Top Five TV Shows of 2008

To round off the top fives for now, here are my picks for top five TV shows. These aren't necessarily new shows, but they're shows I've particularly enjoyed this year.

1. Supernatural. This remains my favorite show on TV, and this year it's better than ever. Dean's time in hell, as well as the introduction of angels to the show's mythology, have added layers that work better than I ever thought they would.

2. Bones. After a major misstep at the end of last season and a really horrific return at the beginning of this one, I was afraid I was going to have to take this former favorite off my must-watch list. But the show has recovered nicely, and while I still hold a grudge, it's returned to its eminently watchable self.

3. Leverage. This show just started a couple of weeks ago, but it's rapidly becoming a favorite. Familiar faces Christian Kane (Angel) and Aldis Hodge (Supernatural, Friday Night Lights), make it that much more entertaining.

4. Burn Notice. The presence of Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless make this already fun show even more awesome.

5. House. Last season was questionable. The season before that? A bit annoying. This season seems to be back on course.

Top Five Movies of 2008

My movie viewing this year was largely comprised of sequels and nostalgia. My top five movies of the year (counting only movies I managed to catch in the theater):

1. Wall-E. One of the most impressively produced, written, directed, you-name-it movies I’ve ever seen.

2. The Dark Knight. A fantastic movie, fantastic sequel, and a mind-bogglingly good performance from Heath Ledger. He will be missed.

3. Iron Man. One of the best non-Batman superhero movies ever.

4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Honestly? Not that great a movie in a lot of ways. But I loved it. I’m a huge Indiana Jones fan, and while I had issues with some portions of the story, I loved the way they wrapped up Indy and Marian’s storylines.

5. The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Again, not the best movie in a lot of ways, but boy, have I missed Mulder and Scully. And the Mulder-and-Scullyness of this movie gave me a warm fuzzy.

Five Favorite CDs of 2008

Peer pressure compels me to make a list of favorite things from the rapidly closing year. I'm not going to do a top ten, though--that's too much work. Instead I'll just do a few top fives.

So without further ado--my favorite CDs of 2008.

1. Pretty. Odd.--Panic at the Disco. Joy in a jewel case, this is the perfect disc to slide into the player when you're in a bad mood. You'll be feeling better before it hits the third track. Favorite tracks: Northern Downpour, Behind the Sea.

2. The Black Parade--My Chemical Romance. Okay, not technically a 2008 disc, but I discovered it this year. With its over-the-top, theatrical anthems to death, dying, bad relationships, and other items of Deep Despair, it still makes me happy. Go figure. Favorite tracks: Welcome to the Black Parade, I Don't Love You, Cancer.

3. Folie a Deux--Fall Out Boy. Barely a 2008 CD, since it just came out this week, but it still counts. Helped along with guest spots by Elvis Costello, Debbie Harry, Brendon Urie and others, Pete Wentz and crew have never sounded better than they do here, happily skewering the pop culture of which they're such an integral part. Favorite tracks: What a Catch, Donnie, I Don't Care, (Coffee's for Closers).

4. Fast Times at Barrington High--The Academy Is... This should be the breakout album for this band, and it just might be, having been listed in the top 50 albums of the year by Rolling Stone. A breezy tribute to high school, Fast Times should have been a summer album but wasn't quite, so give it a listen and let it warm up your winter. Favorite tracks: About a Girl, After the Last Midtown Show.

5. Howl--Empires. A superb album from a label-less group, available for free download at weareempires.com. What are you waiting for? Go get it! Favorite tracks: Believe, I Want Blood.

Thoughts on Christmas Eve Dinner

Are you in need of some fresh, new ideas for your Christmas Eve dinner table? Maybe the traditional dinner you've served for years is starting to feel boring or old, or maybe you don't have a real tradition in place at all. Either way, you want something new. But where to start?

