If you hadn't heard, I moved to Davis a few weekends ago. The chance to have slightly cheaper rent combined with not having to commute when gas is like 4 bucks a gallon right now and I drive a Jeep was too good to pass up. So far I am loving Davis. My apartment is super cute and in a great location and the town itself is really fun. I've been able to just jump on my bike and meet friends at the park or at someone else's place before walking downtown and I'm loving that.
Yes I went and got myself a bike. My boss has one that he uses to ride around campus and so I asked him if I could ride it to and from work and he agreed. So for now it's a loaner and I plan on getting one at some point. Probably this summer and probably one that involves pink.
So far, so good. However there are a few things that I'm still trying to figure out.
1. By the time I get to work in the morning, not gonna lie, I'm sweating from my bike ride. That is gross. So I guess that means I have to carry around a bike riding outfit at all times?
2. That leads me to my next point: carrying things. I have a lot of stuff. I like my stuff and I want it around me and sometimes a backpack won't cut it. Sometimes I have to take two laptops home to cover baseball. Also, I like to make coffee in the morning and bring it to work. How do I do that on a bike?
3. Am I supposed to wear a helmet? Can I ride on the sidewalk sometimes? If I need to turn left at an intersection do I just go in the left turn lane?
So many questions!
4.06.2011
Grey's Anatomy: The Musical
After a year or two off from watching the show religiously, I decided to get back into Grey's Anatomy. Not gonna lie, I pretty much picked up right where I left off and figured out the whole storyline in about two episodes. A few minor backstory things escaped me, but otherwise I could tell I hadn't missed a whole lot.
I moved recently so I had to reset my DVR up and picked Grey's as a series to record. The first episode it records? Thursday's showing of Grey's Anatomy: The Musical.
Not sure if luck is the first word I'd use to describe this, but the fact that I got to witness this... well I honestly don't know what to call it.
It was terrible is what it was.
Listen up Grey's Anatomy writers/producers/directors. Yes Glee is awesome. Yes I wish my life was an episode of Glee. But guess what. They are high school students in a glee club. Not doctors performing surgery to save lives in a hospital every day.
No, no. You're exactly right, reader. All of the cast members sang at some point during the show, even Meredith. Guess who did not sing? Derek and Christina. Shocking. But yeah right in the middle of performing surgery, they started singing. And expected me, the viewer, to take it seriously.
Guess what again Grey's Anatomy? I still cried. And when did that happen? During a part when people were NOT singing. The cast of this show is pretty dang good and they can elicit emotion like that from viewers without any added gimmicks. It was just so unnecessary to add something that drastic to the formula of the show that the singing actually took away from what could have been an incredibly powerful episode.
Why? Because the singing was awful. Callie sang decently well (further research shows she has won a Tony Award after a lead role in Spamalot) and so did Hunt and that was it. Everyone else was terrible. Singing along to the radio in their car? Good idea. Singing on a nationally syndicated evening drama on the biggest TV network in the country? Bad idea.
Nice try Grey's. I get what you were trying to do here but now can we go back to the Grey's we know and love? Thanks.
I moved recently so I had to reset my DVR up and picked Grey's as a series to record. The first episode it records? Thursday's showing of Grey's Anatomy: The Musical.
Not sure if luck is the first word I'd use to describe this, but the fact that I got to witness this... well I honestly don't know what to call it.
It was terrible is what it was.
Listen up Grey's Anatomy writers/producers/directors. Yes Glee is awesome. Yes I wish my life was an episode of Glee. But guess what. They are high school students in a glee club. Not doctors performing surgery to save lives in a hospital every day.
No, no. You're exactly right, reader. All of the cast members sang at some point during the show, even Meredith. Guess who did not sing? Derek and Christina. Shocking. But yeah right in the middle of performing surgery, they started singing. And expected me, the viewer, to take it seriously.
Guess what again Grey's Anatomy? I still cried. And when did that happen? During a part when people were NOT singing. The cast of this show is pretty dang good and they can elicit emotion like that from viewers without any added gimmicks. It was just so unnecessary to add something that drastic to the formula of the show that the singing actually took away from what could have been an incredibly powerful episode.
Why? Because the singing was awful. Callie sang decently well (further research shows she has won a Tony Award after a lead role in Spamalot) and so did Hunt and that was it. Everyone else was terrible. Singing along to the radio in their car? Good idea. Singing on a nationally syndicated evening drama on the biggest TV network in the country? Bad idea.
Nice try Grey's. I get what you were trying to do here but now can we go back to the Grey's we know and love? Thanks.
4.05.2011
4.04.2011
Book Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Author: Betty Smith
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 528 pages
Where I Got It: Library
First line: "Serene was a word you could put to Brooklyn, New York."
Francie Nolan is growing up in bright, vibrant, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn alongside her strong, hardworking mother, her sweet yet tragic father who she completely idolizes, her precocious younger brother who she can't ever seem to compare to and a cast of characters.
I. LOVED. This. Book.
Loved it.
I haven't read a lot of "classics" to be honest as I think I got completely turned off by having to read and analyze all of the feminism at my all girls high school in LA. But man am I glad I decided to give this one a try.
The best part of this book is that it's just so simple. Francie is about 11 when the book starts and simply talks to us about her life, her family, the city she lives in, the people she knows and the daily interactions that ultimately shape her life. As she grows up, the tone changes from that of an innocent, inquisitive child to one of a matured adult who has experienced some of life's greatest trials and tribulations. Yet at the end of the book, Francie is only 16 years old.
