What I'm Watching.

Fall has always been my most favorite time of year! I love that it represents a new school year, it's my birthday, it's Javi's birthday, the weather gets cooler (sometimes), I get to start wearing scarves and boots (not yet this year...), there are so many fun outdoor activities during Fall.... but the number one reason I love Fall is because new seasons of shows start! I get really into it. 

Here's what I plan to watch:

Monday:

The Big Bang Theory - I sort of can't believe it's been 10 seasons of this show! But I still love it and at this point, need to see it until the end. Plus I want to know if Amy says "yes"!

Young Sheldon - We watched this the other night and it was cute! I like that Jim Parsons narrates the show and thought the actor who plays the younger version of Sheldon does well. We'll continue to watch!

Kevin Can Wait - I never watched this last year BUT when I found out Leah Remini joined as a full-time cast member, I was intrigued. So I went back and watched a few episodes. I haven't watched the first episode but I plan to. I love them together. King of Queens is one of my favorite shows ever.

The Good Doctor - I loved this. Every time I see him I think of Norman Bates -- but I thought this show was really well done. I'm excited to see where they take it.

Tuesday:

This Is Us - This show makes me so sad and then happy and then depressed and then hopeful. Pretty much every emotion is felt while watching. I didn't watch last night's episode yet -- but this weekend, I'm all about it.

The Mick - So funny! We watched all of last season and it's a show that we literally laugh until we cry.

The Middle - I just think this show is amazingly funny. I'm pretty sure I haven't missed an episode... ever!

The Mayor - We just watched this and loved it! ABC on Demand has a sneak preview before the show starts in October and it was well worth watching (if you like sitcoms).

Wednesday:

The Good Place - I love Kristen Bell! This show is a pretty neat concept and I'd like to know how they're going to approach season 2. 

Riverdale - I never read the comics but I really like this show. I binge-watched the first season on Netflix over summer break and I can't wait for this to start.

Seal Team - David Boreanaz and Max Thieroit?! So excited! Sean thinks it looks a bit too political/propagandish but I think it looks good!

Thursday:

Will & Grace - I mean... come on! I have to watch to see what this is going to be like. It was one of my favorite shows back in the 90s (ha!).

How To Get Away With Murder & Scandal - These are shows I watch with friends and they are such fun soap dramas to watch. I highly recommend them.

S.W.A.T. - I hope this is good! I mean he left Criminal Minds for it (which is why I no longer will watch Criminal Minds -- how do they always lose characters and then act like it's the same?!). It looks decent so I'll give it a try.

I don't typically watch anything Friday-Sunday. So that gives us plenty of time to catch up On Demand over the weekends. 

In addition to all these -- I did recently just finish a whole bunch of shows -- in anticipation of all these ones starting up!

What are you watching?!

Fall TV.

It's that time of year. You know the one. The time of year when all I can think about are the new TV shows about to premiere. It's slightly sad, but I get really excited for this! I wait and wait and wait and once the shows seem semi-finalized I choose my picks for fall. In fact, a few Saturday nights ago Sean and I spent our night watching the On Demand previews for all the network shows. (what a date night specifically for someone who doesn't like TV all that much). But did you know they were available? You can watch 3-4 minute segments of all the new shows. It's pretty cool.

I usually go overboard with planning out what shows I'm going to watch. Like, I've made a color coordinated spreadsheet with clickable links that bring you to the shows website, and it also tells me the date it premieres. My DVR is not that reliable. In fact, sometimes it just does it's absolute own thing -- so I need a graph to remind me to check the DVR. Whatever, okay?

So, what am I watching?

Mondays:

For someone who doesn't like TV, Sean was sure vocal as far as Monday night TV is panning out. I don't think Almost Human or Sleepy Hollow are for me -- but who knows? Almost Human is about a race of robots that appear to be helping humans? Or maybe, I'm confused. Sleepy Hollow is about the headless horseman? I think. What I do know is that Blacklist and Hostages look interesting and Anna Faris looks hysterical in Mom.

