24 is back!

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Squee! 24 is back. How I missed Jack Bauer.

It was a little weird at first not recognizing any characters but Jack and Chloe (I’m still mourning the loss of Tony and Michelle this season) but the episode was so fast-paced and exciting and the new characters were so engaging that I forgot all about it. I already have a large amount of hate for Driscoll, am intrigued by the Araz family (the mom is seriously creepy!), and I can’t wait to learn more about Audrey and Curtis. The only storyline that I just can’t get behind is the whole Behrooz/Debbie relationship. Or maybe I just can’t warm to it because the character of Debbie comes off as entirely too needy and whiny. I can just tell she’s going to get on my nerves. Girl, your boyfriend’s a terrorist, just back off already!

Loved hearing about Kim and Chase moving to Valencia. Hee. Didn’t love that we didn’t learn anything about what Michelle’s been doing. I know Tony’s in prison but Michelle?! Where is she? Humph.

Can’t wait for tomorrow’s episodes!

alias is back!

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First off, many many thanks to Barry for reccing Howie Day’s Collide. I downloaded it and just fell in love. I keep listening to it over and over and over. Anyone else have song recs for me? I have lots of iTunes gift cards to burn!

Aahhh, yes. Wednesdays could possibly be the best night of TV for me. Lost AND Alias. Phew, jam-packed combination.

Very sleepy, so some quick comments.

Lost
I need answers! What happened to Claire?! I’ve been pretty good about not reading spoilers for this show but I think this episode has driven me to the edge. Not to mention the fact that this was another Kate-centric episode — when are we going to get any backstory for Boone? Hmm? I did enjoy the interaction between Sayid and Shannon though. A very unexpected pairing that I could totally get behind. But what was with Boone’s creepy stalker stare? Dun, dun, dun…

Alias
I thought the premiere was excellent. I still have lingering Season 3 disappointment but Authorized Personnel Only infused the show with some fun again. I got a total Season 1 vibe from it all, which can only be a good thing. Plus, Syd/Vaughn! What can I say, I’m a complete sucker when it comes to that ship. The addition of Nadia to the “team” is great as well. It seems that they’re heading towards some kind of Syd versus Nadia showdown (not a spoiler, just something I picked up in their closing scene) but I sure hope that they can become friends. Syd needs that in her life. As for the big reveal about Irina, I have to say I’m not surprised. It’s getting pretty clear that Lena Olin’s not coming back so the writers took advantage of the situation by getting rid of the need for Irina to show up again and creating another complication for Syd. I love Irina but last season’s IM messages between her and Jack were very eyeroll worthy. Also wished that there would have been more Weiss and that we could have seen a glimpse of Sark. *sniff* But the biggest thing that bothered me were the new opening credits. Blech. Too. Much. Syd. (And this coming from a huge fan of both Syd and Jennifer Garner). Oh well, I’m just glad the show is back.

I can sleep happy now.

iTunes and spoilers

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I received 3 iTunes gift cards today so I’m looking through the music store trying to figure out what I can download and I seriously can’t find a single song that I want. Anyone have any recs? Songs that are on constant repeat on your playlist?

Been watching lots of movies lately…

Day After Tomorrow
The movie has really clunky dialogue and some seriously unbelievable storylines (the wolves? Dennis Quaid’s trek through the storm?) but I thought it was really entertaining. Or maybe I just enjoyed it because of one Mr. Jake Gyllenhaal. All the special effects and digital imaging were amazing as well. Really gorgeous.

Collateral
Loved Tom Cruise (he was my first celebrity crush and I pretty much love him in everything he’s in) and Jamie Foxx. The movie, however, is a whole different story. I liked it and thought it had potential (especially the tension between Vincent and Max) but I didn’t think it really went anywhere. I was very unsatisfied as the end credits rolled.

Saved!
A much, much better movie that I thought it was going to be. And surprisingly very funny. Mandy Moore, in particular, did a good job. She has great comedic timing — something I would never have guessed from her previous movies. I highly recommend it (unless you’re very sensitive about religious topics).

Garden State
I bought a copy of this DVD before ever watching the movie… thank goodness I adored it (and now have a girl crush on Natalie Portman! Aww!). I loved that it was a very real movie — the emotions, the relationships, and the ending. Plus, it had a SUPERB soundtrack.

Is it sad that I totally want to get a copy of Troy tomorrow because I want to ogle Brad Pitt and Eric Bana? Mmm.

new year 2005

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HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Aaannnddd I’m back. Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I sure did! But as nice as it was to be away for awhile, it’s even nicer to be home.

But before I start blabbing about what I did, I want to plug the following organizations that are collecting donations for the earthquake/tsunami emergency in Asia:

Please donate if you can! Every little bit helps! Many, many thanks to Christie for posting and letting everyone use the buttons.

