TV Recap

    Hey everybody!  I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.  Although the Patriots lost AGAIN, and therefore robbed me of my free coffee on Monday, I still got to see a lot of good TV, including a special behind-the-scenes special for Shadowhunters, (more on that below).  Plus, there are about 17 more days until Christmas and 11 until my birthday, so there's something for me to be happy about!  I'm going to be talking about some of my shows today, at least one of which is now on winter break.  I'll also be breaking down my thoughts on the Shadowhunters special, so stay tuned for that if you're interested or obsessed, like I am.  If you haven't been watching or are not caught up in Once, Arrow, Flash or Agents of Shield, BEWARE OF SPOILERS below!

(www.tv.com)

    Once had ALL the feels this week, as we see Emma become the better of two evils in order to battle Dark Hook and his master plan to destroy everything Emma loves, (except himself of course).  It looks like Emma has forgotten she's also a Dark One, but that's alright because everyone is completely OK with it.  Everyone has the Mark of Cane on them, thanks to Dark Hook, which means that they all just bought a one-way ticket to Hell, unless someone can come up with a way to finagle out of it.  Emma does, but Hook thwarts her once again, causing everyone to just give up and spend time with each other.  This episode seemed very blah to me after everything we'd been going through up until this point.  I did enjoy the little flashbacks of Hook and his father, but nothing was really explained at the end, so we have NO idea if Liam #2 is still alive and/or if he's looking for Hook, his big half-brother and their father's murderer.  In the end, Hook changes his mind at the last second and gives Emma the sword in order to run him through, like a real girlfriend would.  It's all very emotional because Killian was like the only really hot guy left on the show, (Charming is OK, but he's not my type...plus he's barely spoken in last few episodes).  But when you think it's over, you get Rumple, who's been biding his time until he can revert back to his evil ways again.  Thanks to some bit of leftover magic dust he had stocked up in one of his cabinets, Rumple now has all of the past lives of the Dark Ones trapped inside him, plus the dagger, ultimately making him more powerful than he's ever been.  Emma threatens to tell Belle, now that they've rekindled their relationship, so Rumple agrees to do Emma a favor.  Which is to bring her and her entire family to Hell to get Killian back.  Didn't they just get out of that mess?  Anyway, we'll see what happens when this show comes back from hiatus, but I'm guessing a lot of betrayal and dead enemies.

(superherohype.com)

    Arrow and Flash had a crossover episode last week, which was really cool to watch.  Barry was trying to find ways to increase his speed since taking on Zoom has decreased his confidence significantly.  Cisco and Kendra have taken things to the next level, but are interrupted on their date by Vandal Savage, the random bad guy of this crossover.  Savage is here specifically for Kendra, who is actually Hawk Girl in a reincarnated state.  It takes most of the episode, and a little help from Team Arrow, to figure this out.  We also meet Kendra's counterpart, Hawk Guy, (I don't know what he's actually called).  Their souls are apparently linked so that in each new life, they can find each other again, (AWWW).  Poor Cisco... How can you possible compete with that?  Anyway, Kendra finds her wings by free-falling off a skyscraper, Barry and Oliver work together to figure out the best course of action when dealing with the mystical Savage.  They figure out that Savage is immortal and that he's hunting mystical objects related to Hawk Girl's origin.  Malcolm Merlin offers some words of encouragement on the nature of immortality as both teams convene over drinks at Ollie's apartment.  There are lots of jabs at each other, (Barry nags Ollie about no sleeves, Cisco insists on renaming Speedy, Barry comments on Merlin's shadowy entrance, etc.).  Hawk Guy swoops in, (literally), takes Kendra, gets beaten by Team Awesome and questioned about what he knows.  Eventually, they all figure out that Savage is after a magical scepter, which he gets his hands on, but not without a fight from Arrow and Flash.  After realizing that Savage is after Kendra, now that she's gotten her powers back, they leave for Star City, but not before Oliver has an awkward run-in with the child he fathered with that girl Moira paid off back in Season 2 or something.  WHAT?!
    Enter the Arrow crossover, Legends of Yesterday.  As I'm writing this, I just realized that Oliver had more story line in the Flash crossover and Barry had more story line in the Arrow crossover...weird.  Anyway, both teams travel to a farmhouse on the outskirts of Star City, (cue Thea making an obvious joke about Avengers: Age of Ultron), to regroup and come up with a plan to take on Savage.  Hawk Girl and Guy train outside and attempt to spend some time together in order to rekindle her lost memories.Oliver attempts to make contact with his long lost son while keeping it from Felicity, (HORRIBLE move).  Eventually, everyone is finally ready with what they think is an OK plan.  During the final confrontation, Savage uses the staff to incinerate everyone, which immediately causes you to think this is either a dream sequence or something because EVERYONE CAN'T DIE.  Barry runs so fast he turns back time, thank God, and he tries to help the team think of a better plan than the one that got them killed originally.  They do and it works and everyone wins, even Ollie, getting to spend some one-on-one with his son Will.  However, he still doesn't tell Felicity and she definitely KNOWS something is up, so this will not end well.  Overall, a great crossover, but the sole purpose was to set up Legends of Tomorrow, so we'll see how well that worked.