Tuesdays:

A comedy by the creator of Family Guy starring Seth Green? Super excited about Dads. The Goldbergs reminds me of a mock "The Wonder Years" and it takes place in the 80s so I'm pumped to see hairstyles and clothing. Brooklyn Nine-Nine looks like one of those stupid comedies that you watch and enjoy but don't tell anyone about it? And Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  is another one of Sean's picks. Super heroes? No, thanks.

Wednesdays:

This night is all for me. Rebel Wilson has her own show? I'm all about it. And Back in the game just looks funny. I don't even know why.

Thursdays:

The Crazy Ones stars Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar -- need I say more? Michael J. Fox has his own TV show?? Welcome to the Family is about two families that have to deal with each other because their teenagers are having a baby. Will Arnett gets a divorce in The Millers. And "Just Jack" is back on TV in Sean Saves the World. I need to be a part of that. 

Of course, this list joins all the other shows that made the cut last spring: New Girl, Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, Two and a half Men, The Following and Parenthood.

What about you? Have you looked at any of the new series coming out? I personally like to add sitcoms to my list. That way if they get canceled I know I only wasted 18 minutes each week... because believe me -- most of these will get chopped. 

I am so not a doomsday prepper.

Sean watches The Walking Dead. It scares me and I lost interest like a year ago.
However, we often talk about a zombie apocalypse. If it's possible? And are we prepared?
There's even some really intense conversations about mosquitoes carrying the disease.
Ya, it's a little crazy.
Every once in a while, we race each other to the door of our building and pretend zombies are chasing us.
You know, totally normal stuff.

That leads me to this:


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If you have not seen this show, Doomsday Preppers, please watch five minutes of an episode OnDemand. If you don't want to put yourself through it -- have no fear, I'll tell you what it's all about.

It's a reality show about people who prepare for what they fear will be doomsday. They call themselves "survivalists" or "preppers" and they are supposedly ready for the end of the world whether it's because of a nuclear war, natural disaster, terrorist attack, economic meltdown, etc., etc., etc.

These people prepare a "bug-out" shelter and refer to it when they talk about "bugging out" a.k.a. when they leave all of their belongings, usually their home, and their everything... behind.

They're basically hoarders. They store a crazy amount of food - sometimes canning it themselves or planning to hunt it themselves. They have tons and tons of water. They have crazy shelters sometimes underground, sometimes in a submarine, sometimes in small huts in the middle of the woods. They have way too many weapons for comfort and really intense plans and escape routes... and they usually force their family members to have "bug-out drills" in the middle of the night. Just in case.

Of course, National Geographic has made a TV show about these people. Their specific plan is given a score and they're told how long their plan will keep them alive IF their anticipated doomsday scenario played out.

So this got me thinking?
Would Sean and I be prepared for the end of the world? What if The Walking Dead really happened?

Supposedly, in a time of survival you need to follow: 
The Rules of Three.

You can survive 3 minutes without air.
You can survive 3 hours without shelter.
You can survive 3 days without water.
You can survive 3 weeks without food.
You can survive 3 months without companionship.

If something happened and we got stuck in our home.
We would die in 3 minutes. While the windows in our loft are beautiful... they do not open.
So if the vents were to be shut off... we're done.

Water? We have 6 bottles of water stored. That's it.
And we only have that because of the hurricane a few months ago.
We thought we were ahead of the game.

Food? That makes me laugh.
We don't have any food that doesn't require some type of power to cook or to heat up.
Other than Milano cookies. But something tells me we can't live off those.

Security? We have nothing but hairspray and a broom. For real.

The ability to leave all our belongings behind? I don't think so.

Every once in a while, the fire alarm in our building goes off.
Not knowing, if it's real or a drill... we still have to evacuate.
Before we leave, I run around trying to pull all the "important" stuff and shove it into bags.
Our wedding album, laptops, chargers, wallets, car keys, shoes, cat food, etc., etc., etc.
It's just not in my mental state to accept that I would have to leave all my lovely possessions behind.

