Ugly is in the Eye of the Beholder

Feel good about yourself. You could be one of these guys:

Ugly Animals

Though I have to disagree about #5 and #8. Those two are ugdorable.

If I were a Blobfish I would literally vomit every time I saw my reflection. Or I would mistake my reflection for someone else's vomit and be so grossed out that I would still end up vomiting myself. What a very sad, very ugly little being.

"If you're a dinosaur, all of your friends are dead. If you're a pirate, all of your friends have scurvy..."

Am I the most completely morbid person alive because I want this book? Ha! It apparently sold out crazy fast at Comic-Con. That's my kind of crowd. But then, Comic-Con is all about fantasy, sci-fi, super heroes and quirkiness, so I already knew that ;)

Darth Vader: From Sith Lord to Bank Robber

Really? You haven't been able to apprehend the jerk in the Darth Vader costume? Really?

Virtual Choir

Have you guys seen these? Pretty fantastic. It's the brain child of American composer/conductor Eric Whitacre and its a musical experiment where almost 200 different people, all around the world, each separately record themselves singing one part of a choir piece and then they combine them all together. The whole concept is, 'singing together, alone' and it turned out amazingly and sounds like they were all there together recording it. I love the idea that we can all be apart from each other and not even know each other but can play our individual role to unify and create something beautiful. Here is a little background.

My Boyfriend's Back

Sigh. My favorite Old Spice manly man is back for more. I want one.

Full 'Deathly Hallows' Trailer!

Okay, so, of course I devoured all of the Harry Potters books and I've seen the movies and very much want to go to the theme park, but I admit that since the book series ended and I have had some frustrations with changes in the last couple of movies and there are so many other things like the Twilight craziness that seem to be taking over the Harry Potter thunder, that I haven't been dying for the new movies. I mean, of course I wanted to see them and have the series concluded, but it was kind of a meh feeling. Until, dun dun duh!... I just watched this full trailer for the new Deathly Hallows movie coming out November 19th and was biting my lip and holding my breath the entire time! Gah! I forgot how great they are and now I want to go back and read them all again! It's like coming home to old friends, like my Amelia's, and those are the best kinds of stories ;)

Sanuk = Love (Well, Actually 'Fun,' But I Love Them)

So I have recently become obsessed with Sanuk footwear. The name is the word for fun in Thai. They have been out for several years and I have heard of them, but they are getting more popular and are starting to be available in more places. I believe the only place that actually carries them around here is REI, but there are only a few options to choose from. What actually led to to investigating them, funnily (and possibly embarrassingly?) enough, is that I was browsing Twitter a few weeks ago and Nina Dobrev, star of the TV show The Vampire Diaries posted a link to the Sanuk website, so I got curious and checked it out. I thought that they were so cute (plus I really only have flip flops and needed a good pair of summer shoes) so I ordered the 'Kitty Hawk' Sidewalk Surfers:

Little did I realize that they are not only visually appealing, but they are ridiculously comfortable as well. The Sidewalk Surfer is a deconstructed shoe upper on a sandal footbed, allowing the foot to bend and flex naturally. With the new construction, the Sidewalk Surfer has been labeled "Not-A-Shoe," creating a new category in footwear. Seriously, soooooo comfortable and breathable and adorable. The perfect summer shoe. 

I loved my pair so much right away, that I jumped on-line and splurged and ordered another pair. I wanted a pair that was a very different pattern from my Kitty Hawk's, so I went with the 'Del Mar' Sidewalk Surfers:

It was kind of a tough call, because I am not normally one for animal print apparel, but I love these 'I'm Game' Surfers as well:

I also love these 'Spring Flings' as well, but I wish they came in some colors besides just black. I could go for a nice, bold red:

Gah! I want them all!


I did, however, also order some Tubeflops. How fun are these!?! They are basically thin leggings built in to your flip flops! Perfect for boating mornings when you've got your swim stuff on but its still chilly out. LOVE:

The Tubeflops are pretty much for the ladies, obviously, but Sanuk has sandals and Sidewalk Surfers for Men, Women and Children too. It's fun in Thai. They are Green. Get a pair. Do it. I'm serious.

"If You're Not in New York, You're Camping Out" -Thomas E. Dewey

Back to the Big Apple! Wasn't I just here? Yes, but I love it! The last several times I have gone it was in Autumn and Winter, so it was kind of nice to be there in the summertime. Also, I typically plan my trips around a specific Broadway show that I am dying to see, and this time the trip was for more personal reasons. Not that we didn't fit a couple of shows in, (please, this is me we're talking about) but the reason for the trip was to attend the reception of my friends Brian & Isa. They actually got married back in the end of December, but had a belated reception. It was in Central Park and was super casual and it was so good to see them so happy!

My friend Adam and I (who are both friends with Brian from our BYU years) took a Thursday night red-eye flight and arrived in NY bright and early (and humidified) on very little sleep, but that hardly mattered. We stayed with our lovely friend Alli (another mutual friend from BYU- she is a nurse and her husband is at Med school at Cornell) and they graciously let us make a wreck of their living room all weekend.

Adam had been to NY before as well, but he had a little bucket list of things he wanted to do and we did a pretty dang good job of covering it considering we only had three days and Brian's reception was the main point of our trip and travel time getting all over takes up a lot. Things on the list we covered were:

1- The Metropolitan Museum (I go every time I'm in NY, but I love it)
2- The Guggenheim Museum (I had never been!)
3- The NY Public Library (I had also never gone here- really glad we did)
4- St. Patrick's Cathedral
5- Cruising out to the Statue of Liberty (Instead of taking the two hour ferry we took a speed boat- I would highly recommend it ;)
6- Top of the Rock (I had never done this either- its a look out at the top of Rockefeller Center. If you have never been to NY then you have to go up the Empire State Building, because, well, its the Empire State Building, but now that the Towers are gone, it doesn't have the best view anymore. Top of the Rock has a great view of the ESB and also of Central Park)
7- Serendipity! I can't go to NY and not go there either, apparently. I'm okay with it
8- Times Square and Broadway shows! We went to two shows, Memphis and Fela! They were both really great, and both won awards at the Tony's this past week. Memphis won the coveted Best Musical
9- Strolling/eating in Greenwich Village
10- Baseball game- the Yankees were sadly out of town, but we went to a Mets game at the new Citi Field
11- Most importantly, got to spend time with Brian and Isa and Alli and got to finally meet Alli's husband Dustin, who is great- it is so awfully thoughtful of my friends to keep marrying people that I like  ;)

Not too shabby for three quick days! Here are some pics!