One place to look for ideas for Christmas Eve dinner is into the past. Maybe your parents or grandparents had a particular tradition that you'd like to resurrect with your own family. Or maybe you'd like to go even farther back and try some traditions popular with your ancestors.

Many cultures have traditional Christmas Eve fare that you could prepare as a reminder of your origins. Take a look around for traditional cookbooks or websites with traditional recipes to come up with a dinner that reflects the culture of a few generations back. It's a way to explore your own background, and could be an educational experience for both you and your children.

In Ireland, Christmas Eve is considered a fast day, so the dinner choice of the day is fish. A typical evening meal would consist of creamed fish and creamed potatoes. Creamed haddock or salmon in a cream sauce are popular choices. With the fasting over by midnight, you can top off your meal with rum punch and plum cake.

The German Christmas Eve meal is also simple, often consisting of vegetable or pea soup. Presents are traditionally opened on Christmas Eve, and a much larger meal of sausages, game, potatoes, and sometimes roast goose is featured on Christmas Day. Some folks prefer the larger meal on Christmas Eve, so take your pick!

In Southern Italy, Christmas Eve is celebrated with a meal consisting of seven courses of fish. No one is quite sure what the seven fish stand for, but it's definitely a significant number for the holiday. Guesses include the seven sins, the seven sacraments, or the seven days it took Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem. Dishes can include calamari, shrimp, whitefish, tuna fish, and even lobster. Accompanies by antipasto and a variety of pasta dishes, as well as sumptuous desserts, the Italian Christmas Eve feast might leave you full until New Year's.

If none of your ancestral traditions appeals, you could always fall back on the traditional American meal of turkey or ham with all the trimmings. A roast goose might add some British flair, or you could always skip the dinner altogether and go straight to the French custom of thirteen desserts. Whatever you decide makes the ideal Christmas Eve meal, enjoy it with your family, and include a generous helping of the holiday spirit.

Holidays Leaving You Sleep-Deprived?

The holidays can be a tremendously hectic time, with family get-togethers, parties, and of course holiday shopping taking even more time out of our increasingly busy schedules. This atmosphere can contribute to stress for many of us, and stress can lead to difficulty sleeping.

It's a testament to how many people have sleeping issues that there are literally hundreds of sleep aids on the market today. But these medications can have adverse side effects, including an unpleasant "hung over" feeling the next morning that makes it hard to feel awake and alert when you need to be.

Where else can you turn when sleep proves elusive? Here are a few suggestions that might help you find your way to a peaceful night's sleep, as well as a less stressful holiday season.

1. Homeopathic remedies. Unlike traditional over the counter medications, homeopathic sleep aids are gentle and have no side effects. Many mainstream grocery stores now carry single and combination homeopathic remedies that can be used to treat both stress and insomnia.

2. Herbal remedies. The old stand-by chamomile tea is a stand-by for a reason--it works. Chamomile is available in just about any grocery store, alone or in combination with other herbs to add interest and flavor. If you're allergic to any member of the daisy family, though, you might be allergic to chamomile, so use with caution.

3. Meditation and breathing techniques. If you've ever taken yoga classes or investigated any form of meditation, the breathing techniques used to introduce basic meditation can be useful in falling asleep. Sometimes, even when you can't fall completely asleep, entering a light meditation state can leave you feeling nearly as rested as you would if you had taken a nap. Just try counting your breaths, one to ten, then starting over at one again. It's a simple but powerful way to quiet a stressed mind.

4. Music. Music has always been a good way to help children sleep, and it works for grownups, too. Try some mellow music that you particularly like, or look for music specifically composed to help de-stress your system or to help you sleep. Music composed for meditation is a good choice, as is ambient music intended as background for massage therapists or Reiki practitioners. Some experimentation might be in order, but if you find just that right combination of music to help you sleep, it's worth the time invested.

Hopefully one or more of these ideas will help you get that rest you need to help you enjoy the holiday season without added stress and fatigue. Enjoy the holidays, and sleep well!