(mcuexchange.com)

    Agents of Shield has slowly been losing my interest as of late.  I'm not sure why, but I'm just not as invested anymore.  Last week, we saw Coulson lose his lady love by way of sniper rifle to the throat, thanks to Ward, whose goal is to now make Coulson suffer.  It's working.  Coulson then spends the entire episode trying to find Ward and kill him.  We haven't seen a lot of May or Skye/Daisy lately either, and even less of Lincoln, (which is a crying shame).  Everyone has been beaten so badly at this point, but I can't see May lying low for too much longer because of what happened with Andrew.  She's never been one to sulk.  But I loved Fitz-Simmons in this and the bond they have is obvious.  Fitz went through a portal for her!  I'm curious to see what will happen next week when Hydra tells Simmons that they only needed Fitz as a sacrifice to their horrendous Squid God...  I wish I cared more.  They wouldn't kill of Fitz, would they?...

    

(youtube.com)

    The Shadowhunters special was probably the highlight of my night, (because I'm obsessed).  It was called "Beyond the Shadows" and featured footage from behind the scenes of filming the show, (obviously), as well as little clips and snippets we haven't seen yet in any of the trailers.  LIKE MORE MALEC!!  After watching this, I feel a lot better about watching the TV series in January, (WHY must I wait another MONTH?!).  I'm still not 100% sure this is going to make me happy because I know they are going against the book on a lot of details, but I'm hoping that I still like what they've done with the story.  Besides Malec stuff, (one of the episodes is called "Malec!"), they showed more footage of scenes from the show, which gives us an idea of what we might see from the books in the first season.  We're definitely getting Simon's burial, when he becomes a vampire, and it looks like we're going to meet Isabelle's Seelie/Faerie boyfriend, which means a trip down into the Seelie Court.  This means we can expect content from at least the first two books, if not a bit of the third, although I've seen nothing so far to suggest that yet.  There are only 13 episodes in the first season, so I have no idea what they're going to do or how they're going to split things up.  Regardless, I've already watched the special twice and it's on YouTube and ABC Family's website, so I'll leave the link here so you guys can watch it if you're interested.  I believe the show will be better received if all the guys go shirtless.

    Ok, I think that's about all I have for you today.  If you watch any of these shows or have thoughts on the Shadowhunters show, let me know in the comments below.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

TV Recap

    Hey guys, sorry about not posting yesterday.  I totally forgot:(  I'm going to try to keep myself on track by putting reminders in my phone so that I can keep up with things.  I very rarely sit at my computer these days and with everything else going on in my life at the moment I've found it difficult to stay on track.  I am planning a little mini vacation for myself when the holidays come around, so that'll be nice.  ANYWAY, I meant to do a recap yesterday of the TV shows I've been keeping up with lately, so here we go.  Beyond this point are SPOILERS, so if you're not caught up, don't read!

