You all know I love tv. And not just schlocky Lifetime stuff, I really do like critically acclaimed programs as well, I swear. One that I have always read great reviews of but never got around to watching until a few weeks ago is Friday Night Lights. I hate sports but love sports movies and really enjoyed the movie that inspired the television show, but I don’t know, it was on at a weird time or I had a dvr conflict, blah blah, there was always some reason I never got around to watching it.

Then a few weeks ago I found out seasons 1-3 are available on Netflix instant. I started it- and I couldn’t stop! I seriously watched 23 episodes in four days (you might think that sounds impossible, but I was working on data projects at work that only required ¾ of my brain, which allowed me to dial up the FNL and enjoy it with the other….um…well whatever percentage of my brain was still available.) and then I devoured another 25 episodes the next week, flying through the first three seasons in no time. My friend Megan, who had also started watching the show around then, got season 4 from a friend, and I watched that in two sittings. Season 5, (the final season!), airs on DirecTV in October, then hits NBC some time after that, and I. Cannot. WAIT!!!

Why the obsession?

Because the show is so so so good. The writing is fantastic, the acting is wonderful, the boys, well, super cute. The characters are so perfectly developed that you can’t help but care about them as if they were real, and when they succeed, you cheer, and when they make a bad choice- which they so often do- you are crushed and worry for them. There are characters on there who I aspire to be like, and others who I wish I could take under my wing and mentor. The show is funny, and sad, and real, and it manages to hurt, move and thrill you all in the same episode. I’m not great with reviews because it’s hard to for me to put my feelings in anything other than abstract terms, so let’s just say that  I cannot express strongly enough that you need to watch this show.

And! If you don’t have Netflix, you are in luck because ABC Family is going to air the whole series from the beginning starting Tuesday, September 7th. Check their site for times, you will not be sorry! You are welcome.

Well, it’s finally here. Tonight ABC will air the last-ever new episode of Lost. I have seriously mixed feelings about this; six years is a long time to be in a relationship, and I just don’t know how to feel about it coming to an end. Part of me is relieved to finally be getting out of something that was only fulfilling some of my needs and this clean break will force me to move on with my life. We’ve had the kind of relationship of which Lifetime Original Movies are born- passionate, angry, loving, deceitful.  Sometimes it worked and sometimes I felt it just wasn’t right for me. When we came together in 2004, my devotion was unwavering and well-earned on Lost’s part… then a few years later I was bored, frustrated, sure we were going nowhere and I almost broke it off.  Before I could, Lost turned his act around and brought the spark back to our relationship, bringing me surprises and joy, and yes, a bit of pain, like we had when we first got together. I didn’t know what Lost was going to give me each week and the anticipation kept me interested, big time. Now I’m mostly scared that our ending will be a disappointment, and that I’ll have to try to move on with so many questions unanswered. All I hope is that Amy Kate is wrong and that the whole saga does not turn out to have taken place on the back of a sea turtle.

On a related topic, I was searching the job listings online today and found this:

Wanted! Enigmatic visionary to take over guardianship of large island. Must know how to lead through vague messages, inappropriate touching and complicated use of lighthouse mirrors. Candidates must not be allergic to Black Smoke, immortality, polar bear dander, or corrupt humanity. Should have experience in weaving, donkey wheel maintenance and manipulating managing difficult personalities. Extreme Mommy and/or Daddy issues a plus. Free lunch of mango and wild boar will be provided daily. Contact Jacob for more information at 481-516-2342.

For pretty much the whole of 2009, my stuff has been spread out over the surface of our house’s nicest, newest room; “The Addition”. Fancy room, fancy name, I know.  We actually tried to come up with other names for “the Addition”. The only one I really remember is “The Lido Deck”, after that area on the Love Boat where it seemed like all the action was always happening. “The Lido Deck” never really stuck. I probably don’t have to tell you that.

Anyway, no one else really seemed to mind, but after a while having such a large part of the common area of the house overtaken by batting, and cutting tools, and vinyl and fabric and machinery gets old. It’s hard to create and really dive into crap when you have to stop and clear the table for lunch and dinner. It’s a distraction from the process when you know that you have made it so that the rest of the family could sustain injury, either from accident or “interruption rage”. (The phenomenon that occurs when the perfect storm of extreme concentration and frustration mix with the unreasonable request for dinner from an outside party).

We throw a fairly large Christmas extravaganza here every year (to be honest, these parties were the excuse for building the addition in the first place) and that pending event, coupled with the exodus of my oldest son from his basement domain finally inspired a change.

Jordan’s former room in the basement is bright and roomy- our house is an ancient battle ship whose foundation rises high off the ground and affords us larger than standard windows. Its semi finished, meaning that there are paneled walls, with lots of newer plugs for the sewing machines and iron, but more importantly, for the laptop and the iPod dock. I am able to have all my fabric in open view, thanks to an awesome Ikea storage unit that Jordan left behind. There is also room for a permanent cutting area/place to drop stuff when my mind is distracted and my arms are full. I list these features only semi jokingly, because I think it’s super important to know yourself; the practical things, like room enough for organized storage and an uncluttered view, but also you need to cater to yourself. If you are the kind of person who is going to need Hulu streaming, or music playing at inappropriate volume level to get you through your process, allow for that. If you know that you get so immersed in what you are doing that you can’t clean and organize as you go, give yourself an area to pile crap, and make the commitment to not let said crap to get out of hand. If you need a series of booby traps set up to signal and slow the progress of approaching children or spouses so that you can slip through a secret door into a panic room…but you get my point.

