Weekly TV Recap for New Year's Eve

Welcome to the week between Christmas and New Years.  The only reason I have anything to post about is because NBC is trying to burn off Chuck before the end of January.  So let's talk about the last two episodes.

I didn't much care for the Christmas one this year.  First of all, I thought Chuck killed Shaw, and I kept waiting for that explanation.  Guessed I missed it somehow.  And I really don't like the darker episodes, so that bothered me as well.

I much preferred this week's episode.  I wonder how this fits into the whole Sara and Bryce part of the early seasons.  And Sara wasn't originally going to be Chuck's handler.  But those inconsistencies aside, I did like it.  Plus it was fun to see Peter Burke from While Collar as a bad guy (the mirror of his character on that show, but like Neal is the mirror of Bryce Larkin).  Plus they ended things with a happy note and no cliffhanger leading into the next new episode.  That surprised me.  And it looks like they've worked through the Alex/Morgan issues, which I knew they would, but I liked how they've handled that aspect of things.

Word Association for December 26th

Since I missed this last week, I thought I'd get in this week's word association while I'm thinking about it.

1. Elves :: Santa
2. Holiday :: Christmas
3. Candles :: Light
4. Family :: Friends
5. Insight :: Understanding
6. Sleigh :: Ride
7. Party :: Fun
8. Weather :: Sun
9. Presents :: Gifts
10. Misfit :: Toys

Weekly TV Recap for December 24th

Merry Christmas Eve!

It was a light TV week, although I missed this week's Chuck since I'm out of town.  Just gives me something to look forward to come my return home.

Survivor - So, apparently a few apologies make up for lying and backstabbing your way through the game, especially after you super secret pinky swore.  Come on, really, Coach?  You are a hypocrite of the first order.  The sad fact is, it seems that the only way to make it through to the end is to lie your way through.  Honestly, I may have found another show to eliminate from my schedule.  And after 23 seasons of never missing an episode, that's saying something.  I just can't put up with people like Coach who claim they are going to do things one way and then wind up breaking everything they claim they stand for and then trying to justify themselves.  As much as some of their villains drive me crazy, at least they are honest about what they intend to do.

Terra Nova - I am but I'm not surprised that they killed off the son's girlfriend.  That free him up to fall for Skye, which they've been teasing all season.  Honestly, I'm glad to see both of them have redeemed themselves by the end.  And Lucas is like the villain in a horror movie, he just won't die.  I'm curious what the ship's figure head is and why the bad guys rushed out there right away, but if the show doesn't come back, I won't care.  It's fine for me either way.  I did feel sorry for Mira who just wanted to get back to her daughter.  That was a harsh ending for her.

My Fall Into Reading 2011 Wrap Up

I'm on Christmas vacation.  Can you tell by how little I've posted?  But today is the first day of winter, so it means it's time to wrap up this year's Fall Into Reading challenge.

So, here's what I got read during the fall.  The link takes you to my review of the book, although I haven't reviewed the last two books on the list yet.  (A * denotes a book not on my original list.)

Quickstep to Murder by Ella Barrick
Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook by Joanne Fluke*
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Heat Rises by Richard Castle
A Case of Hometown Blues by W. S. Gager
NERDS 3: The Cheerleaders of Doom by Michael Buckley
Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen
Darkwing Duck: F.O.W.L Disposition by Ian Brill
Dog on It by Spencer Quinn
No Place Like Holmes by Jason Lethcoe*
Thrown Out: Stories from Exeter by Jennie Coughlin*
Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play by Ridley Pearson
Formula for Murder by Diana Orgain
The Last Musketeer by Stuart Gibbs
The Albuquerque Turkey by John Vorhaus
The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney by Michael Barrier
Hidden Mickey: Sometimes Dead Men Do Tell Tales by Nancy Temple Rodrigue and David W. Smith
Killer Routine by Alan Orloff
In Service to the Mouse by Jack Lindquist with Melinda J. Combs

Books from my list I did not read:
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

Based on number of books, I hit my target exactly. However, I still have about 1200 pages I didn't get read, and those substitute books are maybe 250 pages combined, so it's not like I really read the correct number of pages. I saved all the big books for the end, didn't I?

However, I did finish up all the books from last fall and this spring, so that makes me happy. And I am 10 pages in the Peter Pan prequel, so I'm continuing on with my list even if Spring is over.

I think that's it for me this fall. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Weekly TV Recap for December 17th

Once Upon a Time - Maybe it's time I avoided spoilers.  I knew how that episode ended and so pretty much guessed how the episode was going to go before it started.  Okay, so a few of the twists along the way did get me.  I wonder who else the queen has captured with their heart.  And exactly what is the secret that Snow White blabbed that led to all this?  And when will Emma wake up and realize that it is indeed all true?

