Survivor Second Chances 10/28

UGH! I got to keep Spencer, but I lost Woo in the process. Why is it that evil women are having control over the men that I admire in this competition? First Abbi was the puppetmaster of Woo's fate, then Kas determined the destiny of Spencer. Just when I had some hope that maybe Jeremy would be able to protect Spencer, then Jeff had to switch up the tribes again. Now Spencer has to deal with BOTH Abbi and Kas. Sigh.

This episode was fishy to me. Why did Kas end up keeping Spencer? All she could talk about was getting him out. Why did she go with voting out Woo? And in the immunity challenge, why on earth did that tribe send Kas up a second time to eat the Cambodian delicacies? She proved in the first round that she couldn't handle the gross food, so why did they pick her to go again? Why didn't they choose Spencer, who DID get the stuff down the first time around. Woo went twice, and won in both of his rounds. Spencer could have achieved that success as well, if given the opportunity. Kas lost the challenge for her team, but she was still in the driver's seat when it came to who went home.

I'm shaking my head.

librarianintx

Tattoos

The seventh prompt of the thirty day writing challenge.

I don't have any tattoos. I'm not a fan of tattoos. I think one or two small ones are okay, but I don't understand the desire to be covered in them. For some people I think the need for tattoos borders on an addiction.

I'm not a fan of needles or pain or having something at least semi-permanent etched into my skin, so I don't see myself ever getting one. But if I did, I have a few ideas on what I would get. A small butterfly, maybe on an ankle or the inside of my wrist. And there are a few words I would consider; words that have meaning to me:

1) courage
2) harmony
3) bug (One of my nicknames, which is funny, because I'm scared of bugs)
4) teeny (Another of my nicknames)

librarianintx

Someone Who Fascinates You and Why

So I'm behind on the thirty day writing challenge, but I told myself I wouldn't be able to write every day, so I'm not beating myself up about it. Just pick up and keep going when you can, I instructed myself.

I have a triumvirate of three women in history that I have admired for most of my life - Laura Ingalls Wilder, Helen Keller, and Anne Frank. I read everything I can about them. I don't have the new Laura Ingalls Wilder autobiography, but it's on my wish list.

I know this will sound corny, but the person who fascinates me the most these days is President Barack Obama. I have admired him since the first time I heard him speak, when as Senator Obama he gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention for then-Presidential candidate John Kerry. When he concluded his speech, I looked at my roommate and said, "He's going to be president someday."

When he was still the senator from Illinois, he came to the Texas Book Festival in Austin, to sign copies of his book Dreams of My Father. I knew people would start lining up sometime in the middle of the night for the book signing. He would be in an outdoor tent, and it was a chilly November day. So I did not go, and it is one of many regrets I have in my life. It would have been a very brief encounter, but I know it would have been meaningful to me for the rest of my life.

I have an acquaintance who greatly admired and believed in two men - cyclist Lance Armstrong, and former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards. Of course both men were incredibly respected individuals who fell from grace amid terrible scandals. I worry that this will happen to me with President Obama. So far he has managed to be one of the cleanest politicians ever, meaning no political or personal wrongdoings. I hope that continues. I believe in him, as a person, and as our president. I believe he has a wonderful heart and wants everyone in this country to succeed. I adore pictures of him with children. It hurts me when people speak so ill of him and tear him down. I think he has done so much good for this country, and would have been able to achieve even more if the Republicans had not made it their life's ambition to work against him in hopes he would fail.

librarianintx

A Place You Would Like to Live but Never Visited

Day Five of the Thirty Day Writing Challenge

This is a hard one. I can't imagine myself living anywhere but Austin or Houston. I have no desire to start over in a new city, and especially not in a new state where I would probably have to fly in order to see family and friends.

But if I were braver, more adventurous....mmmm, I can't fathom being that strong. Pretty sad, honestly. Even my imagination can't take me on such a journey.

I'm not a sun worshipper, so the northwest might be a good place for me, like Seattle. I'd like to live somewhere with a low chance of tornadoes.

I have been to Washington DC a few times, and I would love to live there for awhile, to soak up all the history. But it can get pretty cold there.