LOST S6: E17 & E18 FINALE- 'The End'

...For a moment the unearthly stillness of the desert enveloped us...
Then Newman said, "My father once told me a story I always think of, when the going gets rough and things look hopeless. It's about Destiny….
Destiny came down to an island, centuries ago, and summoned three of the inhabitants before him. 'What would you do,' asked Destiny, 'if I told you that tomorrow this island will be completely inundated by an immense tidal wave?'' The first man, who was a cynic, said, 'Why, I would eat, drink, carouse and make love all night long!' The second man, who was a mystic, said, 'I would go to the sacred grove with my loved ones and make sacrifices to the gods and pray without ceasing.' And the third man, who loved reason, thought for a while, confused and troubled, and said, 'Why, I would assemble our wisest men and begin at once to study how to live under water.' "
I, too, never forgot that story. When our cause seems doomed and the future LOST, when despair becomes unbearable and the heart is on the edge of breaking, let men summon hope and honor and high resolve in yet one more stubborn affirmation: Come, let us assemble our wisest men and begin at once to think, to study, to try to learn – even to learn, if we must, how to live under water."
-Leo Rosten, Captain Newman, M.D.

Legen... wait for it... dary. From the music to the aerial shots to the battle in the rain to everything coming full circle with Jack lying down and closing his eyes in the same spot he woke up and opened his eyes in the very first scene of the very first episode... loved it. I suppose I will have to find something new to obsess over and blog about now. Sigh. Or get a life.

Little satisfying acknowledgments and reveals:

-LockeNess referring to Jack as the obvious choice, because that is what we were all thinking
-Kate snickering at the name Christian Shephard-Island Claire saying she is crazy
-Juliet is Jack's baby mama as hoped/confirmed (though I guess the little guy doesn't actually exist, sad.)
-The whole story has been a combination of elements from different mythologies and religions, and I love that it remained generic to the end- like Christian standing in front of a stained glass window with icons from several theologies

Things that choked me up:

Okay, so I pretty much started getting emotional from the moment the show began and the music played, but here are some specific times:

-Every time someone had a flashback sequence and finally remembered
-Charlie's face watching Claire from the stage-Kate helping Claire give birth to Aaron, again
-Sawyer whispering, I've got you, to Juliet

-Jack saying to Desmond I'll see you in another life, brother
-Jack's conversation with Christian in the end

Things that made me smile like a fool:

-All the people who remember smiling like idiots at the people who don't remember yet (Hurley at Charlie, the Kwons at Sawyer, Kate with Jack...)

-The joyous reunions that came with two people remembering at once (Sayid & Shannon, Sun & Jin, Sawyer & Juliet, Kate & Claire...)
-Boone already being in the know and he and Hurley giving Shannon & Sayid a little more time
-Ben's face to Hurley when he finally got to be the chosen one
-Jack & Kate's epic kiss on the cliff
-The symbolism of them protecting the Light on the island and then walking into the Light in the end

Favorite lines:

-Sawyer asking Jack what the Burning Bush had to say for itself (te he)
-Kate to Jack- you didn't ruin anything, nothing is irreversible... Hurley, this would be so sweet if we weren't all about to die
-When Desmond was going down the hole and said he would go where the light was brightest, all I could think was, second star to the right and straight on til morning! (From Peter Pan)
-Miles- I don't believe in a lot of things, but I do believe in duct tape

-Charlie- I was shot by a fat man

From the very first season, fans clamored around the theory that the island was Purgatory, and the writers/producers promptly shot that down. It was very clever that the twist is that its actually the Flash-Sideways world that is, maybe not Purgatory, per se, more like Limbo, or a literal passage to the light, for the dead to move on. It's a very nice idea that you create a perfect world to find those that matter most to you so that you can remember and let go and then move on together. The ending, with them all hugging it out in the church, which Kirsten aptly named, The Titanic Moment (as in the final scene of Titanic when Rose walks up the stairs and everyone (especially Jack- what a great name!) is there) was also wonderful. Everyone there but those who weren't quite ready to move on yet- Ben, Miles, Charlotte, Daniel... (and those spirits who are apparently trapped forever on the island like Michael?)

For several weeks now I have been suspicious of the to-good-to-be-true nature of the sideways world, feeling like it was some kind of Matrix. Then last week Desmond had me confused when he said that he was there to help them, let go. I was so caught up in it all that the realization of what was really happening didn't hit completely hit me until Jack walked into the Church and looked at the casket and I knew Christian wouldn't be in there because they were all dead. I had an eye-popping, jaw-dropping, make-my-friends-pause-so-I-could-get-a-grip-and-explain moment.

At first when it ended, feeling extremely overwhelmed, I felt like there was a lack of continuity with them all being dead since there were a few in the Island time, aka, Real Time, that were still alive. The more I think about it the more perfect it is though. They really did go through all of that and successfully saved the island and fulfilled their destiny. Those that died seem to have sort of, waited for those who lived so they could all move on together. Hurley and Ben had their moment of -you were a good second...you were a good first, so they really must have cared for the island together for a time. For how long? It hardly matters, because as Christian said, this place they created has no place and no time- they created what was familiar and contemporary to them so that they could all find each other and be together. Though they didn't confirm it, and that's okay, its nice to wistfully think that Desmond got back to his Penny, that Kate and Claire stayed friends and lived a full life loving Aaron, and that maybe Sawyer and Miles did become cop partners! So when Kate said to Jack, I've missed you so much, it really must have been a while for her since she lived years longer than him. (And who knows about Richard.) Its also fun to think of Hurley finding his groove as the new Jacob. He would be a friendly face to meet, with Ben-as-the-new-Richard being the intimidating one. What a pair. I wonder who Hurley chose as his replacement...