Francie and her family go through a LOT of challenges - hunger, poverty, an alcoholic father just to name a few - and yet instead of being and angry over her situation, Francie takes great joy in life's simple pleasures and has an overall optimistic outlook that is so refreshing and engaging.
The characters are very real and I immediately connected with Francie and felt all of her emotions because they were all situations that I could completely identify with.
I highly recommend this book.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Coming Up Next: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
So I'm pretty much over halfway through this book because I fell behind in my posting, but so far it's just okay. The author juxtaposes two stories of polygamy. The first is the expulsion of Brigham Young's 19th wife, Ann Eliza, from the Mormon Church and the second is a modern-day murder mystery set in a polygamous compound in Utah. Last year I read "Under the Banner of Heaven" which prompted an interest in this subject, but so far this book isn't doing that much for me.
3.29.2011
Video of the Day 3/29/11 - Not Shocking Edition
Chad Ochocinco/Johnson/the wide receiver from the Cincinnati Bengals has decided that in the event of the NFL lockout he needs a new career to fall back on. And since he played soccer in high school, well why not just join the MLS?
Um because you haven't played soccer since high school?
Sporting KC played a scrimmage basically against the equivalent of an MLS D-League team and Ochocinco got in for the last 30 minutes and was... well... let's just go to the video:
I'm not saying the MLS is on the level of the EPL or La Liga, but frankly, he's not going to hack it. The only thing I can picture him being is like a third or fourth string forward who goes in late in the game just so that balls can be served over the top to him and he can try and outsprint defenders. He is fast, I'll give him that, but he lacks... well... everything else.
At least the coach was easy on him. Not. (about 35 seconds in to the video)
I will say, this would be a phenomenal marketing tool for Sporting KC because honestly, this is the first time I've ever even heard of them. Are they just the renamed Kansas City Wiz? I'm so confused.
Um because you haven't played soccer since high school?
Sporting KC played a scrimmage basically against the equivalent of an MLS D-League team and Ochocinco got in for the last 30 minutes and was... well... let's just go to the video:
I'm not saying the MLS is on the level of the EPL or La Liga, but frankly, he's not going to hack it. The only thing I can picture him being is like a third or fourth string forward who goes in late in the game just so that balls can be served over the top to him and he can try and outsprint defenders. He is fast, I'll give him that, but he lacks... well... everything else.
At least the coach was easy on him. Not. (about 35 seconds in to the video)
I will say, this would be a phenomenal marketing tool for Sporting KC because honestly, this is the first time I've ever even heard of them. Are they just the renamed Kansas City Wiz? I'm so confused.
3.23.2011
Video of the Day 3/23/11 - Awesome Fail Edition
Coming from someone who struggled with the warmup bib for a good 10 years, I can't help but empathize with Manchester City's Mario Balotelli:
His teammate Edin Dzeko? Not so empathetic...
His teammate Edin Dzeko? Not so empathetic...
3.22.2011
Video of the Day 3/22/11 - Chris Brown is Over It Edition
This morning Chris Brown was on Good Morning America to take about the release of his new album F.A.M.E. which drops today. Robin Roberts, however, seemed to have a different agenda and wanted to only talk - still - about everything that went down between him and Rihanna two years ago. Chris Brown gets a little bit irritated, especially at the 1:50 mark.
Apparently afterward, he sang a song, went to his dressing room, threw himself a little temper tantrum, ripped his shirt off Hulk style, left and of course wrote something on Twitter.
I've always been pretty conflicted about Chris Brown because while I absolutely do not condone what he did in any way, at the same time, I can't help but turn his songs up just a little bit louder in the car. He makes good music. And I think he's served his time and took responsibility for his actions and all that. So yeah, I do think he's justified in being irritated when he comes on a show to promote his new album which is his pride and joy and yet all Robin Roberts can talk about is all the bad shit that's gone down in his life for the past two years.
Why bring it up at all? Yes, okay so you lead in with "hey last time we talked you weren't doing so hot..." but then why keep bringing it all up? I feel that's what Robin Roberts did here... she's talking about it just for the sake of talking about it. Let the poor guy move on with his music and his life. He knows this is something that is going to hang over him for a looooooong time. He certainly doesn't need Good Morning America reminding him of that.
Oh and CB? The platinum blonde dye job? Not a good look...
Apparently afterward, he sang a song, went to his dressing room, threw himself a little temper tantrum, ripped his shirt off Hulk style, left and of course wrote something on Twitter.
I've always been pretty conflicted about Chris Brown because while I absolutely do not condone what he did in any way, at the same time, I can't help but turn his songs up just a little bit louder in the car. He makes good music. And I think he's served his time and took responsibility for his actions and all that. So yeah, I do think he's justified in being irritated when he comes on a show to promote his new album which is his pride and joy and yet all Robin Roberts can talk about is all the bad shit that's gone down in his life for the past two years.
Why bring it up at all? Yes, okay so you lead in with "hey last time we talked you weren't doing so hot..." but then why keep bringing it all up? I feel that's what Robin Roberts did here... she's talking about it just for the sake of talking about it. Let the poor guy move on with his music and his life. He knows this is something that is going to hang over him for a looooooong time. He certainly doesn't need Good Morning America reminding him of that.
Oh and CB? The platinum blonde dye job? Not a good look...
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