I wish my response to this prompt was more exciting. 

librarianintx

Ten Interesting Facts About Yourself

Day Four of the Thirty Day Writing Challenge

This prompt is one of my favorites, but I'm not sure that I can come up with ten interesting facts about myself. We'll see...

These are in no particular order.

1) I rode an elephant - twice!
This happened at the Texas Renaissance Festival, so a lot of people of all ages can say they've ridden an elephant - there was a camel there too that people could ride. But this is a big deal for me because I am not any kind of a risk taker, even though it was a pretty safe thing to do. I also don't like heights, and elephants are tall creatures! But I have always been a big fan of elephants, so I'm really glad I did it. I just wish there were pictures from the experience.

2) I have fired a gun.
I am not a gun enthusiast at all, and I'm very surprised I actually did this. I was staying at a friend's ranch, and after lunch one afternoon my friend's dad suggested that my three male friends and me try some target practice. "Sure!" I said. So for the first and only time in my life so far I fired a pistol. I don't think I even came close to hitting a target, but I was able to physically fire the gun. There is a picture of me, in the firing stance, wearing headphones so the sound wouldn't startle me too much. My friend's dad tried to figure out how I would be able to fire a rifle too, but that was too heavy for me and I couldn't pull the trigger. The pistol was more than enough for me. Its an interesting story that surprises people, but I can't say I'm proud that I fired a gun. I am VERY proud that I didn't shoot anyone. :)

3) I have worked at an inner city school.
I did some student teaching at a third ward school in Houston, and I also volunteered at a public library in the neighborhood. I was the only white person at the school. I loved working with the kids; they responded well to me. But the teachers were not welcoming. They basically thought I was some kind of spy. As part of my class work, I had to interview the teacher I was working with, and she refused to answer some of the questions I asked her. She and the other teachers said to me, "You're gonna go back to your white school in your white neighborhood to do your full semester of student teaching." And they were right - I did. But there were important reasons why I did. I knew working full time would be quite an effort for me, so I chose to student teach where I went to fifth grade, so I could live with my mom, and have help with meals and laundry and transportation.

4) I have been on television and in the newspaper.
All of my appearances have been because of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I have been on the local telethons in Corpus Christi and Houston, and in the local newspapers in both cities as well. I was also interviewed on a local morning news show in Houston from the MDA summer camp. I think I was eleven or twelve years old that summer. We didn't have a VCR yet, so I never saw the interview.

5) I was involved in campus politics in undergrad.
I was secretary and then president of the Handicapped Student Advisory Board at the University of Houston, and I was a student senator as well. I participated in a march and sit in when the university threatened to eliminate the Disabled Student Services office.

6) I was a rocker chick in my younger days.
I was never a metal-head. But my favorite acts were the "hair bands" of the 80's and 90's - Def Leppard, Winger, Whitesnake, White Lion, Poison, etc. I used to buy Circus and Hit Parade magazines. I didn't get to go to a lot of concerts, but my first ever concert was Tesla and Firehouse. I have only seen Def Leppard live twice, but I have been a fan since 1983, and a devoted fan since 1987.

7) I have met a few "celebrities." I put the word in quotation marks because everyone has their own definition of a famous person. Back in the 70's I met a few Dallas Cowboy football players through the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I also met the guy who played Epstein on "Welcome Back Kotter." More recently, I met the author Judy Blume and actor Chris Colfer at book signings. The longest conversation I had with a celebrity was with Mark Zupan, the quad rugby player who starred in the documentary "Murderball." 

8) I'm a big fan of games.
I enjoy classic board, card, and dice games - Monopoly, Scrabble, Yatzee, Solitare, Boggle, Poker, Memory, etc. I play brain age and other types of games on my phone. I enjoy winning and I am competitive to a certain extent, but the opportunity to play is more important to me than who wins. I have not been good at puzzles, but a few years ago I started trying to do puzzles.