(greenarrowtv.com)

    Arrow was big last week because of Constantine making a cameo appearance.  My husband loved that show and when it was cancelled, he wasn't too happy.  Needless to say he's been given a second chance and it did not disappoint.  We left off with Team Arrow trying to figure out the best way to approach the now loose Sarah after attempts to talk her down failed.  Thea realized that her blood-lust was directed towards her, because Thea was the one who killed her under Merlin's influence.  Thea decided she wanted to let Sarah kill her in order to cure her blood-lust because Thea felt that she was the only one who understood what Sarah was going through.  Thea's blood-lust cannot be cured because the person who killed her is already dead and she can't avenge herself.  Obviously the rest of the team didn't like this idea, so Oliver called in some back-up in the form of an old friend.
    They showed flashbacks to when Oliver was back on his old friend The Island and Constantine happened to be held at gunpoint by his commanding officer.  Constantine took Oliver hostage and drove him to a location where he knew there was a magical artifact that he needed.  Oliver saved his life Indiana Jones style, which meant Constantine owed him a favor.  Back in the present, Constantine devised a plan that would allow Oliver and Laurel to go inside Sarah's mind to retrieve her soul.  In the end, everyone is successful and Sarah is returned to her normal state.  Diggle receives closure about his dead brother and Felicity discovers that Ray is still alive.  A lot happened this past week, so I can't wait to see where this goes.  I believe Constantine will be a crucial part of defeating Dahrk, but we'll see.

(movietralerreviews.net)

    Agents of SHIELD was also full of surprising revelations last week.  We see Agent May return to the team under circumstances beyond her control.  Andrew, her ex husband, was involved in an explosion that killed several members of the newly-formed Hydra group, sent by Ward.  May and Bobbi team up in this episode and it was awesome!  This was the first time Bobbi had returned to the field since last season, so she was still unsure of herself in the beginning.  May and Bobbi make a great team and May was able to talk Bobbi into relinquishing her fear.  Meanwhile, Skye, (I still can't call her Daisy...it's too weird), and the rest of the gang are trailing Coulson as he meets up with the leader of the ATCU.  They discover that she's putting the Inhumans she captures into a sort of stasis in order to bide time for finding a cure.  We also find out that she lost her husband to cancer and refuses to let the Inhumans deal with their troubling abilities without at least trying to help them.  Noble, but is she really doing the right thing?
    The real shocker in this episode, which I kind of saw coming, is the reveal of the human identity of Lash.  After Skye saw Lash turn back into a human a few episodes ago, she didn't want to let it go.  As they search for the answers, May is actually the one to find out the truth from a dying Von Strucker.  We see in a flashback to the explosion that Andrew is actually Lash and caused the explosion that killed everyone inside the store.  This also explains how he could have survived such an explosion.  We're probably going to be dealing with this revelation when May and Bobbi return from their mission.  May is currently the only one who knows about Andrew, so it's unlikely that she will tell anyone until she has a chance to talk to him herself, knowing the truth will set everyone into a panic.  Inhumans everywhere!

(flashtvnews.com)

    Flash was interesting last week.  I've been waiting for Barry to ask Patty out for awhile now, so I'm glad they finally worked that in.  Unfortunately, the poor bastard was blind for most of the date, thanks to a run-in with our newest Inhuman bad person, who looks identical to Linda Park, one of Barry's ex-girlfriends from last season and Iris's friend in the newsroom.  While they deal with Linda's doppelganger, everyone is dealing with working alongside the Earth 2 Harrison Wells.  Although this version of Dr. Wells is identical to the one Barry defeated last season, they have very different personalities.  No one is comfortable, but they have to learn to work together in order to defeat this season's villain, Zoom.  Dr. Wells even helps Cisco, (albeit not kindly), reveal his new powers to the rest of the team, shocking everyone, including Cisco.  In the end, Dr. Light is captured with Cisco's psychic help before she can kill Linda, Barry gets the girl after regaining his eye sight and Cisco introduces himself to an attractive barista, who will turn out to become Hawkgirl this season and continue on to the spin-off Legends of Tomorrow with The Atom and the White Canary from Arrow.  When every episode of Flash introduces a new character, you have to learn how to keep track of the ones who aren't temporary.