I mean, maybe if I knew we were on the brink of a zombie apocalypse, my attitude would change.

I would probably regret not hoarding food, water and weapons.
I would probably regret not taking these TV shows "seriously".
I would probably regret not being ready for doomsday.

But let's hope the odds are in our favor.

I'm clearly too old for this.

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I'm not exactly 30. I'm in the middle of my twenties, give or take.
But after last night, I realized that I'm getting old.

I sort of knew this.
For instance, when I get off the couch after sitting for an hour my legs barely stretch out and I make inappropriate jokes about arthritis.
When I don't wash my face at night, I swear I see a wrinkle the next morning.
I need my eight solid hours of sleep or I can't even function the next day.
I have a full time job, bills to pay, and I no longer feel joy in getting the mail.
And while most of those can be remedied with a gym routine, a daily vitamin, and paperless statements... that's not all.

You see, it's becoming more common that when I go "out" places --
I meet more and more people who are younger than me.
I imagine this is a normal occurrence.
I mean, as you grow, others grow but at different rates than you.
So you figure you'll always be younger than some, but that means some will always be younger than you.
Get it? Okay.

But this wasn't always the way.
I remember being 21... 18... 16, not too long ago,
and it seemed like anyone I met... was always older than me.
Now suddenly, years & years have passed... and I didn't even see it happen!

Well, last night I begged Sean to take me to a concert.
I haven't asked him to take me to a show since the last time this band played in the area... two years ago.
And we didn't end up going back then because I got sick.

So, we drove the hour drive that it takes to get to Rhode Island from our house.
Drove around for 20 minutes to find parking, only to walk to the venue and find out that the show is sold out.
SOLD OUT. What? I didn't even know that was possible.

The doorman immediately tells us that if we meet him outside in 10 minutes, he'll get us in.
Uh, excuse me? Is this some sort of illegal deal? Because I want out.
But... Sean agreed. I'm standing there thinking, "great, all that gas wasted getting here.."
Meanwhile, Sean's planning on meeting this stranger in what will probably be the last 10 minutes of our lives.

It turned out less sketchy than I originally thought.
But I'm pretty sure we had to pay an extra four dollars.

Once we walked in, it hit me once again.
These people are all younger than me.
No wait, these people are all kids. Like aren't even of legal drinking age.
And I felt old. Too old.

I watched them stage-dive,
next to the sign that said "NO stage-diving".
And I was worried for them.
I saw the girls who were barely dressed, or wearing certain clothing items,
and I felt like saying "you'll regret that in 10 years".
I stood and listened to the band playing,
and a person kid passed me... and said "excuse me, ma'am".
Uh, excuse me?
You've got to be kidding me.

I can't even talk about the fact that I was out until 1AM,
and couldn't even get out of bed this morning.
For real.

Now, this doesn't happen to Sean.
He can go out, stay out, not sleep, not eat right, and still go out, stay out, not sleep, and not eat right.
It's the weirdest thing.
And I hope this trend doesn't continue for our lifetime.
Or he's going to be doing great, full of pep & life,
and I'm going to be the sore lady in the corner being called "ma'am" and falling asleep in the booth.
Oh, wait, that's apparently already happening.

TV talk.

It's no secret that I get home from work each day,
immediately change into sweatpants,
pour myself a glass of coke,
find some type of candy,
and place myself in front of the TV.
It's routine.

Sean's not in love with TV like me.
But he's grown to love, or to tolerate, much of what I watch.
And in turn, I occasionally give him the freedom to watch Bar Rescue while I blog.
Just kidding. Just kidding.

If he had his way, he'd watch shows like Family Guy, and The Walking Dead.
Any time.
But I assure him that he'll like my shows better.
He rarely does, but I try to convince him anyway.