The Amazing Race - I was still so disappointed that the snowboarders weren't in it that I really didn't care who won.  Cindy was pretty arrogant when she was talking about people she didn't want to lose to, however.  I was rooting against them for a while, although the way they were talking at the finish line made me like them again.  Now, for the snowboarders to get a second chance and actually win this time.

Terra Nova - So Skye was found out, and it looks like she is at least partially forgiven.  And the colony is preparing for war.  Yes, it was a much needed episode since it sets things up for next week's finale, but it was definitely a place holder.  I hope that next week's two hour finale delivers on the promises.

Psych - I could have done without the Henry sub-plot, but the rest of that episode was so funny.  Great lines and situations that were truly milked for their comic possibilities.  My favorite scene was probably at the beginning where Shawn and Gus were reading each other's minds.  Too funny.  The ring Gus found at the end certainly explains why Shawn was so upset over his missing DS.  I wonder how that is going to play out.  And how funny that the thieves missed it when they were robbing them.

Survivor - If I hear one more person go on and on about being a Christian man, blaw, blaw blaw.  Please.  Of course, it makes it easy to watch because I just fast forward through Brandon and half of Coach to get away from that nonsense.  I believe this is the second time that the person with individual immunity gave it up and both times they immediately got voted out.  Obviously, that is a stupid move.  And anyone who has watched the show would know that based on how people have acted in the past.

Burn Notice - Who would have predicted that I would ever side with Fiona over Michael on something.  Even so, how heartbreaking was that final shot?  Actually, this is a surprise because I thought they'd figure out a way to take down Anson before this was all over, but he's still out there and free to rebuild the group.  Frankly, they didn't tell us for sure that Jesse got to the lap top in time to save Pierce and the others from being burned, so I wonder if that will factor into next season or not.  Summer is going to be a very long time off.

Chuck - There were some funny moments, but that was a very intense episode.  It's always nice to see Beckman again, and even without the Morse code, I figured she was trying to warn them.  And Ellie and Awesome thinking the limo was the surprise they other had for them was funny.  But overall, I was actually concerned for everyone, probably because they've been hinting that all might not make it through this season okay.  Oh, and I completely predicted that Alex would see Morgan's PANTS and see something of her in there.  I hope they get those two back together.

FiR Question 12

Here we are at the last Fall into Reading question, at least for this year.

Christmas is quickly approaching. What book- or reading-related gift would you love to receive for Christmas?

As always, I included books on my list.  Gayle Roper, a favorite author going back years, has a new book out that is on my list.  And I have several books by authors I'd like to try out on my list.

Gayle is an exception.  Usually, books by authors I like are bought within a couple of weeks of them coming out.  I just found out about her new book a couple months ago and knew I wouldn't get it read before Christmas (it wasn't on my Fall into Reading list, after all, and I already had made some additions), so I figured it would be a good Christmas list item.  Honestly, I'll be a little surprised if I don't get it because my parents know how much I like her books.

Word Association for December 13th

And here is this week's word association.

1. Dedication :: Ceremony
2. Dream destination :: Disney World (again)
3. Games :: Play
4. Hard as :: a Rock
5. Convict :: Prison
6. Submit :: Authority
7. Alcohol :: Drunk
8. Clippers :: Hair
9. Hormonal :: Imbalance
10. Diet :: Exercise

Christmas Concerts

This last weekend, I participated in my first Christmas concerts as a member of the choir at church.  This meant a busy weekend for me since I we did the concert both Saturday and Sunday nights.  But I loved the songs so much that it wasn't an issue for me.

It also meant Friday I had to sneak in a trip to Follow the Star.  One of the churches in the area puts this one very year.  They use members of their congregation to reenact scenes form Jesus' life, mostly His death and resurrection.  It's a drive/walk through attraction, so most scenes are on 15-30 second loops, but it's very powerful.  I love going every year.

Anyway, the concerts went well.  I struggled with two songs, the same two both nights.  I kept wanting to singing it too high.  I'm not sure what range I was even singing in half the time, but I knew it was wrong, so I'd drop out and mouth the words.

One highlight for me was the song where the guys played chimes while the women and children's choirs sang.  Most of the guys struggled with that song, but I felt right at home because of the years I spent in the handbell choir.  In fact, it made me wish we had a handbell choir for me to join again.

Another favorite song was "'Tis a Wonderful Thing."  It had a very jazzy feel and was a blast to perform.