Genius. Fulfilling yet lingering. I'll miss it and I want more, but I agree that it was time for it to end. The whole episode answered enough, but was still beautifully ambiguous, which is fitting, because all of LOST has been one exquisitely mysterious journey. C'est la vie.

Little Brother is All Growed Up and Graduated!

So this is a couple of weeks belated, because I was lazy about getting the pictures uploaded, but two weekends ago I went to Bozeman, Montana for the college graduation of my (second of four) little brother Parker (fondly nicknamed 'Bug'). My folks are still out of the country, so I was the family representative. He was a film student and it was really a lot of fun having him show me campus and show me his art classrooms and videos they have worked on and what not. It made me sentimental for school and made me think that Film would have been a pretty awesome major since, if this blog is any proof, I kinda like media stuff. Sigh, bygones. Once Bug is on a roll, he is hiring me as his personal assistant, so we're good ;)

Here is a little slide show of my brief but eventful adventures in Bozeman:

Here is a video of Bug actually walking across the podium. You know, for the folks:

LOST S6: E16- 'What They Died For'

At the innermost core of all loneliness is a deep and powerful yearning for union with one's LOST self. 
-Brendan Francis

Flash-Sideways:

Desmond has certainly found his stride in knocking the truth back into everybody. It has certainly been some quick and confident thinking on his part to be pulling off all of this. But, like he said to LockeNess on the island, he isn't afraid of anything. So I guess, why hesitate and second guess yourself and your purpose if you have no fear? The whole time I was thinking, 'the gangs all here!' It was so fun to see so many favorites/originals together and I love Desmond for making it happen. He made that call to Jack about the coffin arriving soon, so is his goal to get everyone to the airport? If they fly a plane out over the island will they mesh with their Island entities? Also, though I never really doubted him, it was nice to have it verified that he did in fact hit John to help him let go, and not to actually harm him. That phrase, 'help him let go,' is curious. I have been assuming he just needs to make them all remember, but as we have said before, this Sideways seems to be, for the most part, sort of a dream world idea of closure and being okay with that they have, yada, yada, yada. Maybe the reality, even if its darker, is better, because its the truth, and Desmond has to knock that into them. More than just remembering, but accepting as well, and being who they were before. The way that John is now, once again, a Man of Faith.


Side Note 1- I secretly always thought that Kate and Sayid would have been an awesome, Mr. & Mrs. Smith kinda team. Too bad that never happened. I always liked their chemistry and their mutual respect.
Side Note 2- Anna Lucia! It was nice to see you dear, but unlike all of the other old characters who felt like they were guest stars, she really just felt like a brief cameo, so it felt a little off. But alas, as Desmond said, she's not ready.
Side Note 3- I am still really hopeful that we will see Juliet in the finale, because I know we are going to be seeing some other familiar faces.

Island:

I was loving the whole Three Amigos feel of Richard, Ben and Miles. That is, until Richard got clobbered and Ben started acting like, well, Ben. He realized that Smokey was always the one in control. That conversation with Ben and Smokey on the porch was crazy. I was amused and horrified all at once. Nobody can deliver a line like Michael Emerson (Ben). At first I thought he was bluffing and it was going to be some kind of an attempt at a trap, but nope. Gave Charles up, shot him himself, then asked who else there was to kill. He was practically drooling. Not that I will really miss Charles, but I sort of wanted a little more time for some Charles/Ben frenemy banter. Charles said Jacob visited him after the freighter. Between that (since Ben is still bitter that Jacob never chose him) and Charles potentially getting to save his daughter (while Ben lost Alex) there was no way he was going to let him live.  

The conversation that Jacob had with the Final Four at the fire was amazing. I guess his ashes in the fire allow them to see and hear him? The most 'aaaaaahh' moment of the entire episode for me was finding out that Jacob only crossed Kate off of the list because she became a Mother and that was a more important role. 

I'll tell you what they died for, why I chose them and why I chose you, then I'll tell you all you need to know to protect the island because as soon as that flame goes out one of you will have to do it. Gah! I liked Jacob taking responsibility for his mistake. And then describing why he chose them... I didn't pluck any of you out of a happy existence... you were all flawed... like me... alone... all looking for something... you needed the island as much as it needs you. What is interesting is that he chose people who were more like his brother was, than like he was/is.

Jack volunteered! The minute he did, the first thought in my head was that he was going to get killed and one of the others would have to step up, but now that he's drunk Jacob's blessed water (interesting that its the incantation that counts and not what the liquid itself is- water, wine...) So since he is now like Jacob and Jacob's Crazy Mama before them, he should prove pretty hard to kill. Hopefully Richard isn't really dead from that little scuffle with Smokey and he and Jack can start a beautiful bromance. My friend Adam screeched so long and loud when Smokey came out and whacked Richard. Ha! 

Desmond is a Fail Safe. That's what Charles whispered to Smokey. (Charles was little too quick to give that information up, if you ask me. I know he was trying to save Penny, but he should have stuck with his original, and far more accurate, you'll kill her either way, mentality.) How can Smokey use this information and use Desmond to help destroy the island? Use him as some kind of electromagnetic conductor? Since Island Des and Sideways Des are so in sync, if one died would the other know? Would the other also die?

Striking lines of the night:

In the beginning when Kate was heartbreakingly talking about Sun & Jin and told Jack that they need to kill LockeNess and Jack simply replied, I know. Ooooh, good chills.

Miles to Ben in his old house before Smokey arrived: What's that? A secreter room? Haha!

Smokey to Ben when asked why he doesn't stay in smoke form all of the time: I like the feel of my feet on the ground. Makes me remember I was human. Ooooh, creeper chills.

Jacob to Hurley: You should get your friends Hugo. We're almost at the end. Yeah we are. (Sniffle)

The Periodic Table of Super Powers

Hmmm, if I could only have one of each category, I believe I would take E - H - Ge. I like to be practical ;)

LOST S6: E15- 'Across the Sea'

And then, something happened. I let go. LOST in oblivion. Dark and silent and complete. I found freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.