Steve Carlson--Stripped Down

Steve Carlson's new album, Stripped Down, is still listed as "Coming Soon," but you can now listen to the full album in streaming audio at his website. It features old and new songs in, well, stripped down acoustic versions, including two new songs, "Where my River Flows," and "Love you or Leave You," co-written with none other than Jensen Ackles. Check it out at his website. It'll be available at CD Baby and iTunes when it's officially released. Can't seem to find a date though, but I'll post an update when I see one. This one is going to be well worth the money.

UPDATE: Looks like the official release date is May 6th. \o/

My Boys are Back!!

Thursday night marked the return of Supernatural, after a loooong and painful hiatus. I thoroughly enjoyed the episode, "Ghostfacers." Though there's been some complaint that, with Dean's contract coming due and much angst to be had, a comic episode was not a good launch back into the series, I thought it made a great palate cleanser from the hiatus. If they'd showed some angst and then the comedy ep, it would have detracted from the main arc, so showing this one first was a fun way to get back in stride with the show.

Next week--yeah, baby, bring on that angst!!

Knitting Tiny Peoples

I've recently become obsessed with this pattern, which meandered its way across one of my knitting groups a couple of weeks ago. It's a pattern for itty bitty people, about 3-4 inches high or so. I modified it a bit when I used it--changed the arms and legs to icords because juggling four needles on something that small was making me insane--but it's an adorable little pattern and a great way to get rid of bits and pieces of yarn you have lying about the house. I've been making tiny celebrities. They don't take very long to knit up, and with an imaginative application of accessories, clothes and colors, you can make them look like just about anybody you want. Want to carry Sam and Dean around in your pocket? Well, now you can!

I'll share some pictures when I have a few more done.

Bones: Player Under Pressure

While I enjoyed Bones tonight, it was a bit odd seeing an episode I knew was from last year. They didn't make very many concessions to canon changes, either--Angela's relationship with Hodgins got bumped back to, well, the status it had when this episode was originally scheduled to air. I hope they include the deleted proposal scene on the DVD set when it comes out.

But all that aside, I did enjoy it. Poor Cam and her blender, though. And wow, they just keep coming up with new and different ways to gross us all out with the dead bodies, don't they? Cause Squashed-in-Bleachers-Guy? Eww.

Make a Difference While You Search

This has been all over the Internet, but I wanted to mention it here because I think it's a great idea. Ethicle offers a search engine (powered by Google) with a nice twist. With every search you make, a penny is donated to a charity of your choice. There are several available to choose from, including Amnesty International, Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Federation. If you do as many searches as I do on a daily basis, it won't take long to rack up a couple of bucks' worth of donations for your charity of choice. The site offers easy ways to add the search site to your toolbars, so there's no effort involved at all to help Save the World. Check it out!

Bones--The Man in the Mud--Short Comments

Monday night's Bones was a blast. I'd almost forgotten how much I missed that show. I was going to complain about Sweets, especially the fact that he's in the beginning credits now, but the interaction with him, Booth and Brennan was the highlight of the show for me. I like him when he's doing his psychiatrist thing--not so much when they involve him in the actual cases. Plus? I have theories about him... We'll see if they pan out.

Bones is Back!!

I'm very excited! Bones comes back tonight for a six-episode run. \o/ It seems like ages since David Boreanaz and his Incredibly Wide Shoulders adorned my screen--it has been ages!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the return of one of my favorite shows, and I'll try to squeeze in some commentary.

Neat Firefox Add-On

For those who use Firefox (and if you're not, then how come?), here's a neat add-on. Retail-Me-Not is a site that collects coupons to use for online purchases, and the Firefox addon will pop up a toolbar to let you know if there are coupons available for a specific site when you navigate to it. I've saved some money using this, with coupons to sites you wouldn't even think to use coupons for, plus more obvious ones like amazon.com and others. The selection of coupons is pretty wide, and you get a chance to rate the coupons when you use them. Check it out!