(avclub.com)

    Lastly, Once threw us for a loop last weekend as well, introducing us to the original Dark One, aka Nimue, who was Merlin's lost love.  As Merlin and Emma search for the last ember of Prometheus in order to reforge the sword, (I will never get tired of saying that), to wipe out Emma's darkness.  While on their quest, Merlin recounts his past, including the day he discovered the Holy Grail and inadvertently created Arthur's future kingdom.  He also discovers he has magic and eternal life, which he uses to help the people in his ever-growing village.  There he meets Nimue, who has fled her town after a murderous lunatic set fire to everything and killed everyone in order to find the grail.  Merlin falls for her and they devise a plan to turn the cup into a sword in order to wipe out Merlin's magic so they can be together for one life.  Nimue ends up betraying Merlin for revenge against the man who destroyed her village and becomes the first Dark One, having taken the man's heart and crushed it.  The rest of the gang stage a break in of Arthur's castle in order to get the sword.  As usual, they're betrayed by Zelena and sent away before completing their task.  As we move back to present day in Storybrooke, we see that Emma has both pieces of the sword and is able to put them together.  She encounters all her past Dark Ones, including Nimue, who watch her put the sword back together.  Emma briefly recalls when Merlin told her as a child to "leave the sword alone," which she doesn't end up doing anyway.  We'll see what happens in the two-hour show this weekend, but I have a feeling Emma knows what she's doing.  Merlin and Emma talked about whether or not a dark force can overcome itself in the right circumstances and Merlin hints that maybe someday there will be someone strong enough to break the darkness for good.  I have a feeling it'll be Emma, but we'll see.

    So that's all I have for recaps this week.  For someone who doesn't watch a lot of TV, I'm finding that the TV I am watching is sufficient and engaging enough to keep my interest.  I've also been adjusting my November TBR to accommodate my new obsession, which is The Mortal Instruments series.  I read the first book in a day, so I'm hoping to finish the series by the end of this month.  I plan on doing an author spotlight tomorrow on Cassandra Clare, so more on that then.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Recaps and Chill

    Hey guys!  Sorry I didn't post yesterday.  I got side tracked after work.  I'll be cramming two blog posts into one this week because I have my internship tomorrow and I need to work on preparing myself for a second job interview on Friday.  Next week should be back to normal.  Today, I thought I would recap my weekend, which included the Powderkeg Beer and Chili Festival in my hometown of Exeter, NH and the second episode of Once Upon a Time, because I promised do some TV recaps.

(powderkegbeerfest.com)

    My husband and I attend the Beer and Chili festival every year and it's a really great time!  This year was the fourth year of the festival and it has grown leaps and bounds since it started back in 2011.  The festival brings craft beer brewers and local restaurants together to create the perfect fall atmosphere.  Local restaurants will compete to see who's chili reigns supreme in the area while beers from all over New England service the milling public.  I really enjoy getting to taste not only the chili from some of my favorite places, but also beers and ciders that I would normally not have access to.  Two words: FREE PRETZELS.  I highly recommend attending any local fall festivals in your area.  It's a great chance to celebrate the season and sample some local fare with friends.

    So, as you know, I'm a huge OUAT fan and this season is starting off incredibly Dark Swan.  For those of you who haven't caught up with the current season yet, SPOILERS AHEAD.
    At this point, Emma is struggling to balance her light and darkness with her new-found power while her poor family is stuck trying to figure out a way to save her.  We were introduced to Merida in the very first episode as she runs into Emma and eventually agrees to help her find her way to Merlin.  The Storybrooke gang is still blissfully unaware where Emma is and Hook deceives his way into accidentally helping Zelena get out of her imprisonment.  At the end of the first episode, the gang rides a tornado into the Enchanted Forest in the hopes of finding Emma and Merlin, but end up running into the Camelot Crew.  Flash forward to a few weeks later and they're all back in Storeybrooke, at Granny's, with Emma in full Dark Swan mode, turning dwarfs to stone.  What the hell happened?