Here's what we're currently watching:

CBS:
Two and a Half men
2 Broke Girls
The Big Bang Theory

FOX:

New Girl
Raising Hope
The Following

NBC:
Whitney

FX:
The Americans

The next three shows are not a "we" thing.
Sean can't stand them, and usually leaves the room.
But I love them.

ABC Family:

Pretty Little Liars

E!:
Kourtney and Kim take Miami

MTV:
Teen Mom 2

So, now I'm taking suggestions.
I have a two week vacation coming up.
I know :)
And that leaves me plenty of time to adopt new shows,
and catch-up.

What do you watch?

Who do YOU read?

So, the fact is: I read a lot of blogs.
But I feel like I could follow more.
I'm not the best commenter.
I wish I was better.
I just find myself as more of an introvert.
And often converse with the blogger in my head, but don't click "comment".
I'm that blogger.
It's a goal of mine to be a better commenter.
But also to find new blogs to read.

I used to only read wedding blogs.
Then I started reading newlywed blogs and then mommy blogs.
Not that I have kids, but it's like looking into the future.
I love home decorating/decor/organizing blogs.
I love lifestyle blogs, travel blogs, random blogs, and fashion blogs.

Basically, I love reading. Everything.

There's probably hundreds in my Google reader.
So here are some blogs I read... not all of them though.
And they're in no particular order, because I think they're all great.
Some are just starting out and some have thousands of followers.
Some post every day or multiple times a day and some post a few times a week.
They all post things that matter. And that's what I love.

Across the Pond

Handpicked Notions

Things to be Stroud of

Sending Postcards

Tiny bits of Nonsense

Love, life and marriage

Mackey Madness
Don't quote the Raven

So, do you read these blogs?
Who do you read that you think I should read too?
It can be your own blog... I don't mind either way.
:)

You can find me on Facebook, too.
So if your blog has a Facebook page we can like each other!
Leave a comment with your link.

TV just isn't the same anymore.

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All week, Sean's been getting home from work to me lounging on the couch, in sweats with Apollo and a fleece blanket watching: The Brady Bunch, circa 1969.

Some episodes are so silly (like when they line up from tallest to shortest so they stop pushing each other up the stairs). Some I can't even begin to understand what the conflict of the episode was all about (like when their phone bill was $36...gasp!). But for the most part I love to watch, and laugh, and think about what life/marriage/family was all about in 1969. I can't really imagine.

What I can say is that I probably wouldn't be lounging on the couch in sweats when my husband got home from work. I would probably have dinner ready for him and I'd be keeping it warm in the oven. I'd also probably still be dressed.. in a dress and definitely wouldn't be wearing sweatpants. 

But, honestly... while I'm a little envious of the Brady's and their positive and upbeat family as well as their ability to neatly wrap up any conflict within 30 minutes, I'm thoroughly excited that it's 2013... and my husband made ME dinner tonight (and all week). 

In addition to watching The Brady Bunch, we've been preparing for this winter storm.

Yeah, so more than 2 feet of snow. Sounds fantastic.

We went out to get a shovel. And windshield wipers.

And soda, and m&m's.

Clearly, the necessities.

We just need to make sure we keep our power so I can continue watching The Brady Bunch.

I'm obsessed. 

Movies. Movies. Movies.

We see a lot of movies. It occurred to me that some people don't.

For whatever reason.

In honor of the movie award season that seems to be taking off, I thought I'd do a run-down of last year's movies that we saw.

Most of them are not up for any nominations. 

But I don't think that necessarily means anything. :)

[Remember these are from 2012]

January:

When I tell you, you didn't miss anything as far as movies go last January... I'm telling the truth. There wasn't anything worth spending money on in the theaters. In fact, January 2012 ruined my goal of seeing a movie in the theater every month. Big thumbs down.

February:

I loved The Vow and would highly recommend it as a date night movie. It's sweet and sad and romantic. And semi-based on a true story.