The New Comic Books Are Here!

In addition to new music at the beginning of the month, I get my new comic book shipment. I get my stuff from mailordercomics.com, which has really good prices--the only disadvantage is that if you opt for once a month shipping, you're always a month behind everybody else, so there's risk of spoilers. I've run into issues with this on many ocasions, especially this month with the big plot twist from Buffy number 12. Which kind of annoyed me, but what can you do.

Anyway, I'm following quite a few comics right now. I started with just the media tie-in books, but I've branched out. So this month I got:


Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. I've been following this since issue one, and I've been enjoying it quite a lot. Joss' first arc was great, but I think the Faith ark from Brian K. Vaughan was just as good if not better, and Drew Goddard's new sequence is definitely living up to the high standards set so far by this comic. (Dark Horse)

Angel: After the Fall. I was an even bigger fan of Angel than I was of Buffy, so I was excited when I heard Angel's story would also continue in comic book form. Something about this comic really bugs me, though, and I can't even peg down waht it is. It just seems...dour, I guess. I suppose I'd hoped for a happier scenario for Angel and the gang. I should have known better, given how Joss left the TV series hanging. There's been interesting twists, though, and I remain intrigued and wondering where things are going to go. (IDW)

Serenity: Better Days. To round out the Joss Whedon trifecta. This series has just gotten underway, and I'm enjoying the ride so far. I'll probably have more to say about it later. (Dark Horse)

Doctor Who. These are the Ten/Martha comics, on issue two. These are also fun. The first issue seemed a bit shallow, but it was a standalone. Issue two is leading into a longer story, which I hope will have more depth. Oddly, this book has considerably more typos in it than any of the others. Weird. (IDW)

The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home. Another tie-in. I'm liking this much more than Gunslinger Born, which I ended up not really reading when I discovered it was just a rewrite of a chunk of Wizard and Glass. This comic is telling a new story, though, that's not in the books, and so I'm considerably more interested. (Marvel)

Rogue Angel: Teller of Tales. I'm not familiar with the background of this book--apparently it's a comic version of a novel? Something like that. Anyway, I wasn't familiar with the story, but I saw an ad in the previews catalog and decided to give it a shot. I very much enjoyed the first issue--the premise hooked me--but the second issue left me a little flat. I think I'm just really prejudiced against flashbacks, and issue two was all flashback. (IDW)

Echo. Another one that looked interesting in the Preview catalog, mostly because of the stunning cover art from Terry Moore, also the author. Another intriguing premise with a female lead, much like Rogue Angel, but a very different kind of story. If this one continues in the vein of issue one, I'll be there. (Abstract Studio)

Knowledge is Power. This one just finished up the first story arc, and I think I might have actually gotten that issue last month, but only got around to reading it this month. I wouldn't swear to that, though. Anyway, this one's about vampires and ancient apocalyptic literature, so I'm totally there. Unfortunately, the first issue didn't hook me as strongly as the others, so now I'm not sure if I'm subscribed for issues beyond number four. Since I'm pretty into the story now after four issues, I'll have to look into that. (803 Studios)

Afterburn. Again, picked out of the Previews catalog because it looked interesting. In this story, the Eastern Hemisphere has been destroyed by a solar flare, so there are many post-apocalyptic goings-on. This one's entertaining me but not as much as some of the others. I'm hanging in there, though, and will give it at least one full arc before I decide if I want to continue. (Red 5 Comics)

Music!

It's the beginning of the month, so that means new music for me! I belong to eMusic, so at the beggining of the month I get my new monthly downloads with my membership. This month I got Dashboard Confessional, Dusk and Summer, Whiskey on a Sunday by Flogging Molly, Two EPs from TV on the Radio called New Health Rock and Young Liars, and two singles--"Strangers in the Night" from Cake, and "Black Star" from Gillian Welch. So far I've listened to Dashboard Confessional, Flogging Molly and the Cake single, and have very much enjoyed both. eMusic is a great value for the money, by the way--30 downloads a month for $9.99, all DRM-free MP3's. I highly recommend it.