(comicbook.com)

    Last weekend's episode revealed a little more about the gang's missing memories.  This episode included a lot of back and forth between present day evil Dark Swan Emma and when they were back in Camelot adjusting to court life yet again.  Regina has claimed herself to be the new Savior, unsure of whether or not she can actually do the job like Emma had.  Henry believes in her, (obviously), but how much influence does he really have?  Robin is taken by a random Fury who shows up to claim a debt owed to it by Regina, (supposedly), and she spends most of the episode trying to figure out a way around it.  Belle sheds some light on the situation because book smarts and Regina finds out she must trade a life for Robins if he's to be saved.  Instead of trying to sacrifice herself again, Snow, Charming and Hook all contribute to the Fury's sacrifice in order to free Robin.  In another area of the woods, Hook is still trying to get Emma back to normal, to no avail, and Emma happens to have the sword AND the dagger in order to reforge the blade that was broken, (see what I did there?).  Needless to say, it's not as easy as it looks and the spirit of Evil Rumple is still trying to help her turn over to the dark side and do what no other Dark One has ever accomplished: free themselves of everyone they've ever loved so they can become completely submerged in the darkness.  Scary, right?  I don't think that will happen to Emma, but I bet she gets really close.  We'll have to see what happens next.
    My favorite part of last week's episode was actually Henry, my precious cinnamon roll, and his NEW LADY FRIEND VIOLET.  I keep forgetting Henry is actually probably like 15 by now and so ready to have a love interest in this show.  I still see him like I did in the first season when he was ADORABLE so I'm not sure if this was just for this episode to break up the tension or a recurring plot line, but whatever it is I'm totally shipping Violenry/Henlet (?).  Help me out here with a ship name please.

(pinterest.com)

    While we're talking about shows we're obsessed with, I'll mention that I've been perusing Netflix for a show to binge watch this month, something relatively scary, maybe supernatural in nature and nothing that will give me nightmares.  I started watching Supernatural, and I'm enjoying it thoroughly, however I've found that Vampire Diaries is my new favorite guilty pleasure show to Netflix and chill to and I'm ashamed to say that I am hopelessly addicted after only 6 episodes.  You would think that it would scream Twilight TV, but it doesn't.  In fact, there are points in the show so far that have blatantly made fun of Twilight, so I approve of that wholeheartedly.  I have no idea what's going to happen to my free time now, but I'm willing to run with it.  TVD is entering it's 7th season, as opposed to Supernatural, which is entering it's 11th season, (SO MANY EPISODES TO WATCH).  I don't think I mentioned either of these shows in my frequently watched series post a few days ago, but I'm going with it!  Which one would you watch?  Are you team Vampire Diaries or Team Supernatural?  Let's discuss.

    That's all I have for this week.  I'm putting most of my energy into Netflix and preparing for my interview tomorrow, so wish me luck!  Next week I'll have a new Nerd Alert and an Author Spotlight for you.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Fall TV!

    Well hello everyone!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I spent mine working, but in reality, that isn't so bad, considering I've spent the last three months not doing anything at all.  It's nice to have somewhere to go and something to do, however trivial or mundane at times.  I just got home from work, actually, and Tuesdays are typically very slow, so I spend most of my time reading and cleaning up the shop.  Even though I barely did anything, I'm still exhausted.  My chronic fatigue is rearing it's ugly head again, so I'm going to assume there's some sickness coming on.  I can't wait for that to manifest...  I also can't wait to crawl into bed with my book, but that's neither here nor there.

    Today I decided to talk about TV because I haven't in awhile.  In fact, some of my more successful or popular posts were TV re-caps, where I talk about what happened in a given episode and what my premonitions might be for future episodes.  Since fall officially starts this week, (especially with the weather finally cooling down to an acceptable temperature), we can expect our favorite TV programs to grace our televisions once more.  I'm going to list the TV shows I'm most excited to watch this season and shows that I might get into if I have the time.  We'll start with a few shows that I'm excited to see return to my weekly line-up.