9) I've always wanted to play a musical instrument.
When I was in the fifth grade, everyone had to learn to play the recorder. I was so bad that my music teacher told me to pretend to play at our performance. The main instrument I want to learn is the piano. We didn't have one when I was growing up, and I think my mom didn't want to pay for lessons because she figured my fingers were too small and weak. Plus I don't have a decent sense of timing. My roommate has a professional-type keyboard now, and I keep thinking that sometime I will try to teach myself how to play. Awhile back I learned how to play a few notes of a song from the "Sound of Music," and I cried when I played it correctly for the first time.

10) I am becoming interested in the difficulties people face when they leave prison. I think prison should be more about rehabilitation and less about incarceration. And we need to give former offenders more assistance when they leave prison, to reduce the rate of recidivism. The U.S. has more people in the penal system than any other country in the world, and many of them are people of color, imprisoned for non-violent offenses like buying and selling drugs.

librarianintx

My first kiss and my first love

Day three of the thirty day writing challenge...

I think my first kiss was when I was in the fourth grade. I don't remember the boy's name. I think it happened in the back seat of a car, but I don't remember for sure. Obviously very memorable. :)

My first love - that's a toughie. I've had several crushes; none of them were interested in me. There was Walt in 8th grade. I was devastated when he didn't invite me to the eighth grade dance. Before Walt, there was Eric, who was my pseudo date for my Bat Mitzvah weekend. There is a chance my mother paid him to act like my boyfriend, but she denies it. I know at least one time she paid a boy to dance with me at some event. It was a real self-esteem boost when the boy bragged to me about it.

In undergrad I was overcome with attraction for a beautiful boy who used a manual wheelchair. I could barely breathe when he was around. And in grad school I was terribly smitten with a boy named Kevin. He lived two doors from me on our co-ed floor in the dorm, and I did everything I could to spend time with him.

But was I really in love with any of these boys? And was I love with William, the guy I dated through part of high school and the early chunk of college? We were very different. He was country, and I was rock and roll. He came from a very conservative family of nine children. I was at his house exactly once in all the years that we dated. We were together during the most difficult of my life - two major surgeries, and I spent most of my high school existence on homebound and half-day programs. We didn't date like normal kids. Our "dates" consisted of hanging out at my house. I think we went to the ice cream parlor exactly once. We did go to the our junior and senior proms, but I was sick for both, and we didn't stay long at either one.

William was very sweet to me, and I often took out my frustrations of life on him. Our relationship fell apart when he went into the Navy. I cared for him very much; I'm not sure I can say that I was in love with him. He gave me a promise ring and even proposed once over the phone, but I didn't accept. He deserved better than the person that I was back then.

librarianintx

Survivor Second Chances 10/21 Show

Whew! Spencer dodged a bullet again. It's just so frustrating to see good, hardworking players like Wigglesworth and Spencer be on the outs with their tribe, while someone like Fishbach, who actually scored a point for ANOTHER team in the immunity challenge, is sitting pretty. And once again, Abbi was a complete train wreck, emotionally and in the challenges, for her team, but there was no tribal council for that bunch. Even if there had been, she would have probably survived. Sigh. It just absolutely maddens me that a good guy and great player like Woo has to kiss that woman's feet and pledge loyalty to her in order to stay in the game. Gross.

librarianintx

My Earliest Memory

Day two of the thirty day writing challenge!

This will be a quick one. I feel like I've never had a good memory. I think most of my recollections stem from photographs more than actual memories. But I'll mention a few, whatever they are based on. The earliest are from when I was between three and four years old. There are pictures of me with the big stuffed brown teddy bear I received for Hanukkah. I named her Mathilda and dressed her in my old nightgowns. I remember the little wooden table I sat at in my room and listened to my record player. There are photographs of me when I was about three and a half, holding on to the coffee table in the living room, contemplating taking a step.

At three years old, I had long blondish-brown hair that I wore in adorable "pig tails" and Mom dressed me and my sister in matching clothes for years. I didn't get my first pair of glasses until I was four I think.  I like picture of myself when I was three years old or younger. When I was seven, my mom cut my hair super short because we were living in Corpus Christi, and the humidity made my hair tangled and unmanageable. I wore my hair short until I was nineteen. I hate many of the photos of me when I was growing up - very short, kinky hair, glasses, pudgy stomach, huge overbite, orthopedic shoes - sigh.

librarianintx

Five Problems with Social Media

I'm attempting a 30 day writing challenge that I found on Facebook. There is a topic for every day. Will I actually be able to blog every day for 30 days? I doubt it. But I am giving it a shot. Here is day #1!

