[Fantastic Five Fridays] Five Shows You Were Referred To By Other People

It's Friday, I got a job, I got other things I need to write BUT I was in the mood to blog and The Weekly Enthusiast has yet ANOTHER great topic and so here I am again.  Should I really be writing when I'm the creator of sentences like that one?  It's too late now because here I gooooooooo.

Since I am kind of crazy about TV, I usually choose my own shows and make recommendations to others.  That's why it's so fun when people recommend shows to me.  It's like they know me or something!  Here are my top 5 (except it's really 6) shows as recommended by people who get me.

1. Lost and The Office.  Referred by: The Hubs

Yes, I know that's two shows.  No, I don't care.  I decided to lump these two together because they were both recommended by the same person, and they both seem to be following the same course.  That is, they started out strong but haven't kept that same momentum as the years go by.  We've basically stopped watching The Office but I'm sure we'll put in the effort to see the finale.  It's just... not the same.  Though, of course, I do still love Jim and Pam.

As for Lost, well... the first season of that is one of the best ever.  I kept with it much longer than The Hubs did, though I tried to break up with it in the third season and then Jack was all WE HAVE TO GO BACK and so I said OKAY LET'S GO.  

stinking beardy jack and his jears.

2. True Blood. Referred by: my brother and sister-in-law

During the summer of 2009, I took up residence at my brother & sister-in-law's house while Hubs and I looked for a place to live.  This coincided with the second season of True Blood.  Bro & SIL thought it might be up my alley, so they invited me to come watch it them.  My first episode was Episode 2.02 "Keep This Party Going," which begins with a disembodied arm spurting blood and smacking a character in the face. A character who is chained to a pole in a dank, dirty basement somewhere.  I was like, humna?  Oh, it cracked me up.  True Blood is pretty nonsensical, but if you're read the books... well, you knew that was coming.

Cheers, hookas.

3. 30 Rock. Referred by: my OTHER sister-in-law.

Back when this first premiered, Hubs and I gave this a shot.  It just didn't work for us then.  So I ignored it, despite all the Tina Fey references.  So last Thanksgiving, OSIL is like, Jessica, honestly, you need this.  YOU NEED THIS.  And the rest, as they say, is something about night cheese.

4. Doctor Who. Referred by: my aunt, uncle, and cousins

Technically, they didn't refer it to me so much as they watched when I was in their house and I was like, ooh this looks kind of random, and then they kept on watching it every time I was there and then Christopher Eccelston was on Heroes and I sort of adored him and then it was on Netflix so I thought, what the hey?  I still have so many episodes to watch because Hubs decided to take this show over with a vengeance, but I still love it.

Why, hello there.

5. The West Wing. Referred by: pretty much everyone ever

Everyone needs to watch this show.  It's the best.  The cold opens are some of the most exquisite moments that television has ever given us as people.  Watch it.  CJ Cregg, I love you.

Hermione Effing Granger

This is the quote on my Harry Potter calendar today, and it just hit me in the good way.  Thought I'd share.

"I came here once with my Mum and Dad, years ago.  It's just how I remember it.  The trees.  The river.  Everything.  Like nothing's changed.  Not true, of course.  Everything's changed.  If I brought my parents back here now, they probably wouldn't recognize any of it.  Not the trees.  Not the river.  Not even me."

gif via weasleyfireworks.tumblr.com

NaNoWriMo aka No Excuses November

Tomorrow is an important day.  Why?  Well, tomorrow is my 31st birthday (WHAT WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN I AM STILL LIKE 23 RIGHT NO OKAY FINE).  My birthday, however, is the impetus for me to sign up for something I've wanted to do for a long time.  I'm downright terrified by the entire prospect... but I've signed up and I'm officially...

NaNoWriMo-ing.

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN.

Wait, you don't know what NaNoWriMo is?

That crazy word means that November is National Novel Writing Month.  All over the world, other folks like me who are on the brink of sanity have pledged to write 50,000 words aka about the length of a novel.  That comes out to about 1,600 words/day.  This is a daunting feat, and I'm scared ess-less, but...

No Excuses November.

Again, I said that tomorrow is also my 31st birthday.  It's a new year for me.  I am tired of making excuses for why I don't write.  I'm tired of finding excuses to justify why I'm not writing.  I'm just tired of my own excuses.