(hypable.com)

    Once Upon a Time:  I've mentioned this show countless times here and there's no doubt it's my favorite anticipated series premiere on this list.  If you are unfamiliar with OUAT, fairy tale characters have been taken from their enchanted forests and castles and placed in a small Maine town due to a curse by the Evil Queen.  Obviously you'll have to start from season one to get the gist of it, but there's a lot of hidden mystery in this show.  I will be honest in the fact that I did lose a little momentum for this series last season when they introduced Frozen characters because I don't think they did any justice to the story.  HOWEVER, Emma is now The Dark One, (due to a series of unfortunate and unavoidable events), and her family has to deal with the repercussions of Emma's sacrifice.  There are a few new characters getting introduced this season that I'm excited about, including Merida, the Camelot crew, (I'm definitely calling them that from now on), which includes Merlin and King Arthur, and the return of Mulan!  I'm really excited about this season, so if you're new to this, just binge watch the first four seasons.  It should only take you two weeks, tops, and it's totally worth it.  GO DARK SWANN!  Also, LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS POSTER!  Season five premieres this Sunday, September 27th at 8pm EST.

(seat42f.com)

    Arrow:  Arrow has had it's ups and downs for me, but I fell in love with this series after season two.  It's so complex for a CW show that I was initially surprised.  Who would have thought that the CW network, the same network responsible for the Vampire Diaries, would put out great programming like Arrow, The Flash, Reign and The 100?  The CW has become a formidable force when it comes to dramatic television and Arrow is no exception.  It is dark, gritty and very much a DC universe reminiscent of Batman in all his glory.  If you haven't started this series yet, I highly suggest you do so.  The first season is a little slow, but by season two you will be hooked.  We left off last season with Oliver Queen running away to his new, quiet life after faking his own death with the League of Assassins.  The Arrow is no more, but the GREEN Arrow will be born from the ashes.  This season we get the formal introduction of Speedy, Oliver's younger sister Thea Queen, and Laurel Lance as the Black Canary, taking over for her dead sister Sarah.  With so much that can happen to this new and complete team, there's so much to speculate.  Stephen Amell is still HAF though, amirite?  Season four promises to be just as great, if not better, than all it's previous seasons, premiering Wednesday, October 7th at 8pm EST.

(ign.com)

    Agents of Shield:  On the other side of the comic book spectrum, we have Marvel's Agents of Shield, who's last season finale led the way right into the beginning of Avengers: Age of Ultron.  I love the overlap of this series with the Marvel cinematic universe.  The show follows a team of individuals who are members of the S.H.I.E.L.D organization, (who we don't really know that much about, other than the fact that they're very much like secret agents and a task force to be reckoned with), as they investigate various happenings related to the MCU.  The first season set the ground work, although it started extremely slow.  It picked up quickly and now this show is an incredible testament for crossover potential.  Last season we were introduced to the Inhumans, Marvel's take on mutants, (because they can't legally say "mutants" because of copyright).  Skye, or Daisy, has discovered that's she's one of them and has to deal with her new role on the team as Quake.  I'm assuming we're going to dive deeper into the Inhumans story line this season with all the unanswered questions we received at the end of last season.  I literally can't wait to see what happens this season!  Season three premieres Tuesday, September 29th on ABC at 9pm EST.

(amazingracewikia.com)

    The Amazing Race:  This show is my guilty pleasure!  I watch this show with my dad and it's always nice to spend time with him watching a show we mutually love.  We get a kick out of all the different countries and places the racers visit on their way back to home base.  We also love watching the inevitable squabbles and annoying teams that make watching both laughable and painful at times.  It's one of the few reality shows that I watch religiously.  The 27th season, (WHOA), premieres this Friday, September 25th at 8pm on CBS.
    Dancing with the Stars:  Another guilty pleasure reality show I watch with my dad.  I loved last season, but this season looks ratchet, so I'm not sure if I'll watch or not.  That being said, I will most likely be drawn to the allure of Tom Bergeron's awesome personality at least.  It already premiered, so I'm behind at this point, but I can catch up on ABC.com.  Go Bindi!