This Means War was okay. Like... if you had a bunch of mediocre movies and this was a choice, I'd choose to watch it but only because Reese Witherspoon and Chelsea Handler are in it. Other than that, it was a little dumb.

Wanderlust is one of our favorites. We refer to it all the time and still watch it regularly. But we're big fans of Paul Rudd... like huge fans.

March:

The Lorax was cute. If you know the book or have a kid you'll probably enjoy it. 

The Hunger Games was... interesting. I'd recommend seeing it now so you don't have to catch up with the series when the second one comes out.

21 Jumpstreet is another favorite. We own it, refer to it, and quote it... all the time. It is so funny. So funny.

April:

The Lucky One is another good date night movie. A tad cliche but that never hurt anybody. It made me realize that I'm a little obsessed with Zac Efron. No big deal.

We felt like we had to see American Reunion because we grew up during the American Pie era. It was a good ending to a movie series and it's pretty neat that they got all the original cast members.

May:

Men in Black III was really good. It's just as funny as the first two, so I'd recommend it if you liked the others. But if you didn't like the others, then don't bother.

June:

Prometheus was not my pick. It was a little painful for me, but Sean loved it. So that says something. I didn't understand it half the time.

Magic Mike was a bit uncomfortable but a pretty good movie. It was our third Channing Tatum movie of the year... so it was very enjoyable.

Ted was hysterical, we watch it all the time. I love Mila Kunis in it and Mark Wahlberg is good, too.

That's My Boy was pretty funny. I wouldn't say Adam Sandler is back from making horrible movies but it was a lot better than some of his other recent movies.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World was depressing. That's it. Watch it if you don't mind feeling nervous and bad for the world.

July:

The Dark Knight Rises was okay. It was Sean's pick and he really loved it. I was mad that Batman's not even in the movie for a good hour. And that his voice is really low and annoying. 

The Watch was okay. I love Jonah Hill so I wanted to see it, but it wasn't totally great. It was a bit slow and stupid.  

August:

If you want to be confused about what you're watching, see Cosmopolis. Or if you like Robert Pattinson. No really. I've watched it twice and I have no idea what the movie is even about. Like none. I know he's in a limo, wants a hair cut and has a bad marriage. That's it. 

The Campaign was what you would expect it to be. Slightly funny but really dumb. I have to be in the mood for Will Ferrell, unless it's Elf... I can always watch Elf. 

September:

September was slim-pickings at the theaters again and we were left to see House at the End of the Street. It wasn't good. But it had you scared thinking that something scary was going to happen without anything scary ever happening. 

October:

Argo was amazing. I'd highly recommend it. It's nominated for a bunch of awards so I think that says something. 

November:

Silver Linings Playbook was really good. But it was emotional and more of a dark comedy than I thought it would be. 

I can't really say enough about Breaking Dawn part 2. Sean would say that he loved it because it's the final one and I won't have to drag him to anymore of the Twilight movies. But it was the best one. I swear. You need to see it.

We had to stop watching Lincoln. We didn't get it. Maybe we missed something or didn't pay enough attention in history class. But it's nominated for awards so they must have done something right.

December: 

Les Miserables was amazing. I loved it and Sean loved it. It was very impressive and is also nominated for things.

This is 40 was hysterical. Hysterical. It's already a favorite and something we refer to and quote all the time.

Well, that's it.

So, what about you?

What did you see last year?

It's sad but don't bawl over it.

Sean and I went to see:

It was definitely worth it to see it in the theater... on the big screen.

It was moving, triumphant, emotional and of course, so... so... so sad.

Depressing sad. The kind of sad that makes you so glad you don't live in the 1800's.

Or have to fight for revolutions. And thankful we have a government system that works for the people. 

(oh, wait?).

Anyway.

I knew the story. I loved the story. I looked forward to the songs.

I was amazed by the singing. By Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried. 