As much as I enjoy social media, especially Facebook, there are definitely some aspects that I do not care for. I may even be able to come up with more than five dislikes:

1) Oversharing
Adults overshare about themselves constantly on Facebook, which is annoying, but I find it especially troubling when parents overshare about their children. They have to realize that their children will one day be on Facebook, or they already on Facebook, as are their friends, and their friend's parents. Parents need to take their children's feelings into consideration when they post personal stuff. Maybe they are venting because their children are frustrating them, or maybe they think what they are posting is cute and funny and want people to laugh with them. But the children may not be laughing. I wouldn't want my mom to post embarrassing stories about me on social media. Parents need to think of their children and their emotional needs ahead of their own need for support or enjoyment.

2) Vaguebooking
Vaguebooking drives me crazy! You know, when someone posts something like, "What a terrible situation I'm in" or "He knows what he did" or something vague. Posting these kinds of updates are cries for attention. The person wants you to reply and say, "What's wrong?" "Tell me what happened." "Are you okay?" And then there are some people who will then respond with, "Call me and I'll tell you." That's when I want to throw my phone across the room. I'm sorry, but I think that is so rude. You're announcing a mystery and then limiting who can find out the plot. Either tell people what's going on, or don't post in the first place. Stop playing games to get attention. I also have aquaintances who post worrisome messages like, "This was the last straw," or "I can't do this anymore," and then when people express concern and offer assistance, they will respond with, "Oh, I'm okay." If you're okay, why are you posting something that sounds like you're about to attempt suicide? Again, attention seeking.

3) Asking for prayers
I know I probably sound callous and terrible, but I am not the type of person who would ask people to pray for me. Again, I see this as attention seeking behavior. Sometimes for me in depends on the request. If someone is battling cancer, and they are about to go through a round of chemo, I can understand asking for support and prayers for as easy a process as possible. When people are constantly asking for prayers, and for everything from taking a test to getting a washing machine fixed, the whole prayer thing gets on my nerves. It probably wouldn't if I believed in the power of prayer, but unfortunately, I don't.

Mmmm...am I oversharing now? :)

4) Go Fund Me accounts
I think Go Fund Me accounts can be helpful, and I'm okay with them for important matters like raising money for medical treatments, or assistance for a family displaced by a house fire, etc. But a Go Fund Me account so someone can take a trip to Disney Land? Or because a child wants an i-pad? No.

5) Controversial images
I don't visit Facebook to see images of sick, injured individuals or animals. I don't want to see that kind of stuff. I don't understand why people feel the need to post these images. I have flagged a few images that I felt were highly inappropriate - animals that had been run over, aborted fetuses, people shot and covered in blood. There is no need for these images on social media in my opinion. And then when people post these images and say, "If you believe in G-d, type 'Amen,'" - ugh!

I could go on. I have more to say on the evils of social media. Stalkers. Cyberbullying. Arguments/flame wars. But I think this post is becoming overwhelming negative. So I'll stop here. There is much I like about Facebook and social media. Keeping up with the happenings of family and friends. Enjoying pictures of beautiful sunsets, vacations, graduations, weddings, babies growing up. I like the animal videos, the funny memes, the meaningful quotes I come across, the social organizations that I learn about. There are many positive reasons to spend time on social media. Like with anything else, you have to take the good with the bad. 

librarianintx

Dancing with the Stars "Famous Dances Week" 10/19/15

I know; I'm behind on my DWTS recaps. But I am skipping ahead to this week, because last night was one of my favorite episodes EVER on Dancing with the Stars. Several of the contestants absolutely nailed their interpretations of iconic dances, thanks in great measure to the fantastic choreography of their professional partners, and the meticulous attention to detail of the show's wardrobe, hair, and make-up departments. From Emma's skintight black pants to Nick's polyester and Sharna's afro, from the apparently exact replica of Alexa's "slave" outfit and everything worn on stage by Paula, Louie, and their team of dancers, the dances were brought to life again, bringing back great memories for viewers of my generation. Absolutely no cheese factor for me this week; everyone brought their "A" game, at least as far as effort was concerned, and there was absolutely no attempt to mock the dances they were given. Every performance was treated with the reverence and respect that these iconic moments in history deserve.

