Go away snow - blow out to sea. No snow! No snow!!

NO SNOW!!!!!

Kate Winslet has an Oscar. All is better in the entertainment world.

And Hugh Jackman can host the Oscars any time he wants. He was delightful on so many levels.

I was so pleasantly surprised to see Michael on American Idol last night. It make me miss him all over again. I wish he was on by himself, instead of with Carly, and I thought his album was coming out in March. He said May. Maybe that means he will come on again alone to plug it.

Everything I said in this post. Smallville has, in just three episodes, slid down a path of complete awfulness that it's not even recognizable as the same show. No, wait. It is the same show as the first seven, melodramatic, painful, angsty, crappy seasons. The hope that was the first tennish episodes of this season has been completely wiped out.

I haven't felt this annoyed since Chakotay hooked up with Seven of Nine on Voyager.

Thank goodness there are the comics, movies, other TV shows of the Superman saga that actually show Kal-El as a hero and not some mopey, dopey, sap so caught up in being with the girl next door, he forgets everything he stands for. Hell, Superman Returns was better than this, because at least there he flew.

Super Lana!?

Super Lana?!

Super Lana!?

Hey, livingscenery2, wanna go to The Muny if Robert is performing? I feel like doing something stupid this year.

I've been watching Dr. Quinn non-stop since Christmas. I've forgotten how awesome that show is. And it got better as it went on. Instead of jumping the shark once they got married and had a baby, it got better. Maybe it was a good thing it got cancelled after season six, but I liked how they got some heavy drama involved and killed lots of people off. Keep it real.

Anyway, I never noticed, despite faithfully watching every episode (until college :-) ) that Jane Seymour has two different color eyes. Watching it the other day, the light hit her, and I noticed it. Then I kept noticing it. After googling her, sure enough, she has heterochromia. Then I learned Christopher Walken and Dan Aykroyd have it too.

I bought Lucky a new outfit last week. Maybe it was two weeks ago... Ginelle and I went to the mall and I splurged on a plaid shirt and a reversible fleece jacket to keep him toasty. It's cold in the cube!

As I was dressing him, Nat walked by and we started talking, then Jess walked by and joined in. We got talking about the American Girl dolls and 11-year-old Amy was very pleased to find a kindred spirit. We discussed the downfall in quality and increase of blonds in the company since Mattel took it over, how well made the clothing is. She didn't know about the movies. I said Samantha's was the best, and Molly's was so terrible, I think angry thoughts when thinking about it. The conclusion of Molly's books always makes me cry, and to have it butchered so badly as was done in the movies just irks me to no end. I've gone on the site and am dismayed to see they've discontinued Samantha and Nellie. Discontinued!? Samantha was one of the Original Three. How could they!? I bet they're making room for another blonde.

The wonders of Shivers and static electricity has returned. One exciting thing about winter, I guess. All the dry, hot air, my new shoes, the static created in my chair and draped in a blanket... all resulting in making little Shivers shiver without me pressing his flipper. I should film it to send to Alex and Luke. They'd get a kick out of that.

I've had to reschedule my hair appointment three times now. Plans with jobsies got pushed back to this Saturday. The hair appointment changed from Saturday to Wednesday morning, to Wednesday night, to Tuesday afternoon, and finally to Wednesday early evening. I'm still not sure if I'll be done in time to go to Liz's. But whatever. They moved even further away, I'm not sure how many more times I can hike up there on a weekly basis.

Thinking about stopping Tabby's Place. My goal was to do things that allowed me to meet new people. I haven't really met new people; just a bunch of kitties. It's a hike, at an odd time, and I feel like I'm a slave to it at times. Can't do anything really on those days, so it's either canceling or rearranging things. I'm still thinking about it.

It's not official yet, but the odds are good that there will be a ninth season of Smallville.

This is a good thing for the direction Smallville's taking. If it was going to end with this season, it would be rushed . Now, they have a whole season to bring it all in and give it a true send-off. I wonder now that it's (almost) official, if the rest of Season 8 won't pan out kind of like the early nineties Superman comics involving Doomsday. ( Spoilers ) So it's going to be awesome. It has to be. But I do hope that it ends with Season 9. That, however, is a year away, and I'm just going to enjoy the fact that there will be a season 9 (almost assuredly).