I was thoroughly impressed knowing they sang their songs on-set, while filming rather than in a studio beforehand.

It was generally flawless. And I'd see it again. I'd actually pay to see it again... and again.

What I wouldn't pay to see again... is the girl sitting in front of us.

Who was crying... no, no... bawling.

Talking to the screen. Mouthing the words to the songs.

Dare I say... clapping?

All of my pet peeves. 

Look, when you go to the theater... please remember, you are among other people. 

Strangers, actually. 

And we don't want to see you cry and look like a hot mess.

It's not like you're going through the French revolution.

Relax.

If you can't handle it, wait until it's out and borrow it from Redbox.

Then you can bawl, sing, talk, wave your hands and scream injustice all you want.

Just please don't do it during my $22 date night.

For real. 

5 apps I love.

I didn't upgrade to the iPhone 5 quite yet since my 4s is doing just fine other than a little bump on its' corner from the 2 week stint we had together in which I thought I was careful enough to not keep a case on it. Yep. So sad.

Anyway, we're doing okay without the upgrade and to make up for it I've invested some time into great apps. Here are the ones I'm loving.

1. InstaCC

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This is a pretty interesting app. You link it to your instagram account and it finds all your pictures, puts them into a calendar and creates a different type of digital scrapbook for you. It's also fun because it offers you the chance to participate into photo challenges (against yourself if you want) and gives you ideas of what to take pictures of. Not only that, but if you're like me and forget to take pictures (I know, horrible blogger award) you can set a timer that will go off each day at a time of your choosing and it'll remind you to snap away. Pretty neat.

2. Regal Theater

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If you see your movies in these theaters, this app is sweet. We use it weekly since that's how often we find ourselves at the movies. This app, coupled with the Regal Crown rewards card is amazing because you get coupons constantly that are sent to the app and the people at Regal just scan your phone. It's been months since we've paid full price at the concession stand and sometimes we even get free movie tickets (in fairness that's more from the rewards card... although the app allows you to easily see how many points you've accumulated and let's you see what coupons you have).

3. Pinterest

This is the app that I scroll through in those awkward situations when everyone else is looking at their phone so I do too? I also look through it when I first wake up in the morning, before I go to sleep and typically when I'm bored any time throughout the day. I have the same obsession with the app as I do with the site on the computer although I like it better because there's not so many images all at once since the screen is that much smaller. It makes looking at the screen much more bearable.

4. Trulia

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Since we don't own a home, I love scanning through this app and thinking about what will be... one day. For instance, if you're driving (well, if you're a passenger in a car since it wouldn't really be safe to do while driving..) and you see a house for sale and you think to yourself "hmm, I wonder how much that house is on the market for?"... well, you can just open this app, locate yourself on the map and immediately find the cost of the house AND pictures of the inside. Yeah, it's a little creepy but instant. 

5. The Christmas List 

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In the spirit of the holidays, I've recently invested my time into this app that allows you to organize your shopping, set budgets, keep track of purchased gifts, wrapped gifts, shipped gifts... just anything involving gifts. It's very useful if you prefer to be organized on your iPhone rather than inside a notebook.

What are your favorite apps?

My shows are getting canceled.

Why, oh why? Major networks are giving some shows the ax and I'm not happy about it. Of the ones we watch it seems like a lot of them are getting canceled:

666 Park Avenue (few more episodes to air)

Last Resort (few more episodes to air)

Partners (already taken off air)

Animal Practice (already taken off air)

Ben and Kate (will finish this season and that's it)

A few shows "will more likely be canceled than renewed":

Up All Night

Guys with Kids

And these shows are "a toss-up between renewal or cancellation":

Happy Endings

Neighbors

Hart of Dixie

Whitney

If all these disappear from cable here's what I'm left with:

Mondays:

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Tuesdays:

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Wednesdays:

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Thursdays:

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Just 11 shows! I can't believe it...

You can check out which shows of yours are getting canceled here.