–Narrator in Fight Club

Ummmm, wow. This post is very quote-heavy because, well, the episode was so chock-full of captivating insights!

Crazy Mama & Her Spouts of Wisdom: Played by the always wonderful and entertaining Allison Janney, an actress that I was certainly not expecting to see in LOST. How long had she been there? Who passed the torch to her? She tells the birth mother that she got to the island the same way as them, "by accident." Then later, she tells the boys, "They're not like us, they don't belong here, we're here for a reason." Seems a little contradictory to me. Was she somehow watching the outside like Jacob later did and knew that the child of that woman would be her heir? She also says that she has "made it so you can never hurt each other." Okay, witch woman, but they can still be killed by others. Is the fact that MIB can't kill the Candidates because they are sort of protected by proxy of her little spell-casting since they are potential new Jacob's?

The Favored: Though there were a lot of eye-popping moments and comments in this episode, the most interesting thing to me is the fact that Jacob wasn't actually the desired Candidate himself. From the very beginning with the birth there was a lot of symbolism. Hair color and complexions aside, Jacob was the firstborn, wrapped in white and not crying, while No-Name is wrapped in black and bawling. From the beginning it appears that Jacob was the one that was innately good, while MIB is prone to deceit and can see the dead. (Though we know from Hurley that seeing the dead doesn't mean one is evil. Ha! That would be the biggest twist of all if Hurley ended up the evil spawn of MIB and a criminal mastermind!) she still states this in a positive way: "Jacob doesn't know how to lie, he's not like you, you're special." Yet she later tells Jacob, "I couldn't let you become one of them, I needed you to stay good." So she knew that Jacob was the 'good' one but favored MIB anyway, despite him being the one who leans towards deceit? Or perhaps because of this? Perhaps because he was more like the rest of humanity than Jacob she thought he would be the one to understand? Because she saw herself in him? MIB asks her at one point, "what's dead?" She tells him its "something you will never have to worry about." I suppose this conversation verifies that she was indeed going to choose him as her predecessor and was planning on giving him the Cup of Life.

From Man to Monster: Thirteen year old No-Name looked a lot like a mini Zac Efron. They did a good job showing us his humanity so that we could semi-relate. With who he was though, and not who he now is, since what he is now is merely a monstrous phantom version of his dead self. Curious that it ended up being Jacob who was the cause of the Man in Black's death and him turning into a monster. MIB has the innate ability to see the dead, but Jacob does not. You really can't blame the man fro feeling betrayed and for wanting to see his homeland and see what is out there in the world. Why should he respect the Light when he hasn't been told why he should, and when he can harness it's power? When he stabbed Crazy Mama and she was dying, he asked, "why wouldn't you let me leave mother?" She replied, "because i love you," and then she added "thank you..." Why the thanks? Because she has been in this position for so long and couldn't die and now she is finally being released?

The Back-Up Chosen One: Despite his seeming very innocent and Adam-like, Jacob was more than what he seemed. Despite choosing to stay with Crazy, he still came to see his brother and watched the people sometimes, to see if Mama was wrong about humanity. He disagreed, and it ended up being MIB who agreed with her on that stance- "You want to know if they're bad. The woman is mad but she is right about that... they're greedy, manipulative, selfish..." yet he wants to be one of them. Also paralleling a conversation we have seen before is when Crazy Mama is describing the warring of Mankind and says, "it always ends the same," which is is the same phrasing that Man in Black said to Jacob the very first time we saw them in the show. Interesting that, though Jacob is the one who stayed with Crazy Mama while No-Name left, it is No-Name who had more in common with her. Jacob never loses his faith and hope in people. It wasn't something instilled in him by his upbringing, so where does it come from? And Jacob knew. He knew that Crazy Mama loved MIB more and was going to choose him. "Why do you love him more than me?" Then later at the Light telling her that he knows that she wanted it to be MIB but she's giving it to him because he's all she now has. A man of duty though, he still accepted the responsibility. Was it all in Crazy Mama's (or something far beyond her) master plan? Did Jacob need to be humble?

The Light: When she first took them to the Light it felt very Garden of Eden-like, and young Jacob felt very much like Adam, innocent and childlike. Crazy Mama told them they had to make sure that no one finds the light- a little bit of the light is in every man but they always want more. Apparently they can't actually take it, but if they try it may go out and if it goes out here, it will go out everywhere. "What's down there?" "Light, death, rebirth... its the source, the heart of the island. If you go down there you will be worse than dead." MIB's new people are clever and innovative and have discovered pockets of magnetism around the island and have built the wheel to harness the Light and water. The bottle Mama used to give Jacob eternal life or to make him the keeper of the Light, or what you will, seemed to be the same bottle that he later used to describe to Richard that the island is like a cork keeping evil from spreading into the world. I used to think that the evil he meant was the literal entity of Smokey himself, but now we understand that it's Jacob's fault that that is the case- when he tossed little brother into the Light, he seemed to suck it all into himself. So I guess now they need to find a way to get it out of him and back into the island? The same thing in essence, but different than I first understood it. After he drank, she said, "now you and I are the same." They aren't though. Maybe in immortality and responsibility, but I don't know how much similarity I see beyond that. He is very much his own person.

Adam & Eve: So the cave our Losties went to in Season One is the home of Jacob's youth, and the skeletons they found are Crazy Mama and Man in Black. Why leave them there like that? It seems that it has been centuries at least, so one thing for humanity is apparently a shared respect of the dead since the bones haven't been disturbed with all the stragglers coming and going over the years. They seem to have kept nicely. Island thing, I guess.

Ooh, and here is a good recap to check out.