There's no reason I can't do this.  I will forge ahead and write and write and write and then on December 1 I'll look at what I've written and say HOLY CRAP THAT'S TERRIBLE and then I'll edit and revise and make myself sound pretty and THEN...

Well... that's a problem for Future Jessica.

If you're doing NaNo, feel free to add me as a buddy.  I'm JessicaBS.  I will accept all the support and pep talks I can get.

[Fantastic Five Friday] Favorite Movies to Watch When Sick

As soon as I saw this week's Fantastic Five Friday topic, I knew I had to post.  Growing up, my mom & I referred to these as "sick movies," which of course doesn't quite sound right, but whatevs.  (In case you're curious, my mom's sick movie is Witness where Harrison Ford hides out with the Amish.  It's 4:30, time for milking!) I've had many of the same sick movies since I was a kid, because I was home kind of a lot because of some crap with my elementary school.  Yay?

The Three Musketeers
This is an amazingly awfsome movie (that's awful plus awesome, JSYK).  Everything about it-- all the terrible  hair extensions, Chris O'Donnell's complete lack of a French accent, the historical inaccuracies and extreme liberties taken with the original source material, Tim mother-effing Curry-- is just the best/worst ever.  This movie was a gift to all of us from the Czarina of Tokyo.


The Princess Bride
An absolute classic, no doubt about it.  Now that I think about it, this is the most meta choice of sick movie ever.  My most favorite line/scene in the whole dang movie is below.  Best burn EVER.  Oh, my sweet Westley.


Adventures in Baby-Sitting
Nowadays, there are all kinds of movies and TV shows geared towards children specifically.  Back in the day, we definitely didn't have as many.  In our house, we tended to watch movies that might have been a little over our heads or that contained some "salty language," but my parents trusted that my brother and I knew not to use that language (at least in front of them).  My two favorite examples of this in my own life are Spaceballs and this movie.  Don't eff with the baby-sitter. Also, Anthony Rapp is the BEST EVER in this flick.  Comedic timing like whoa.  Also also, the first time I went to Chicago, I pointed at that slant-top building and said, "That's where Thor lives!" to my seatmate on the bus.  I was 17.


Buffy the Vampire Slayer
And I don't mean the TV show.  Now that I know the whole story behind this and that I've become such a huge fan of the series (and Joss Whedon), I haven't watched this one nearly as much as I used to.  However, I went to see this in the theater because my cousin loved some Luke Perry.  It's so cheesy, but I love it something fierce.  All I want to do is graduate from high school, go to Europe, marry Christian Slater, and die.


AND FINALLY
The Godfather
What, not what you were expecting?  I tend to watch this on sick days in my adult life because those are the days I can devote the attention entirely to the Corleones.  Plus, watching this usually leads to watching Part II.  Not Part III, though.  Don't be crazy.  It's hard to find a good non-spoilery scene to post here, but I decided to post my favorite part- the horse head in the bed.  The way that guy yells is always hilarious to me. (Warning: this scene includes fake blood, a fake dead horse, and very real but terrible acting.)


What about you?   Got any sick movies to share?

Currently... Blogging!

*clears throat*
*taps mic*
screeeeeeeeeeeech.
Hello?  This thing still on?
Great.
Sorry for my disappearance, but I haven't felt much like blogging lately. And when you can't say anything, you shouldn't say anything at all.  Wait, I don't think that's right...

ANYway, I thought I'd creep back in with the new "Currently..." blog meme that all the cool kids are circulating!  Can I be a cool kid too?  Yeah, I thought so.

Loving...
These fall-like temperatures!!

Please get colder!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year, and for once, it's not swelteringly gross here in VA.  I can only hope this trend continues so I can keep wearing my boots.

Reading...
Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales

I've read Leila's second book Past Perfect and I pretty much loved the crap out of it.  I'd heard all the good things about this one as well.  I was in the mood to laugh out loud, and this is just what I needed.  Also, I just finished Ten by Gretchen McNeil, and it's perfect for fans of RL Stine, Christopher Pike, and creepy goodness.  It doesn't hurt that I pictured the male love interest as Michael B. Jordan.

Watching...
This. Over and over and over.