This is my first five day work week since before Thanksgiving... I don't know if it'll be more than I can handle.

Watched The Sting last night with Kelly and Jess. Only Paul Newman can wear a wife beater and actually look hot. Good movie, although I had trouble keeping track of everyone because everyone wore fedoras /sigh/. I agree with Jess; it's nice to see a romanticized view of con artists with honor and who are so good looking!

I was first introduced to the haka at the Polynesian Culture Center and have been, uh, intrigued ever since. Now, instead of using it before battles, they do it before rugby matches, which is an amazing way to keep the culture alive!! Imagine watching that right before a match starts. I think I'd shit a brick.

I confess and admit to completely slacking off in the last week. Aside from work (which is something I have to do), I've done nothing else.

Now, the week is almost over, and I have to wrap Christmas gifts, buy and wrap more Christmas gifts, make CDs of photos for my travel-mates, see Australia (weather be damned! I'm going tonight), and just get back into the swing of life again after two and a half weeks out of it.

Starting off, here are a bunch of little videos I took on the islands. Looking at them warms me up as the freezing rain pummels the window pains.

Oh, I did do one thing on Wednesday; I got my hair highlighted. Now the slight tan really sticks out!!

Apparently, that's how you say Happy Thanksgiving in Hawaiian.

Nervous/excited - the same mixed emotions before every trip. I'm eagerly awaiting the day where we can just snap our fingers and PUFF! we're at our destination.

I went to see it on Sunday. Lots of impressions.

~Overall, I enjoyed it for what it was.
~Someone said the sparkling looked more like bad acne. I agree.
~Was it just be, or did Jasper look like a complete and utter baffoon?
~Jacob's teeth made me think he was a vampire. I know that's a shallow ~thought, but I couldn't help it. It in no way made me not like him.
~I want to be a member of the Quileute tribe! Bring on New Moon with LOTS of them!!!
~I wish there was more happy Edward. It was refreshing when he was snarky.
~I wish there was more Emmett. The one line "Her name is Bella!" made me love him.
~I liked how they inserted some drama with James and company hunting. In the book, they came out of nowhere.
~Carlisle scared me.
~Charlie was perfectly cast and played.
~Bella's inflection. Re: there was none.
~Liked the supporting cast of human friends.
~Music was pretty.
~Scenery was very pretty.
~Pacing was a little slow, but then again, look at the source material!
~The trailers were highly inappropriate. This is a tween chick flick; why were there scary movies previewed!? AND WHERE THE HELL WAS THE HARRY POTTER TRAILER!!! (still bitter)

Now I am in my new space. My own cube. I haven't had a cube in a while. I've sat in one room for almost three years and then I shared a cube, and now voila! Here I am. Ginelle said I should look out for random Swedish fish because Ben and Jabby used to throw them around in my new space. I think it was Jabby who used to sit here. Either Jabby or Ben... waaaaay back in spring, 2005. /sigh/ Those were good times. I remember the Swedish fish. One time I was one the phone with someone work-related, and a shower of sugary red fish fell down upon me. How we ever got any work done is beyond me.

Now I have to decorate. My Indy ornament is up. That's all I need for the time being.

On Saturday, a whole slew of us went bowling. I suck at bowling, but it was fun. Others sucked too. Some people were good, and it was amusing to see them get mad at themselves for missing a pin. Ginelle and I discovered the awesomeness of the six pound ball. Loved it. Without it, I could never have done that kick-ass split spare. The ball hit two pins, bounced off the pins and flew into the third to knock it over. Everyone caught it and was amazed, none more than me. Watching people reacting to their attempts was fun. Mike made an "X" with his arms whenever he got a strike (maybe twice?). Derek looked like he was a pitcher about to send a heater down the lane. I got Jabby once with a shout out right as he was about to throw the ball. Always a good thing.