Geek Soda

Okay, so, I'm not a big sugary beverage person, and I am way to old to get excited about things like this, but the fantasy geek in me is DYING to try these new Dungeons & Dragons "Spellcasting" editions of Jones Soda. Aaah, the fun my brothers and I would have had with these as kids, as we were role-playing fantasy/action scenarios in the backyard. The six new flavors, aka, potions, are:

Potion of Healing

Sneak Attack

Illithid Brain Juice

Dwarven Draught

Bigby's Crushing Thirst Destroyer

Eldritch Blast

How fun is that?! Jones has done other Limited Editions in the past (holiday themed, sports themed, Hot Wheels, Punk Rock Bands...) but this is by far the coolest. Makes me want to don a cape and brandish a sword and conquer evil... er, you know, like, 20 years ago. Ahem.

LOST S6: E14- 'The Candidate'

Nothing is LOST yet, nothing broken,
and yet the cold blue word is spoken:
say goodbye now to the Sun,
the days of love and leaves are done. 

-R.P.T. Coffin

The Fallen: And then there were four (plus Claire). I found it difficult to feel too emotional when Sayid died for several reasons: 1- I've been suspecting all season that he would die as a martyr, it was a very abrupt scene and he didn't get much of a sendoff, he has been a Claimed bum for a while now, and I know we will see him alive still in the other timeline. That being said, it still stung  to hear Jack yell to Hurley, 'There is no Sayid!'  As for Sun and Jin, that definitely left me weepy. It was a fitting end for them though, finally together and finding a sense of peace about it all, and it was beautifully filmed. Nice to catch a glimpse of Jin taking flowers to Sun in the Sideways right after though. Also, too bad about Lapidus (at least I am presuming he died after getting slammed by that door and probably drowning if that didn't kill him.)

Kate: Widmore has a list with four names on it- Ford, Reyes, Kwon and he didn't say, but I presume the fourth is Shephard. (How did he receive this list? From Jacob before he died?) Kate is not on the list and her name was crossed off in the cave, but I swear 'Austen' was on the wheel in the Lighthouse and was not crossed off. Maybe that doesn't mean anything, maybe the lighthouse names just reflect who Jacob has been watching and not who he has discarded as Candidates, but I still feel like there is some kind of loophole that will be revealed as far as Kate is concerned. Poor thing, thinking she is unneeded and then getting shot my Widmore's folks, almost drowning and losing her friends... she seemed far more concerned for Jack than for Sawyer on the beach in the end. Sawyer was the one lying unconscious and yet it was Jack she fell into, crying 'I couldn't find you... I couldn't find you...'

Jack: Nice parallel that he referred to Locke a Candidate in the Sideways timeline though he no longer is in the Island time. Needing to find the answers and take care of everyone, as always, and discovering a lot of connections with the Oceanic flight in the process. A sweet offer to Claire in the end with the declaration that they are family. Also, in all of the Sideways flashes there has been a shot of someone looking in a mirror, but it was a little different this time because it was both Jack and Claire in the mirror of the music box at the same time. An interesting reaction from John when Jack was trying to convince him to do the surgery. I think he is saying no for more reasons than just guilt over his fathers circumstances, and when Jack said 'I can help you John, I wish you believed me,' he seemed to hesitate, not in a reconsidering way, but maybe in a deja vu way. On the Island, Jack keeps wanting people to trust him and thinks they can't get hurt, but keeps being wrong. First Juliet and now they have lost three more. Best line to put Jack in a nutshell, when John's fiancee asks him, 'why can't that be enough' and Jack responds, 'because its not.' Plain and simple. 

Different Circumstances, Same Outcome: It is interesting what we are discovering about the backgrounds of our Losties in the Sideways world. When we first saw them all in the premiere episode, once again on the Oceanic flight, it seemed that things were much the same with them except that they landed this time. As we are learning, their pasts are NOT the same, though they were still ed (by Fate?) to that same flight again. Sayid was an honest business man this time around, Sun and Jin were together though not married, Locke still ended up in a wheelchair but for different reasons, Jack was still going to pick up his father's body but he has a teenage son now... Kate is still on the run, but I think we will discover that she may be innocent of what she is accused of and it will be something different from blowing up her father. 

Who to Trust?: For one thing, I am confused about the Claimed, Claire and Sayid. Do they just have a difficult time thinking clearly unless a strong and personal emotion is brought out to knock some sense into them? For Claire, talking to Kate about going home to Aaron and for Sayid talking to Desmond about the kind of man Nadia would want him to be? With LockeNess, I think Jack is right that he 'needs them' to get off the island but he has simply been unclear about what he needs of them, that he needs them dead and as I've suspected, he can't kill them himself for some reason. If this is true though, then I am wrong in my theory that he can't straight out lie, since he was threatening Jack about killing him if he wanted to. Widmore- I am very confused about him. He has the list of remaining Candidates that he seems to want to protect, locked them up saying it was for their own good, he shoots at them at the boat, though granted, the only one that gets hit is Kate who he thinks is expendable... he isn't exactly great about making himself clear if he IS a good guy, and it does seem likely that LockeNess lied about Widmore setting up the bomb on the plane, but if LockeNess wanted to blow them up on the sub, why didn't he just do it on the plane and save some time? 

Those Absent from the Episode: Desmond- so he is still in the well, and Sayid acknowledged that 'Locke wants him dead, which means your going to need him." Then he tells Jack that he is telling him these things "because its going to be you Jack." It being the final Candidate? the new Jacob? Does Sayid know this for certain or is he just basing it, like I am, on the fact that Jack seems like likely one at this point. Maybe Desmond can answer that. And, I forget, what were Richard and Ben off doing again?

Vinni Pukh, aka, Winnie the Pooh

So its official. Winnie the Pooh is completely adorable in any language. Here is a Russian version to prove it. Though the graphics aren't any where near as good as the classic Disney version and he's more of a quirky adorable than a sentimental adorable. I'm not going to buy the DVD of this version or anything, but it sure makes me smile.

Animal Novelties

I want a pony-dog! Or a bunny-dog!