Three of the nine dances received perfect scores. Andy and Allison were the first to hit the jackpot, with a very challenging routine to "Good Morning" from "Singing in the Rain." I was very nervous for the pregnant Allison as she danced up and down stairs with no railings and walked over sofas that moved, but all went exceptionally well. Andy has had two great weeks in a row, and may be moving up from the lower middle of the pack.

The second perfect score of the night was earned by Bindi and Derek, who absolutely wowed the judges, the crowd, me, and themselves with a rumba to "I've Had the Time of the Life" from "Dirty Dancing." The movie is one of my all-time favorites, and this performance was just spectacular, from Derek shaking his hips like Patrick Swayze to the show-stopping lift. Everything about the performance was so reminiscent of the movie; I almost cried. Everything, except Bindi's dress was white instead of pale pink.  But I can forgive that minor detail.

The third score of 40 for the evening was awarded to Tamar and Val, who ignited the ballroom with a performance of Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation." Displayed to the home audience in black and white, just like the original video, this dance was almost an exact replica of what people of my generation watched on their televisions in the very late 80's. Tamar was Janet's doppelganger: same military outfit, hat, long ponytail, and she even lip-synched as she danced. She looked like Janet, she danced like Janet, and she more than held her own as she was front and center with a team of professional dancers.

Nick and Sharna were nearly perfect, earning a 39 for their samba-infused, crowd-goes-wild take on "You Should be Dancing" from "Saturday Night Fever". Okay, Nick didn't quite have John Travolta's strut during the beginning sequence, but when he hit the multi-colored dance floor, he gave it everything he had, including breaking into knee Russians! I absolutely loved it.

Carlos and Whitney received a score of 38 for a super hot and sexy rumba to "Pony" from "Magic Mike." Whitney intelligently took a backseat in the performance and let Carlos' gyrating abs and thrusting pelvis take center stage.  Bruno was nearly overcome, especially when Carlos handed him the remains of his ripped-off t-shirt. My review: Muy caliente! Te gusto mucho!

Even though the rest of the dancers did not earn high scores, I think they should all be commended for their effort. I actually enjoyed every performance last night.

Hayes and Emma earned four 8's for their take on "You're the One That I Want" from "Grease." This was doubly tough on Hayes, since number one, he hasn't grown up watching the movie dozens of times, and number two, Olivia Newton John was the guest judge! No pressure! I think he did well, and the trick toward the end was really exciting. Hayes is quite good at partnering, especially considering he's only fifteen.

Alexa and Mark and Alek and Lindsey both earned scores of thirty on the night. Alexa was very sexy in her "Slave for U" outfit, and uber kudos to her for dancing with a snake on live television! But Britney Spears is a phenomenal dancer, and Alexa was too halting and tentative. Great effort, though.

Unfortunately for Alek, who we must remember has absolutely no dance experience AND is not in show business, he was given a jive to Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock." Really not fair, but Alek did work hard to exude more personality, and thrust his hips. I think there is a fair chance he would have struggled no matter what dance they gave him, but did they really think he was ready to impersonate the king? How many people on this planet would be prepared for that?

And finally, there was Paula and Louie. Did she do Madonna proud with her performance of "Vogue" from the 1990 Video Music Awards? No. I think Louie could have done much more with her in this. She did some simple vogue moves and glided around the stage; that was it. Paula likes to be naughty, and there were missed opportunities for her. She did pull guys to her bosom, but I also think she could have at least attempted the "bump and grind" moment, and Louie could have crawled up her dress, like he did backstage. She didn't even snap the fan, which would have been cool. But still, "Vogue" was a decent choice for her. And definitely the costumes, wigs, and make-up were spot on.