Thinking About...
The two amazing concerts I've seen in the past week.  I'm planning on talking more about them later, but I was lucky enough to see my VERY FIRST EVER Ben Folds Five concert in Central friggin' Park last Friday!

Photo by Dominick Mastrangelo who was apparently way closer than I was.

AND I just saw Florence + the Machine on Wednesday, and it was completely amazing.  Man, I'm awesome, huh?

Anticipating...
The Avengers finally on DVD!  Pitch Perfect.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Once Upon a Time's second season premiere.  Les Miserables.

Wishing...
Well... I'm wishing a lot of things right now, but if I'm being honest with you, three people who read this... I don't want to talk about them on the internets.  So, I'll say this: I'm wishing for peace, comfort, time, and patience.

Making Me Happy...
This gifset.
This blog my brother wrote about our grandpa and his nerdy awesomeness.
Maggie Smith, as usual

The Army of Ten

You might have noticed the new button the sidebar over there.  No, not there.  There.  I recently joined the Army... of Ten.

The Army of Ten is a promotional street team to support and (obviously) promote awesome author Gretchen McNeil.  Her latest book, Ten, releases in about 27 days.  We're trying to get the word out to go to your local indie bookstore (or even your favorite online bookseller) and get yourself a copy of September 18!

I read Gretchen's previous book Possess, and I was a big fan!  It's classified as YA horror, which most of you know isn't really my game, but I had heard too many good things to pass it up.  It's engaging and fun and CREEPY as can be.  From all I've heard, Ten sounds like it'll be even creepier, so I can't wait to pick it up.

The other reason I joined The Army of Ten?  Well, even though I've never had the pleasure of meeting Gretchen in person, she's been very sweet to me over the tweets and such, and she's about the third person I've ever met who remembers the 80s classic Misfits of Science.  Therefore, she rules.

SO, on September 18, head on down to your local indie and pick up a copy of Gretchen's creepfest Ten.  If it's not there, then go to the desk and request it.  Then tell your friends to buy it!  One friends tells another tells another, and then it's like a pyramid scheme, only legal and WAY more fun!

Click on the button in the side dooblydoo to find out more.  We are The Army of Ten!

Esther Day 2012: Focusing On Life, Not Death

(As a warning, today's post will be a bit on the stream-of-consciousness side.  I have some feelings; I'd like to get them out.  If you keep reading, I appreciate it.  If not, I still appreciate you.)

This time of year has been weird for a number of years, for a number of reasons.  Mostly it revolves around untimely, tragic, completely unfortunate deaths.  It used to be confined to a week in early September, but circumstances sadly keep appearing which pushes the date back further and further.

However, today is different.  Today is Esther Day.

Esther Day started in 2010, to honor the 16th birthday of celebrated nerdfighter and cancer-fighter Esther Earl.  At that time, she had become a true friend to author John Green, and she'd become somewhat famous in the community due to her friendship with John and her association with The Harry Potter Alliance.  Sadly, she passed away just weeks later, on August 25, 2010.

I never met Esther.  In fact, she had already passed away before I'd even heard of her.  And yet... this girl's life, her words, her presence on this planet means something to me.  In learning more about Esther many moons ago, I stumbled across a vlog she posted during 2009's LeakyCon in Boston.  It was the first time she'd met John Green.  When you hear how excited she was, how she couldn't speak, how she was shaking, how it's clear she's still all amped up from that chance meeting as she retells it in front of the camera... I felt an immediate kindred connection with her.  And it broke my heart that I would never meet the vibrant, hilarious girl in that video.

But Esther Day isn't about focusing on the sadness of death.  Esther Day is about telling the people you love that you love them.  It's about goodness, light, love, family, friendship, hope, LIFE.  The next few weeks are always tough for me, and this weekend especially will be damn near impossible to get through without a potential breakdown.  Instead of concentrating on the sense of loss I feel without these people in my life, I will think of Esther.  I will think of the joy she brought so many people.  I will think of the joy that Mike, Craig, Randy, and Cos brought me.  I will hold onto love and do my damnedest to cast out the darkness that always creeps in.  That's how I'll honor Esther.

Thank you, sweet girl.  Just as you told John years ago, I also believe that the dead live on the memory and the lives of those they have touched.  You still live on in our hearts and in our memories.  Your star will not go out.  I promise.

Happy Esther Day, everyone.  I love you for reading this.