Meet Einstein:

Meet Darius:

How cute are they?! Its nice to see that some birth defects turn out so great. Did that sound insensitive? Meh. At least I'm not posting images of the types that don't turn out so great. Hmmm, just thinking about that makes me want to wear a Superman tee shirt and eat a Baby Ruth. If you get that reference, well, I'm glad we're friends ;)

Betty White on SNL = Happiness

So maybe you have already all heard about this, but I am pleased as punch about it! So everyone's favorite Golden Girl, the hilarious and immortal Betty White, beloved by all, has somehow never hosted Saturday Night Live, in all the years that she has been making us laugh. Don't you think that is a travesty? Well, so do over five hundred thousand other people. People like myself. Connected people. Facebook people. After BW was featured in the hilarious Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl, a campaign was started on Facebook pleading to see BW as the host of the thirty-five year old sketch comedy show.

Well the Powers That Be, aka Lorne Michaels, heard the plea and  it is really happening. Now, BW is going strong, but she IS 88 years old, so they decided to have her host the May 8th episode, which is the night before Mother's Day, and so that she doesn't have to carry the weight of the entire night, it is going to be sort of a Women of Comedy thing, with appearances by six fabulous former SNL cast members, namely: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer and Rachel Dratch.

Yeah. It's gonna be a good one. I am not at all an avid SNL watcher these days, more of an SNL Hulu watcher if I specifically hear about a great skit or to see what the brilliant Kristen Wiig is up to (she is the best part of SNL these days). I will definitely want to be watching this episode, however. I luff BW.

Brother Parker, I will be in Bozeman for your college graduation the weekend this airs. I guess we know how we're going to party afterwards. Some cherry enhanced fountain sodas, some pre-packaged cookie dough, some cozy hotel beds and Betty White on SNL... its like they planned it just for you ;)

Here is a promo. She is fabulous.

'Glee' Flash Mob (Helping to Sustain My Hope for the Human Race)

Aaah, the joy and inspiration that Glee brings to the masses. Check out this rad Glee flash mob! Glee songs are perfect for a medley of sporadic street dancing! Love it! (Many thanks to Kirsten for the initial link)

The above video is in Seattle, but click HERE to go to YouTube and see several other Glee flash mobs that have popped up in cities around the world. I love that this is a trendy thing and that Glee is such a global phenomenon!! Who wants to organize one and do it at The Gateway mall or something? Haha!

And for those of you who weren't thrilled by last nights new Glee episode, Home, read this recap. I agree with the writer that it is hard to come off of the big and sparkly Madonna episode and that Home deserves a second look. It caught me off guard because I have gotten used to anticipating constant hilarity and rock ballads, but this one was very sentimental and had very 50s musical style numbers. I dug it. But then, to me, Glee can do no wrong ;)

Things to Do, Places to See & Events to Attend Before I Die

So, despite the fact that I have recently been devising and confirming my summer plans, which, I am pleased to report, should keep me sufficiently busy, I have still been feeling slightly bored and a bit on the wistful side recently (maybe because I have been reading so much fiction lately- I always read a lot, but the last couple of months I have been reading A LOT). I find I always feel better when I have something to look forward to. For me, that something typically needs to be a trip or a death defying act to suitably subdue me for any decent amount of time. I have therefore concocted the below list of thing that I wish to do, places I wish to see, and events I wish to attend while there is life still in me. (Okay, so perhaps the fact that I just turned 28 may have prompted this. A bit.) After you see this list you may deem me fairly ambitious or possibly even unrealistic, but I say, it never hurt a girl to have a few aspirations. This list isn't of the practical, day-to-day, New Year's Resolution variety (get in shape, own a home, have babies, blah blah blah...), this is my just-for-the-fun-of-it, travel/adventure, obscure goal list.

TO DO:

-Tour the Holy Land (including a visit to Petra and a dip in the Red Sea)

-Take a Greece/Turkey Trip (I may need a full month for this one. So many ruins & islands, so much culture & history, such a lot of all around amazingness to behold)

-Go to Bora Bora, French Polynesia (Honeymoon?)
-Visit Angel Falls in Venezuela ('Paradise Falls' in the movie 'Up' were based off these)
-Visit the fjords in Norway during the Midnight Sun

-Visit Prince Edward Island to fullfill my Anne of Green Gables Childhood Fantasies (perhaps combine this with a Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket trip? While there, scout for a plot of land to retire as a dog lady)
-Travel a section of the Silk Road (The whole thing is ginormous and would take forever, but it would be fun to caravan a section as part of another trip or two)

-Hike to Machu Picchu, Peru

-Hike Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

-Go Kayaking in New Zealand

-Do the Canopy Tour Zip-Line, Costa Rica (I did a pretty great zip-line in South Africa, but this is the big original one and is supposed to be gorgeous- apparently there is now a bigger one in New Zealand, so maybe I will just do that?)

-Drive at Maximum Speed on the Autobahnen, Germany

-Raft/Hike Through the Grand Canyon

-Walk the Great Wall of China

-Participate in an Anthropological Dig (I still secretly want to be an archaeologist, but I want to be the one crawling through tunnels, not doing paperwork. Blast you Indiana Jones and Amelia Peabody! I didn't mean that. I love you.)

-Purchase a Hand-Painted Dish Set in San Gimignano, Italy (in person)

-Gondola Ride in Venice (Been to Venice, didn't want to ride, uncoupled as I was. What a waste of romance THAT would have been)

-Go Down in a Shark Cage

-Dive the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

-Go On a Real Submarine Ride

-Swim with Dolphins (I did at a hotel once, but I mean NOT in captivity)

-Go on a Hot Air Balloon Ride (I've been up in one anchored to the ground)

-Get up the Guts and Try Out for a Show (I get queasy just thinking about it)

-Attend an Opera at the Paris Opera House (been in the building but not to a performance)

-Attend an Opera at the Sydney Opera House

-Go Hang Gliding, Paragliding

-Take Lessons: Fencing, Martial Arts or Ballroom Dancing (I took Karate for like 2 months when I was 8 or 9; Doesn't count. I have no skills. Not even nunchuck skills.)