My only gripe with the episode is that sometimes the original music was used in the performances, sometimes not. I don't know why. Why didn't they use the original "You're the One That I Want," especially since Olivia Newton John was the guest judge?

I also missed Erin, but I do like Leah Remini. Her "lift" with Tom was hilarious, and I enjoyed her grinding with Carlos and Whitney.

There will be no complaining from me this week about the extra dancers. I understand they were needed to complete the iconic dances.

Great job, Dancing with the Stars! I loved the show!

librarianintx


   

  

Sports

It sure can be tough being a sports fan, especially when you live in a city, or root for certain teams that don't have a lot of success. I grew up in Houston, Texas, a town that has had the good fortune to celebrate two basketball championships, but has never had a football or baseball team win the big prize. The Astros did make it to the World Series once, but neither the Oilers or the Texans have ever played in the Super Bowl.

I am impressed by how loyal and determined Houston sports fans are. Season after season, the Astros and first the Oilers, then the Texans, have had up seasons, down seasons, exciting seasons, and disastrous seasons, but the fans continue to show up. They rejoice in the good times and commiserate in the bad times. But they don't give up. They get frustrated sometimes, but they still buy tickets, memorabilia, hot dogs, and popcorn. Houston fans are hearty souls.

I grew up with a few people who were die-hard Houston fans, but were also unfortunately sore losers. They turned me off from watching sports, because I hated dealing with their temper tantrums and angry moods when games were lost and seasons ended in failure. I enjoy the excitement of sporting events, especially when I have the opportunity to watch with people who are rooting for the same team that I am. But I don't like overly competitive individuals that can't deal well with a team loss.

I don't get angry when my team loses. But I do feel bad, for the players that worked so hard for a win, and for the fans that spent money to attend a game and were expecting to witness a successful outcome. 

The Astros are currently in the playoffs. If they win tomorrow, they will advance to the next round, the series before they would go to the World Series. When they played on Monday afternoon in Houston, they were six outs away from winning that game and moving on. In the seventh inning, they got home runs from Carlos Correa and Colby Rasmus. They were leading Kansas City 6-2. The fans were ecstatic. Success was in everyone's sights.

And then came a stunning reversal of fortune. In the eighth inning, KC got 7 runs. In the span of a few minutes, the score flipped from 6 - 2 in favor of the Astros, to 9 - 6 in favor of Kansas City. Success was in our grasp, and it was cruelly ripped away. I was so sad for the players, and the fans. Luckily, we still have one more chance to advance. But if we don't, the storied season will be over.

I endeavor to be a healthy sports fan. I squeal and clap and get excited when we win. But I don't let it ruin my day when one or more of my teams loses. And I definitely do not take my frustrations out on the people around me when I am disappointed about the outcome of a sporting event.

librarianintx

Survivor: Second Chances

Thank goodness the tribes were re-organized! I definitely think Spencer was saved because of this change. And now he is at least temporarily aligned with one of my other favorites this season: Jeremy. Together they helped their new tribe squeak by and avoid tribal council.

Why in the name of all that is holy is Abbi still in this competition?! Ugh! She is annoying, she is a troublemaker, she is dangerous. I want her off this show! I'm not a fan of PG, but I'd rather have her around than Abbi. Please contestants - send Abbi home! Write her name down and allow me the satisfaction and relief of having Jeff snuff out her torch!

librarianintx

Interesting exchange on Facebook

My brother in law posted this message on Facebook today:
"Leaving Bangkok - back to Singapore."

One of his friends responded: "Living the dream?"

My brother in law said, "Been on the road since the 23rd. Its not all that its cracked up to be. But, I do get to see some pretty cool countries, taste the food, play a few rounds of golf. Life could be worse."

His friend answered, "You are getting to do so much that many people only dream of. Your memories / life events will be fabulous."

I can actually see both sides of this conversation. I definitely understand what his friend is saying. My brother in law has seen so much of the world thanks to the job that he has. He has not only visited, but had the opportunity to spend extended periods of time in countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Singapore. His career has allowed him to give his wife and daughters amazing opportunities to see the world as well. My oldest niece is 23 years of age, and already she has lived in Germany for a semester, Newfoundland for two years, and visited many countries, including Israel, England, Ireland, Italy, and Czechoslovakia. She has also been to Hawaii, Mexico, and been on a cruise. She has ridden a camel, zip lined, and swam with dolphins.