Well, Christmas was pretty awesome. Very low key, which is just the way I like it. I received some great gifts which I’ll brag about here (hee)…
— money (from one of the account executives that I support — kind of a weird present, I thought)
— Nordstrom gift cards (thinking of getting shoes — maybe round toe heels? also want to get a purse and cosmetics)
— Abercrombie gift card (already used it to get a hoodie)
— Banana Republic gift cards
— pink Banana Republic v-neck sweater (which I’ve returned because it was too chunky and I’m too short to wear anything that chunky)
— 2 GAP sweaters — one ivory and one lavendar with sequins
— GAP mitten and scarf set (so cute! It’s blue and green and really preettyy)
— pink/red Express button-up shirt (yay, clothes for work!)
— lavendar Limited shell
— pink Ann Taylor button-up shirt
— snowflake flannel sheets
— winter spice candle
— set of frosted glasses
— chocolate covered potato chips (which sound gross but are really, really good)
— lots and lots of boxes of chocolate

Pretty fun haul. I did notice that my family refrained from feeding my DVD obsession. Humph. 😛

I still have to buy 2 more Christmas presents — for my dad and for Rob. Rob and I *always* wait until after Christmas to exchange presents. That way we’ll have more money to spend (hee) and so we can take advantage of the after-Christmas sales. As for my dad, he spent the holiday in the Philippines visiting my grandma so I didn’t even get the chance to see him when I flew down to SoCal. At least I have more time to think of a really good present to get him.

During my time away from home, I got the chance to spend some time in Santa Barbara visiting my cousin who goes to school down there. I finally saw her apartment and just her environment in general. I was only there for a day (and I spent most of it shopping since she was working at Bath and Body Works) but I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s gorgeous. Very, very different from living in the Bay Area. However, I did get hit on by some guy who told me he had just been released from prison. Um, what?!? Great pick-up line there.

I also went to Las Vegas where Rob and I spent 3 days. I know, 3 days is a very long time. We spent a day with friends and then spent the next 2 days with his family. I don’t gamble nor do I drink so I basically watched Rob gamble the whole time… BUT he gave me an allowance from his winnings so I guess it was worth it. Hee.

Anyway, that’s that. I can’t believe it’s about an hour til the New Year. Craziness. Rob and I don’t have anything planned — but I’m sure we”ll probably watch some cheesy special on TV. So I’m off! Hope everyone is having a fun night!

it’s official…

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Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is being released on July 16, 2005!

😀

206 more days or something like that. I’m sure I’ll be attending the midnight book release party so I can pick it up immediately. Hee.

Ok, off to do some work…

HP6!!!

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I’m sure this information has made the rounds already but I’m just so excited I *had* to blog about it…

JK Rowling has finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and her publishers are going to announce the release date tomorrow!!! Squee! Such exciting news. I really hope we won’t have to wait long — I’m thinking it’ll be sometime in June, just like Book 5. I know I’ll be at work tomorrow morning refreshing The Leaky Cauldron every 5 seconds. Hee.

Also at TLC, there are a couple of newly released pictures from Goblet of Fire and one of them is of Harry/Hermione. Whee! It’s a good day to be a fangirl.

holidays

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I can’t believe there’s less than a week left before Christmas! Squee! Plus, I only have two and a half days of work this week. Which rocks. After that, I’m flying down to Southern CA to spend the holidays with my family. I just have to figure out how I’m going to pack all the presents I bought! Eeeep. Then on the 27th, I’m going to Las Vegas with Rob for a few days. I’ll be gone on my little Christmas adventure for a week and I. CAN’T. WAIT.

Does anyone else have any fun holiday plans? I’d love to hear all about them!

Some New Year’s memes stolen from Maz…

FIVE GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 2004
1. Getting 2 raises at work
2. I started a 401k
3. Dawson’s Creek seasons 3 and 4 came out on DVD
4. Finally moved to another host after the horrible experience with my last one
5. Got my first massage… Mmm.

FIVE MOVIES I REALLY ENJOYED IN 2004
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Bend It Like Beckham
3. Mean Girls
4. Ocean’s Twelve
5. 13 Going On 30

FIVE BOOKS I READ IN 2004 (AND SUGGEST YOU READ, TOO)
1. LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring — J.R.R. Tolkien
2. LotR: The Two Towers — J.R.R. Tolkien
3. LotR: The Return of the King — J.R.R. Tolkien
4. The Devil Wears Prada — Laura Weisberger
5. The Nanny Diaries — Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus
Hey, I *like* chick lit!