-Sleep in a Tent On a Branch of a Giant Redwood Tree or Hooked to Ropes Along a Cliff Face (Yes, you read that right- might sound crazy but I have seen both in articles in National Geographic. Both are probably better left to the hard core professionals, but, meh)

-Live on the East Coast for a While (NY, Boston, DC…)
-Stay a Night in the Cinderella Suite in Disneyland 

-Read 1,000 novels (I'm currently in the 350's (when I remember them I add them to my Goodreads list to keep track), though I am sure there are some I am forgetting- and I am not counting books like 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' or 'The Berenstain Bears,' (I'm a Belle, not a Gaston) I mean full-length novels
-Learn Italian (even though I know Spanish would be more practical and I know its a travesty that I don't already have a second language)

-Write/Publish Something Truly Timeless & Beautiful (Article? Novel? Memoir? Obituary?)

*The Below 3 Could be Done Simultaneously:

-Stay in the Ice Hotel in Sweden (December-April)

-See the Aurora Borealis, (If via Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, November-April)

-Ride on a Dog Sled

-Attend a Formal Ball/Gala (Political?)

-Attend The Oscars and/or the Cannes Film Festival Once My Brother Parker is a Big, Famous Writer/Director (Alright, so this one requires more effort from him, but I am sure I will still have to put some work in (pleading, groveling, guilt-tripping, blackmailing...) to be his date ;)

-Attend Summer Olympic Festivities

-Be in Boston (or Chicago. Or Ireland, for that matter) for St. Patrick's Day

-Visit DC (and/or East Asia) while the Cherry Blossoms are in Bloom

-Attend a Major Sporting Event (Super Bowl, Wimbledon, a Soccer World Cup...)

-Attend the Kentucky Derby & Wear a Big Hat (May)

-Attend Comic-Con in San Diego, California (July)

-Attend Bonneville Salt Flat Races, near Salt Lake City, Utah (September)

-Attend Marti Gras, New Orleans, Louisiana (February-March)

-Attend the International Kite Festival in Adelaide, Australia (March)

-Attend Carnival in Venice, Italy (February)

-Attend a Palio Race in Siena, Italy (July & August)
- Attend the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain

-Find a Way to Survive After LOST Has Ended (I'm not kidding)

-Join the Mile High Club (Haha! I AM kidding! (PS, Mom, I'll explain it to you later))

The following list is items that I have already had the pleasure of doing, but would have been on the To-Do list otherwise. Basically my checked-off section of the list. I hope I don't sound braggy, believe me, I know perfectly well how lucky and blessed I am to have been able to do all of these things by the age of, ahem, 28, and I don't have any idea how they all came to pass or how I will fund all of the above items. I basically wrote this section to make myself feel better about the long way I have to go to accomplish the above section. If anything, you should pity me for having no personal life and compensating by aiming for outrageous things like these.

DONE:

-Live Abroad: Zimbabwe

-Get Scuba Certified

-Go Bungee Jumping: Victoria Falls (over the Zambezi River, the border between Zimbabwe & Zambia)

-Raft the Zambezi River (saw a dead floating hippo and a couple of live crocodiles. Just little ones ;)

-Ride an Elephant: Zimbabwe

-Go on an African Safari: Kenya

-Go Sky Diving: Oahu, Hawaii

-Go Parasailing: On an Eastern Caribbean Cruise

-Tour Italy, from Lake Como down to Sicily

-See 'The Last Supper' in Milan, Italy

-See 'The David,' in Florence, Italy

-Go to Monte Carlo, Monaco and See Grace Kelly's Tomb

-Go to Angkor Wat in Cambodia

-Rock Climb in Krabi, Thailand

-Visit Stonehenge

-Visit Egypt: Rode a Camel, Saw Old Cairo, Giza, Philae & Karnak, Bought Lotus Flower Perfume and a Papyrus Painting, Sailed the Nile (it was a brief and beautiful week, and there is so much more I would love to go back and see)

-Join a Cause: Tsunami Relief in Thailand

-Go Deep Sea Fishing: Caught a 30 lb Halibut Off the Coast of British Columbia

-Take a True Sailing Trip (where you live on the boat): Belize

-Ride in a Helicopter: Hawaii, Big Island

-Sleep in a Bunk on an Overnight Train ((between Mombasa & Nairobi, Kenya)

-See the Penguins in Cape Town, South Africa

-Visit a Renaissance Fair: Boise, Idaho

-Hike Goblin Valley, Arches, Canyonlands & Zions National/State Parks, Southern Utah

-Attend the Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah (seeing movies, not just strolling)

-Attend Winter Olympics Festivities, Salt Lake City 2002 (By accident because I happened to be at College there at the time, but I'm counting it)

-Attend a Wedding in Las Vegas, Nevada (Thanks Tawns!)

-Bike the Haleakala Volcano, Maui, Hawaii (The Sunrise Tour)

-Become a Season Ticket Holder of Something (This year for the first time, Hale Center Theatre)

-Go to Disney Land and Disney World

-Cut Down Our Own Christmas Tree

-Drive Across the United States (Okay, so we didn't go ALL the way, but from Raleigh, North Carolina to Boise, Idaho is pretty good, so I'm counting it since I have been the rest of the way on separate occasions ;)

-Become a Pirate (Okay, it may just be my Halloween default, but in my head its real. I would have been an awesome pirate. I have the Captain Jack Sparrow hat to prove it.)

By City:

New York: Go to an Original Broadway Cast Production, New York City (I have done this on more than one occasion as it is a bit of an obsession of mine); Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Metropolitan Museum, American History Museum, Walk the Entirety of Central Park, Eat in China Town, Eat in Little Italy, Dance on the Giant Floor Keyboard at FAO Schwartz, View the Rockafeller Center Christmas Tree and the Windows on Fifth Avenue at Christmas, Watch the Ball Drop in Times Square, Hail a Cab, Eat at Serendipity

London: Go to a Show in The West End (London's equivalent of Broadway); British Museum, Tower of London; Ride a Double Decker Bus; Make a Call in a Red Phone Booth (er, took a pic pretending to make a call, but whatev); Buckingham Palace; Globe Theatre; Tate Museum; Millenium Bridge

Paris: Ride Up the Eiffel Tower; Climp up Notre Dame Cathedral; Go Down Into the Catacombs; See the 'Mona Lisa' at the Louvre; Devour Crepes Galore

Rome: Tour the Vatican; See the Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; Toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain; Stick My Hand in the Mouth of Truth; Stand on the Spanish Steps; See the Colosseum and the Roman Forum; Devour Gelato Galore

I am sure that I am leaving some things out, possibly in both sections of the list, and I'm also quite certain that I will be coming back and adding things periodically. Can anyone think of other things that I have mentioned or that I am forgetting? Any suggestions for knocking some of these off the list? Anyone want to tag along?

