did you see it? I saw shades of Inception happening there. And I was very concerned about the fact that squids probably can't steer (or build) spaceships. 

A few Friday things...

...that I've been watching.

A lot of people read over winter breaks...I use my time to bake cookies and watch TV.

1. Gilmore Girls Revival. I KNOW, RIGHT? I said I don't like the show and have never watched more than an episode or two but I listened to a review of this "revival" on a podcast and they talked about what a horrid little brat Rory was and how she was 32 years old and acting like she was 22 (such a millenial, right?) and then I had to watch. So I did. I had no context and I think it's better that way. I didn't need 7 years of backstory to catch what was going on. 'Twas not that complicated.

2. Jane the Virgin. All caught up.

3. We tried OA on Netflix. I liked the first two episodes a lot and then it got weird(er). I think Scott just let it play while he took a nap and I eventually started doing something else. I wasn't impressed.

4. And because I can't stop with the Hallmark Christmas movies, I also moved onto When Calls the Heart on Netflix. Scott watched a couple of episodes with me.

5. I caught up on season 7 of Shameless. The fact that I've been alternating between When Calls the Heart and Shameless is pretty odd, right?

6. I started watching Veep. I'd seen episodes here and there over the years, but I started from the beginning. I'll probably just watch the two free seasons on Amazon Prime and then call it good.

What have you been watching lately???

Be back Monday with (some kind of) a Christmasy round-up...Have a merry weekend!

S&T 11/3

+I've been watching American Housewife. I like it. I'm also still enjoying Shameless, Timeless, The Goldbergs, Jane the Virgin, and Once Upon a Time. I gave up on a few things...Conviction was dumb..I stopped with This is Us...The Good Place is kind of meh...I don't think I ever watched a second episode of Speechless...Also, I gave up on Designated Survivor..maybe I'll pick it up again.

+Scott ordered this from Amazon. I cannot stop laughing.

+Season 3 of The Fall premiered on Saturday. So that's what I did all day. I do love Jamie Dornan. 

He was my favorite part of Once Upon a Time until Hook came along.

#truth

Also, who doesn't like Jennifer Lawrence?

+Bunnicula might be in my top ten of favorite books. 

The writing is strangely grown-up and it flows so nicely as a read-aloud. 

+I've been on the hunt for jeans. I have none that are "go-to jeans". I have jeans I can wear and put up with, but none that I wear without a second thought. 

I went to Target one day a few weeks back and tried on a few pairs. 

They were all awful. The skinny jeans had no shape and/or structure and I don't know if people (or Target) realize this: that doesn't do anyone any favors. They're not THAT cheap (at $30 a pair) and they fit like tight sweatpants...no structure. I'm all about soft material and stretch, but these were very unflattering. And, to be honest, I don't even have a whole lot that I'm looking to hide and I couldn't make them work.

So I went to American Eagle's website (because I'm not driving to the mall) and found the ones with the best review and ordered two different sizes. 

I got them for 20% off, so this pair was $38.

They are pure heaven.

They are soft, they are stretchy, but they are structured.

I wanted to wear them right away.

But I'll wait for it to be below 70 degrees.

Maybe tomorrow.

I've never been this excited by a pair of jeans.

HIGHLY recommend the Super Soft x4 AE Jegging.

Size up #becauseAmericanEagle.

S&T 10/6 (Dog Food and Compulsive Shopping)

+We all know that I run out of dog food once in awhile because I'm a really bad judge of how long it lasts. To get by in the interim, before the Chewy order arrives, I stop at Safeway or Target and grab a smallish bag of Purina Chicken and Rice.

Once upon a time, we bought this food made out of duck and the dogs loved it and all was well. Then, Chewy discontinued the large size of that bag so I had to find something else. I went back to the salmon food that Scout used to eat from about 1 year of age and on. This, I'm sure, is where he developed his love for fish. Jett, of course, would eat anything so he used to eat the salmon food too. We've been into keeping the dogs on a grain-free diet because that's what's really best for hunting dogs. This is why the duck food and the salmon food worked out so well.

Unfortunately, these dogs don't like the salmon food anymore. I mean, they'll eat it. But they sniff around and abandon their bowls or they don't finish it. Scout has always been this way when it comes to food but to see Jett leave food in the bowl or not inhale it right away made me do a double-take.
They do, however, love them some Purina Chicken and Rice (that I buy when I need emergency dog food). They eat it so quickly...I've never seen Scout eat this way. Therefore, I've developed this theory that the salmon food is like the broccoli and plain chicken of dog food (no one really wants to eat that stuff) and the chicken and rice is like the pizza of dog food (everyone loves it).
So. I placed an order for a version of chicken and rice dog food and it should arrive this week.
In order to use up the salmon food (that is ex.pen.sive), I've started mixing it with the stuff they love; layering the chicken/rice on top of the salmon so they start eating it and then eat the salmon food too.

They always leave a little bit of the salmon food in the bowl. Just to remind me of their dissatisfaction.

+I needed an extra set of sheets, so I ordered these from L.L.Bean based on a friend's recommendation. I want a giant flannel comforter too, but I don't know if I can justify $500 on bedding. Hmmm...

+Also, I'm realllllllly into these Sole Society boots, but $90 for shoes is more than I usually spend. The $90 territory is reserved for bags and maybe coats.

+Who watched Timeless? I'm an absolute sucker for something that combines time travel/history teachers/pretty people. I liked Timeless. Go for it.

+Tomorrow is the last day to sign-up for the Pumpkin Swap! Expect to receive your partner by Monday :)

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S&T 9/29 (More Fall TV)

+Other new shows I've watched...

The Good Place. It was okay. I like the cast. I don't love shows about a version of an afterlife though. They're really creepy to me (this is why I can't watch the movie Beetlejuice).

Speechless. Eh. I don't know. I'll probably watch if I remember.

I'm also looking forward to Conviction and Timeless.


+Shameless premiered a week early online! Loved it. I heart Lip. Also, I caught Once Upon a Time. Love.

+Also, I decided to try Outlander. I didn't like the book, but the show was...okay. I'll probably keep going. Claire is insufferable, though. She comes across exactly how she comes across in the book and that's why I didn't like the book. I think I'm three episodes in. This is my weekend project. #dreambig

+I check the weather compulsively. I want to say this habit came about in Alaska, but that's not true. It probably started when I was a teenager. In Alaska it was cold all the time, so that was likely the place I checked the weather the least. When someone dresses inappropriately and tells me they didn't check the weather, I'm flabbergasted. Like, why do you think it's on the news every 10 minutes? For you to know how to dress! I'm also sure this is 90% of why we still pay for cable. I need my morning/evening news.

++That being said, I went to the dashboard on my computer to use the calculator the other day and saw Anchorage's weather.

I'm kind of jealous. Back into the 80s this week.

+BUT it's fall, so I need to mention The Great Pumpkin Swap! Sign-ups are happening through NEXT Friday, if you want in on this fun tradition!