FIVE TELEVISION SHOWS I WATCHED ON A REGULAR BASIS IN 2004
1. The OC
2. Everwood< 3. CSI 4. Alias 5. One Tree Hill FIVE THINGS I’M ASHAMED TO HAVE BECOME ADDICTED TO IN 2004
1. Teen Vogue magazine
2. The fashion board at Makeup Alley
3. Smoothies from Jamba Juice (well, I’m not ashamed of this but it is a real addiction)
4. The Apprentice
5. More MTV reality shows — Newlyweds, Pimp My Ride, Ashlee Simpson Show

FIVE SONGS THAT REMAINED ON MY PLAYLIST IN 2004
1. (I Got That) Boom Boom — Britney Spears
2. My Boo — Usher and Alicia Keys
3. Why Can’t I Breathe — Liz Phair
4. She Will Be Loved — Maroon 5
5. Vindicated — Dashboard Confessional

FIVE RESOLUTIONS FOR 2005
1. Learn how to cook
2. Save more money
3. Buy a new cell phone
4. Read more books
5. Make a new layout for my blog — this one has been up since April!

FIVE THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2005
1. Possible trip to New York in April
2. Possible trip to Hawaii in July (for a friend’s wedding)
3. The premieres of Alias and 24
4. Star Wars Episode III in May
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in November

FIVE THINGS I’M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2005
1. Getting my credit card bill for all the Christmas purchases I’ve made recently
I honestly can’t think of anymore so I’m skipping to the next one…

FIVE MOVIES I WILL SEE IN 2005
1. Garden State
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
3. The Phantom of the Opera
4. Closer
5. Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith

FIVE BOOKS I WANT TO READ IN 2005
1. The Five People You Meet in Heaven — Mitch Albom
2. Middlesex — Jeffrey Eugenides
3. A Series of Unfortunate Events — Lemony Snicket
4. His Dark Materials Trilogy — Philip Pullman
5. America (the Book) — Jon Stewart

FIVE THINGS I’M GOING TO TRY TO CUT BACK ON IN 2005
1. Having Starbucks every morning
2. Buying clothes that I can’t wear to work
3. Spending money in general
4. Being lazy
5. Eating fast food

FIVE THINGS I’M GOING TO TRY TO DO MORE OF IN 2005
1. Bringing lunch to work — I spend entirely too much money on lunch each week!
2. Go to the gym
3. Keep in touch with friends
4. Go to the doctor on a more consistent basis
5. Visit my dad/cousins/family/friends in southern CA

And with that, I’m off to bed!

apprentice s2 finale

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Could The Apprentice finale have been *any* longer? I mean, really? 3 hours?! (possible spoilers ahead…)

The whole thing was overkill and the 3rd hour was entirely cheesy and pretty much useless. Well, except for Kwame and Troy being in the audience — seeing them again made me happy. Kelly winning wasn’t a surprise to me so I basically watched just to have some kind of closure to a really forgettable season. I didn’t think the contestants had any kind of chemistry and I didn’t have a single favorite at all. Not like last season when I was all about the Kwame. Hee. I had pretty much given up on the show but after seeing the promo for season three, my interest is piqued again. Separating the teams by “book smarts” and “street smarts” could spice the show up a bit. I’ll check it out. Cause you know, I have no willpower.

Got more holiday cards today — thanks Zinna and Sarah! I finished sending out my own cards today so hopefully you all will be receiving them soon!

😛

lotr: rotk

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Marianne! Mandy! Alie! I’ve received the holiday cards you guys sent me and I love them all. Thanks so, so much.

😀

You know, if I don’t stop buying “presents” for myself every time I go Christmas shopping, I’d probably be done by now. Guh.

Rob and I picked up The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King tonight. $22.99 at Best Buy. Squee! The first thing we watched was the Easter egg on the first disc. OMG, it is *so* funny. It’s basically Dominic Monaghan interviewing Elijah Wood via satellite (Elijah can’t see Dominic but Dominic can see him). The twist is that Dominic is pretending to be a German reporter and Elijah totally buys it. As you can imagine, it’s completely hilarious with Dom commenting numerous times about Elijah’s big beautiful blue eyes and asking whether or not Elijah likes to kick balls. Heh. You just have to watch it. (It’s on the first disc — go to the “select a scene” menu, scroll to the bottom until the ring shows up, then hit enter).

We’ve watched about three-fourths of the extended movie and so far, I have loved all the extra scenes that were edited back in, especially the Houses of Healing and anything having to do with Faramir and Eowyn’s story. This was a big part of the book that I was most disappointed not to see in the theatrical release. The additional scenes aren’t very long at all but at least it’s something!

And some clarification on my O12 comments for Robyn…

I thought Benedict was a much more capable adversary for Ocean’s Eleven so that’s why I thought Toulour’s rivalry with Ocean was unnecessary. I understood the rivalry and the way it propelled the story forward, I just didn’t see the need to bring in another character for the movie — but that’s probably because I wasn’t crazy about Toulour in general.

😛