Starbuck Hat

Here's a nifty knitting pattern, for those who are into Battlestar Galactica. It's not my favorite show at all, but I'm still tempted to knit this for the hell of it. Cause it's pretty. And I do like Starbuck...

Jericho--Why I Haven't Watched the Finale

I have some things on my DVR I need to watch, most notably the season (series--*sniff*) finale of Jericho. I almost don't want to watch it, because I know it's the last episode, unless another network picks it up, which is probably a longshot. And part of me just doesn't want to see how it ends.

I think this truncated, hold-n0-punches season has been solidly written, but it some ways I haven't enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed some of the tighter episodes of Season One. My complaints about S1 centered around too much soap opera-like content, not enough apocalyptic aftermath--my complaints about S2 center around too much political intrigue, not enough apocalyptic aftermath. Although I have to say the political intrigue is much more interesting than the soap opera stuff. I do like that so far they've given a good background for the cause of the bomb blasts. I'm a bit disappointed it seems to track back to a single crazy person instead of a full-fledged government conspiracy. I'm all for those full-fledged government conspiracies...

So I'm guessing the finale will be action-packed and have some good plot and probably a bit of an open-ended finish, but I'm still hesitant to watch. And I think a lot of this is that I'm afraid they'll kill off more characters. And they already almost lost me with...

WARNING BIG FAT SPOILER


...the death of Bonnie.

It wasn't just that they killed Bonnie. It was that they killed a woman on the verge of finding herself, of moving out into independence after spending her whole life largely dependent on a man. Maybe I'm overreacting to that, but death or maiming or Horrible Torture of some sort seems to be the fate of an independent woman far too often in literature of all stamps, from that stuff by dead white guys they make you read in college to prime time network TV.

Plus, I liked her.

So there you go. At some point, I'll get up the nerve to watch the episode--probably today, in fact, and then I'll probably comment on it. In the meantime, I'm finding myself a wee bit bitter.

It's Pretty Odd. No, Seriously...

I'm lounging here tonight listening to Pretty. Odd., the new album from punctuation innovators Panic at the Disco (sans exclamation point). And I have to say I'm impressed. Their last effort spawned a couple of catchy tunes, my favorite being "I Write Sins Not Tragedies," but failed to keep my attention. This one is an entirely different story. Lots of textures, catchy tunes that don't all sound the same (my biggest complaint about A Fever You Can't Sweat Out), and the Beatlesque comparisons are not undeserved. I knew it was going to be different when I first heard "Nine in the Afternoon," and the rest of the CD does not disappoint. Keep it up, kids--if you're this good now imagine what you'll be able to do when you're all grown up! *pets tiny baby rock stars*

Video for "She's a Handsome Woman."



Okay, so it's muppets. Sue me. It's still fabulous.

Here's a REAL video for "Nine in the Afternoon." Also fabulous.

Happy Easter!

To all those who celebrate, I hope you had a good day. We had a bit of snow here, but nothing serious.

I did some knitting for Easter this year--stuffed Easter eggs and adorable little stuffed bluebirds for my kids.

Here are links to the patterns:

Stuffed Easter Eggs. The patterns they give here are really nice, but I didn't want to spend the time to do the colorwork, so I knitted them up in variegated baby yarn. It striped up nicely, and they turned out really cute.

Bluebird. I used some leftover yarn out of my stash to make these. Again, very cute, and easy to make. Each egg and each bluebird only took me a couple of hours to knit up.

Welcome Back!

After letting this blog lay fallow for a while, I've decided to revive it with a bit of a new slant. I'll be talking about a little bit of everything--TV, movies, knitting, cooking--you name it. I hope you'll join me.