But my favorite song of the concert wasn't one we did.  I was introduced to "Mystery" by Selah thanks to the people who did it as a duet.  Talk about powerful lyrics!  It marvels at God becoming man in the form of Jesus so He could die.  Nothing new, necessarily, but the way it is expressed just blows me away.

However, it was very bittersweet.  Back in September, they laid off our music minister due to budget cuts.  This was his last horrah at the church.  He was very pleased with how it went, which is good.  But there are lots of us who are really going to miss him.  He was very invested in all of us, so it is going to be a huge loss personally, plus his musical expertise is going to be missed.  Those will be hard shoes to fill.

Weekly TV Recap for December 10th

The Amazing Race - Augh!  The snowboarders got eliminated.  Yes, they made a mistake when they left that last place (one I probably would have made, too), but what killed them was the fact that the other taxi drivers were sharing information.  If it weren't for that, two of the teams would have gone wrong and there would have been time for them to figure things out.  I'm not at all happy.  Yes, I'll watch next week, but I'm not that excited about it.

Once Upon a Time - I was conflicted about this episode.  I know we're supposed to be rooting for Mary Margaret and David to get together as they are in the fairytale world, but I have a hard time rooting for someone to leave his marriage.  So I'm glad he is going to try to work on fixing his marriage, but I know I shouldn't be because he really belongs with her (and is married to her in the fairytale kingdom).  Augh!  Meanwhile, I guess that is wasn't Charming's brother who Cinderella married.  I wonder who that was.  And how exactly does he get out of marring Midas' daughter?  And does Mr. Gold remember about the curse?  So many questions, so long to wait for the next episode.

The Sing-Off - Yeah, I watched the holiday special.  (Boy, they never did say Christmas once, did they?)  Okay, maybe watched is too strong a word.  I listened while Christmas shopping on line.  But there were some great songs here, and it was very fun to hear everyone singing together from all three seasons.

Prep and Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice - The first one surprised me with how much I wound up liking it.  This one not so much.  It was as predictable as the first, but I didn't get the same happy feeling at the end.  It felt forced, probably because they were trying to create a sequel.  Won't be watching it again if it gets rerun.

Castle - How much fun!  So many great lines, and seeing Castle and Beckett working together so well at the end was great.  Plus Laney and Esposito bickering was great.  I loved the Captain's response.  "What has Castle gotten her into now." When he had nothing to do with it.  And the way this show can take an unusual premise and still put together a solid case that gets solved is the sign of the great writing staff they have.

Covert Affairs - First vacation since joining the agency?  I thought the Niagara Falls episode had a similar premise.  That aside, I did enjoy this one.  The scene in the house was intense and creepy.  And I loved how Danielle found out that Auggie is really CIA.  I don't know what they are doing with her and her husband, but that's the one storyline I absolutely hate.  And I'm curious where they are going with Jai next, too.

Psych - They actually managed to make it more of a mystery at the end, but for the most part, the show was very much comedy and very light on plot, even for psych.  Lassiter at the commune was pretty funny, however.

Survivor - Can we get Brandon off the screen now?  Pretty please?  Honestly, that's about my only comment as once again the results of the episode weren't that surprising.

Big Bang Theory - I knew Penny was going to wind up being a bully as soon as that scene started.  Plus the clothes thing was pretty predictable.  But it was also very funny.  And Penny's expressions in the first scene were perfect.  The A story with Leonard and the bully was fairly predictable as well, but I was laughing at quite a bit of the episode.  See, predictable can still be funny.

Wipeout - Boy, I missed Jill.  But Hensen's sweaters were funny, and the new obstacles were actually kind of cool again.  I wish they weren't coming back in January because I enjoy the show if it isn't on 9 months out of the year.

Burn Notice - For a show that tackles the serious criminals they do, they usually keep a light tone.  This time, the show got very serious in the last act.  But everyone played it perfectly, and it was a great episode.  I'm very worried about next week, especially after the previews.  Can't wait to see how they wrap the Anson storyline up.

Chuck - Two episodes in two days that have communes in them.  Couldn't have done without the nudity, even if it was pixilated.  Did enjoy watching Chuck do the hacking.  And now that Decker is gone, who will this lead them to next?  Plus Casey and Lester in jail together was an absolute hoot.

Word Association for 12/9

If it's Friday, it's well beyond time that I posted this week's word association.

1. Flannel :: Shirt
2. Chairs :: Table
3. Sporadic :: Pain
4. Difficult :: Person
5. Amusing :: Story
6. Collapse :: Wall Street
7. Hurtful :: Words
8. Thump :: Bang
9. Frugal :: Wise
10. Collectibles :: Hallmark