LOST in a Flash: Top 10 from 'The Last Recruit'

Whitney Matheson who writes the Pop Candy column on the USA Today has a LOST discussion thread after each new episode and each Friday she posts the ten most intriguing comments. I seriously cannot believe some of the little Easter Eggs people catch. Here are the ones for the 4/20/10 episode, The Last Recruit. (Click the title to link to the article.) There are some really good ones this week:

1. okgirl_ok: What I love in this episode?

Jack's mirror moment reveals not self-reflection but ... LOCKE!

What a beautiful juxtaposition.

2. Sister Carrie: It looks like the same ancient story was played out in two different ways tonight.

The first is when Locke is in the ambulance and says, "My name is John." I knew this sounded familiar. It reminded me of the story of the birth of JOHN the Baptist. His father Zachariah didn't believe the angel Gabriel when he told Zachariah that his barren wife Elizabeth, a daughter of AARON (and also the name of Libby's sailboat!), would conceive in old age. Because of his UNBELIEF he was struck mute. It wasn't until after the baby was born and relatives were arguing over what his name should be that his father wrote on a TABLET: "His name is John" (the name the angel gave him). At that moment his BELIEF restored him, caused his physical restoration and he was able to speak. I had a feeling tonight that Locke's pronouncement of the words "my name is John" was significant in some way, some declaration of belief that would also lead to his physical RESTORATION (which of course will be at the hands of Jack, who also showed evidence of his BELIEF on the Island tonight).

This same scene was played out in a different way with Sun. She also used a TABLET to communicate because she could no longer speak English. But once she was reunited with Jin, she was able to say "I love you." And Frank rightly said, "Looks like someone got their voice back." Two different kinds of restoration, playing off the same ancient story.

3. jwildstar: It was revealed that Ilana's last name is Verdansky. Is that a play on the name Vernadsky as in Vladimir Vernadsdky, a Russian mineralogist and geochemist who is considered one of the founders of radiogeology?

Interesting that Sideways Ilana has no accent. And on the door to the law office: Sweetzer & Verdansky. That's the second shout out to Sweetzer this season. Penny and Desmond are having coffee at the corner of Sweetzer and Melrose.

4. Ashleysailvt:

guyf wrote: 

Just an observation that what we're being told from some of the characters is inconsistent. If Flocke was appearing as Jack's dad, how did Jack see him in LA in the lobby of the hospital after he got off the island?

Also, Michael said the whispers were heard when dead people appear or are around. We heard whispers before Goodwin's wife told Juliet to stop Faraday and Charlotte from doing their work at the Tempest, and we also heard whispers when Walt would appear. Neither of them were dead. Like always, I wonder if there's more to the story...

----------------

I agree completely with you...I was really disappointed when Flocke told Jack that he was pretending to be Christian. It doesn't make any sense at all. Christians body was missing from the coffin, unlike Locke's body who was still in his coffin. This has already been discussed but MIB doesn't take over someone's actual body, he takes over their likeness. So where is Christian's body??? I always thought that Christian had been brought back to life due to the island's healing powers (or Jacob's touch). Remember at the beginning of season 5 when Sun and Lapidus went to the dharma camp looking for Jin. It was Christian who they found in the dharma camp waiting for them. He told Sun that if she wanted to see Jin again, that she would have to be "patient"; the same thing that Richard told Ben when he was a child (when Ben asked to join the others). This seemed like a very Jacob-y thing to say. Also, at the same time Sun and Lapidus were talking to Christian at the dharma camp, Flocke was already walking around back at the beach with Richard/Illana...remember??? Flocke and Christian can't BOTH be MIB. Flocke is lying to Jack and Claire. He is manipulating them so that they trust him. I don't think we've seen the last of Christian.

And your point about Jack seeing Christian in the hospital off the island...we NEVER see MIB off the island but Jacob on the other hand..he's been seen quite frequently.

5. Ashleysailvt: To piggyback on my whole Flocke is lying about being Christian thing...When Jack asked if he was pretending to be Christian and FLocke said yes, Jack asked why. FLocke's reason: "You were looking for water". Jack JUST told Hurley this story a few episodes back while they were in the caves on their way to the lighthouse. He said when he was out looking for water, he saw his father in the jungle. He said he chased his father until that pursuit led him right to the water he was seeking. MIB could've totally overheard that story...or Hurley could've repeated it to him?

6. kraz: Looking like Desmond going through the magnetism box has somehow put Jacob into his body. He has all the knowledge that Jacob does and is performing all the same tasks in the alt timeline.

7. KerryAnn: When Jack dives from the bomb and Locke carries him away, he tells him, "Now you're with me" (pardon it is not exact). This makes me think JACK JUST DIED.

8. wolv256: And I know the big theory is gonna be "Is Jack dead?" But remember the dynamite couldn't kill him earlier. I don't think he's dead.

9. Howwillitend: The paramedic taking Locke to the hospital said that Locke's wheelchair was totally destroyed. That's not true! I saw the screencap showing Desmond driving away after hitting Locke, and the wheelchair is just fine!!

This is one of many odd occurances happening in the sideways world. The date being off on Claires sonogram, The flight arrivals that Desmond is looking at shows Oceanic 815, arrived, the next frame, it say it hasnt arrived yet.Desmond being on the plane, then seeming to vanish!

Could this mean that there are Two sideway worlds, or are things just out of sync with that world because it's not supposed to happen that way?

10. Sister Carrie: Now Original Ben and Sideways Locke have a shared experience: lying facedown on an operating table waiting for Jack to save their lives.

Should Juliet find her way into the OR, their experience will be complete.