But my brother in law has also had to sacrifice precious time with his wife and children. Luckily he has been able to see all three daughters graduate from high school, and he has been at home for important events like senior proms. But when you are away for weeks at a time, you do miss out on time with family. And he has also had to deal with illnesses while traveling - several bouts of food poisoning, and a gall bladder attack while he was in India. He needed to have his gall bladder removed, but he managed to make it back to the States before he had the surgery.

I have never been out of the country except for one day trip over the border to Mexico when I was about eleven years old. I doubt I ever will have an opportunity to travel much in the future, and definitely not internationally.  I don't have a coffee table full of photo books and hours of interesting memories / stories that my brother in law has. His life may be bittersweet in a way, but I would still say he is experiencing an amazing life that most people would be impressed by and envy.

librarianintx

Dancing with the Stars Week 3

I know - I am super late with this recap.

After the first two dances, I called my mom and said, "If this episode does not get better soon, I'm giving up." Luckily, it did improve. But it was so up and down. The main problem I had with the night was the show selections. They were all over the place. I think the selections should have either been all older shows, or all recent shows, but not a mixture of the two. For me, most of the performances from the older shows were ridiculously hokey.

Paula and Louis's dance was definitely the worst for me. That music was designed for a samba? Absolutely not! It was hokey overload. And she didn't know the routine *Shudder*

Carlos and Whitney's jazz routine was also in the cringeworthy category for me. Carlos is a hot man; I don't want to see him dressed like an old geezer. They had a few cool moves, but I just couldn't get past the hokey-ness.

At least Gary and Anna had the characters down with the Adams Family theme. His shuffling walk-dancing lent itself well to the tango, but I still think the judges were too generous with their comments. I also didn't need to know that Gary wasn't wearing underwear.

I also wasn't into Hayes and Emma's Ninja Turtles routine, and I think Hayes' costume seriously hampered his dancing.

I don't have much to say about Andy and Allison's quickstep. It was okay, but I think the American Bandstand theme would have been better paired with a jive.

The one performance from an older show that I did enjoy was Bindi and Derek's quickstep to the Jefferson's theme. I understand the judges' criticism; it was not a proper quickstep. But it was so darn fun to watch! I didn't find their dance hokey at all. Thank goodness they were not in blackface!

With this episode, I don't think you necessarily had to be a viewer of these shows in order to enjoy the dances, but I think it helped in some cases. The main example of this thought to me would be Nick and Sharna's Viennese Waltz to the theme from Downton Abbey, which for me was the dance of the night. I do watch the show, and Nick was the perfect Matthew Crowley. The extra dancers were unnecessary and the chandelier was in the way for part of the dance, but it was an absolutely beautiful performance. They tied for highest scores of the evening. Well deserved.

My second favorite dance of the night was Tamar and Val's tango. I have never watched Mad Men, but I know enough about the show to understand that the song fit the dance, and the costumes and Tamar's hair and make-up were a perfect representation of the show.

Alexa and Mark tied with Nick and Sharna for best dance of the night. Again, I have never watched Breaking Bad, but I understood that the dance was an innovative as the show. I bet it was hard to dance in those hazmat suits!

I was also impressed with Alek and Lindsey's tango to the theme from True Blood. It was a sexy dance, with proper technique.

Paula and Louis, and surprisingly, Andy and Allison were the bottom two couples, but of course it was Kim and Tony who went home because Kim was unable to compete due to health reasons. That's a shame, because I think Kim could have improved and possibly lasted for a few more weeks. 

librarianintx

Survivor Second Chances Week 2

I know...I'm always late in talking about shows.

Spencer was almost voted off! How did that happen? Why was almost everyone aligned with Abbie? I just don't get it. Everyone on that tribe should have been voting her out!

Sigh. I'm afraid its going to be a long season for me.
But I'll keep watching.
Even when I want to throw something at the tv.

Keep fighting Spencer! Don't give up!

librarianintx