I know that a lot of you are limited as far as space. I am lucky that I was able to drive out one of my young and reap this paradise for myself. Barring my opportunities, you might try and carve out a dedicated space to work with what you do have. Figure out what you need to give yourself the peace to get into the zone, and give it to yourself, whether you have the room to make it permanent or not. Allow yourself a little luxury; it helps your mind relax and makes crafting more the escape it was meant to be.

That… or that perky tramp Julie just informed me that yoga follows the shuffle board tournament in 15, up on the Lido. Now that there’s room, that is.

Yes, you have not one but two awesome chances to buy handmade this weekend if you are in San Diego, and one equally as awesome chance to buy handmade in Flint, MI.

San Diegans, come say hey to me at either of these events:

First up, Saturday is the South Park Craftabout during the Walkabout

Then Sunday, join the Craft Mafia for the third annual Holiday Hit List!

Flint Folks,
Meet Amy Kate here, she’ll be selling our goodies on Saturday!

Dear Biggest Loser,

I know Extra pays you a lot of money to convince us that their sugar free gum is a “snack”, but it’s just not. Gum is not a snack, never was, never will be. Quit trying to brain wash us into thinking otherwise.

XOXO,
Stef

Some of you may remember a few months back when,  after devouring the Twilight series in 10 days, Amy Kate went AWOL and was pretty much a complete brat when anyone made her leave her comfy little world of Forks.

I am feeling that big time, only it’s a new vampire mythology that has me crushed under its supernatural little fang- True Blood.

I feel as though I have been bitten and drained of all my life force. I don’t want to sew, I don’t want to write, I don’t want to shop, or exercise, or paint my toenails…all I want to do is talk about True Blood, or look up things about it on the internet. THAT IS IT. In fact, just now I went to You Tube to select a video for this post, and I have been distracted by fan-made True Blood tributes for the last 35 minutes. I have actually searched the web to find out if the actor who plays Jason Stackhouse went to a prestigious university, because anyone who plays dumb that brilliantly has to be a genius. I’ve wasted time trying to find out the heights of Alexander Skarsgard, Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin, because the way Eric towers over Sookie and Bill just drives me crazy and I had to find out what the difference is. For the record: Alexander is 6’4”, Anna is 5’5” and Stephen is SUPPOSEDLY 5’10” but I feel like that might be a….stretch (hee).

I’ve been watching True Blood with my friends Megan and Jenn. We tore through season 1 in three days, then Megan actually ordered HBO so we could watch season 2 on demand, and suddenly we were caught up with the rest of America within two nights of viewings. Addicted.

I didn’t realize what a nerd I was until I started watching this show with two girls who, other than Twilight, have not had that much exposure to vampire and monster tales. Because when you hang with most people you can say something like “of course, there HAS to be a blood sacrifice” without them giving you a WTF look, right? Right?! I blame it on Buffy. Thanks to my years of devotion to Joss Whedon’s mythology, I now think I know everything about creatures that don’t even (probably, maybe?) exist. I’m all “hmm-maybe-she’s-a-chaos-demon-this” and “you-think-THAT’S-a-tough-day-after-losing-your-virginity-to-a-vampire, you-need-to-see-Buffy-season-2-that.”  The vamps on True Blood haven’t  yet taken over my heart (or cut it out and eaten it, for that matter) the same way my old friends Buffy and Angel have, but they have already surpassed my affection for Bella and Edward.  And right now, I cannot get enough of them. Therefore, I must now go back to watching slow-mo videos of them set to adult contemporary music. I’ll leave you with this video, one that showcases Eric’s more comic moments. Enjoy.

Holy crap. NBC just released previews of some of their new shows for fall, and while I have no use for any more medical drama nonsense, I always have room in my heart for a new comedy, especially one that is actually funny.

Check out this preview for a new show called Community, starring Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, a lady from a Hamburger Helper commercial, a guy who is in both a McDonalds AND a cell phone commercial (cha-ching!), and a few other people I don’t know.

If the actual show is as funny as this preview clip, I think I’m going to love it! Fingers crossed that my enjoyment isn’t just the result of really, really good editing. What do you think? Promising or meh?

Aw, snap. Bea Arthur, on of my favorite four Golden Girls, has up and died. Que Sad! I only wish I could throw out one-liners worthy of Dorothy Zbornak, the wit, the delivery!  Oh and her brave combo of slacks with long boxy, shoulder-padded shirts were so awesome. Two Golden Girls down, two to go. I hope Betty and Rue are taking extra good care of themselves.  

Here’s a cool “Best of Dorothy” video I found on YouTube…hilarious!

Ok, I know I’ve been the video posting queen lately, but I can’t help it- shit is funny and I need to share! The other night Saturday Night Live did a “Best of Amy Poehler” episode and they showed this clip.  When it originally aired a few years ago, I watched it with my boyfriend at the time and his comments were “Woah, I bet that’s what you were like when you were a kid” and then “Oh no, that’s you NOW!” And its true, sometimes I get so keyed up I have to run around my coffee table or down the alley in front of my apartment to tire myself out, and Taco Bell ALWAYS calms my nerves, especially once I’ve confirmed that they’ve gotten my order right and there’s nothing mysterious in my Chalupa Supreme (double beans, no beef!)

Enjoy!

Let’s make an awesome TV series. Let’s make it witty, cute, and weave in a story line that includes a fairy tale intense love story that make viewers salivate for the duration, since the lovers will never be able to touch. Let’s put pie everywhere. Let’s have adorable wardrobe, colorful dialogue and lots of delicious Kristen Chenowith cleavage. We will get the dude who created Amelie, possibly the most adorable and irresistible movie ever. We will make it snappy, quirky, colorful, and sometimes even musical. Let’s let everyone think there is hope out there for American television, heck hope for the world of creativity at large! Let’s call it Pushing Daisies!

And then let’s cancel it.

F U, ABC