Hopefully we can do it after December. Danielle suggested hibatchi. I had to look it up and saw "fire bowl." That freaked me out for a second. Fire bowling!? We could barely manage regular bowling!

the new Bond movie. Hot damn. After protesting Casino Royale two years ago (Brosnan should have done a fifth... make amends for Die Another Day), and my (still) firm stand that Daniel Craig is a male Butter Face, I found my resolve cracking. I blame The Moneypenny Diaries trilogy, the finale of which I am reading now. I am not a big Bond fan, but they're fun movies, and I was in the mood for a fun movie.

On Friday, I watched the beginning and end of Casino Royale. I couldn't bear to watch whatever is involved in "the chair scene," and I spoiled any plot twists way back when. So, I went last night and was thoroughly entertained. From the first frame to the last, I thought it was exactly what it should be. After a few decades of camp, it's nice to see a Bond that can actually kick some serious ass. Sorry, Pierce, but you were dealt a raw deal. Goldeneye was the best in your efforts, followed by the car chase in Tomorrow Never Dies and the Moneypenny scene in Die Another Day (the only good thing about that movie).

I'm back on board. Can't wait for the next one.

they need to, at some point and with a great amount of subtlety, play "Can You Read My Mind?" in the background during a Clark/Lois scene in Smallville.

In the elevator at the end of "Committed" would have been perfect.

I'm in even more pain today.

Damn spinning.

I'm walking like an old lady. Stairs scare the crap out of me.

Simply stated, I am loving the current season of Smallville. Not since the first half of the first season, and the middle of the fifth have I actually looked forward to and so soundly enjoyed watching the show.

Finally, it's through with the angst. Finally, it's Superman and not Dawson's Creek. And most of all, finally it's fun.

I admit to being a... what do they call it... a "Clois" supporter. I hate the word, but I am definitely in that camp. Simply because that's how it works. That's the story. The two of them are together. As a little kid growing up in a family in love with the Superman movies (well, I, and II), that's the way it was. Everyone knows it.

My biggest concern for Smallville on this front was the sad possibility that its Lois would be a second choice; that Clark would lose his true love, Lana, and settle for her complete opposite. It had that potential when Lana left Clark "for his own good" at the end of last season. But happily, this is turning out not to be the case. Lana's gone, and Clark seems to have moved on to do something with his life. I cheered when he told MM at the end of the season opener that he'd been clinging to a life that no longer existed on the farm, and it was time he'd move on. Awesome. I hope that when Lana returns, he can say to her, "It could have been nice, but it can't happen now. Good bye." Not that I dislike Lana (this is a new opinion, created only last year when she finally stopped being a waif and got a dark side and became interesting), and I don't want it to be a sad scene. I just want true closure. Close that book, Clark, on your own terms. Only when Lana returns for her five episodes this season will will we find out. Man, I hope the writers don't blow it. Who knows what would have happened if the actress had decided to stay on for the whole season.

But so far, it's been very positive. I'm not a fan of the "in your face" tactic that some episodes have taken - in particular that one where Maxima (or whatever her name is) came along and shoved the Lois/Clark factor a little too hard. I'm more into subtle hints, like the funny references to the movies and especially of the banter between Clark and Lois. It's natural and fun and free of the angst that weighed the series down from practically day one.

Even more than the shipper stuff, I love the fact that Clark is turning into Superman in a completely new way. He's not sent off for training yet, but the show is suggesting that his training is more hands-on than tucked away in the Fortress of Solitude. He first thought he was sent to earth to conquer it and resisted his heredity with all his being. Now, he sees what Superman will become: not just a superhero who saves people, but someone people can believe in and be inspired by. Identity was easily the best episode of the last two years, maybe three. It referenced Smallville's own history, Superman's purpose, and was fun all at the same time.

With only a few episodes into the season, I am highly encouraged and hope it continues to be awesome. I'd even love a season 9 with him being Superman. And what if they take even more creative liberties with the mythos and actually tell Lois he's Superman. Kara hinted at him telling her. It certainly would be interesting.

Can't wait to see!