   
    Those were shows I know I'll be watching the next few months.  These next shows are shows I'd like to make time for, if it's worth my while.  Still unsure whether or not I can commit to one or any of these, but we'll give it a try.
    Gotham:  I tried watching Gotham for awhile and I liked it a lot, but I missed a few episodes and never went back.  I enjoyed the dark, gritty world it portrayed, similar to Arrow, but still different.  Two very different cities, two different settings, two different groups of people, one old school Batman, another new school DCU.  This next season promises the beginnings of the Joker, whom we've all been dying to see come to life on this show.  Rumor has it the guy playing the Joker is really talented, so I'm curious to see how he brings the Joker to life.  That would be one of the only reasons I tune in.  Season two has already started on FOX.

(gamespot.com)

    Heroes Reborn:  I never watched the original Heroes, but I've heard nothing but good things about it from my friends who've seen it.  I would be doing myself a disservice if I watched this series without watching the original, but this new series looks so great!  I'd like to feel the nostalgia that comes from seeing an old character you love in a new show.  Zachary Levi seems to have somewhat of a presence on this reboot, so I'm willing to give it a go.  I'm not sure why I wasn't initially drawn to the original Heroes before, but I will have to find it on Netflix in the meantime and figure out why.  Heroes Reborn premiers Thursday, September 24th at 8pm EST on NBC.

    The Muppets:  I've always loved the muppets, so when I heard that they were trying to resurrect The Muppet Show, I almost fell out of my chair.  That being said, this is a lot different than what I was anticipating, although I think it could work for them.  The Office and Parks and Rec feel of this series makes me want to see the muppets in this environment.  I know it will not be what I am used to and I still crave the nostalgia that comes with the sing-song comedy that is the muppets, but I'm willing to give this thing a shot.  The Muppets premieres TONIGHT at 8pm EST on ABC.

    That's all I have for fall TV shows!  Hopefully I can get to all of them without cable at my disposal...  Which ones do you watch?  What are your favorites?  Are there any shows not on my list that you think I would like?  Leave me your recommendations and comments below.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Harumph.

    I apologize for being MIA for the last week or so, but it's become increasingly difficult for me to meet my Thursday post goal.  I have a lot going on right now with the holidays fast approaching and my education on the line, so unfortunately blogging hasn't been my top priority.  I haven't really been in the best mood and a lot has been getting me down lately.  I'm also very VERY behind in TV, (I've only been keeping up with Once Upon a Time at this point since it's the only one I can watch when it airs on Sundays).  I'll explain...
    As you know, I've been doing a year-long internship through my university at a local high school in the English department.  So far it's been an upward struggle, with my health declining and issues with overall teaching performance.  At this point, I've been given my class back and have been teaching mostly on my own for the last few weeks.  Unfortunately I have not been as successful as I would like to be at this point.  I'm still having noticeable issues with classroom management and the delivery of lessons.  I always think that I'm doing better than I actually am, which has hindered my progress.  Because of my substituting background, I've noticed that I tend to deliver lessons directly and methodically with little to no real explanation or real-world connection.  I need to work harder at humanizing the lessons for my students and making sure that we're using discussion adequately in class instead of just going through the motions.  I also need to start pulling the trigger with discipline.  I have a bunch of kids who talk over me during class and I need to take care of that as soon as possible before I lose them.  I wasn't expecting to have as much difficulty with this as I have been, but the reality is that my future is on the line at this point.  I'm not getting credit for this first semester until I prove myself worthy, so I really have to step it up and make these next few weeks count.  Luckily I still have some time, but I've been feeling really discouraged lately and uninspired.  My lack of progress and apparent noncompliance with the regulations set down by the program have made me doubt my abilities and it's really stressing me out, to be blunt.  Hopefully I can get my shit together soon or I'll be looking at repeating the internship next year and adding another year of school to my already mounting college debt.  I understand what's at stake and that's not making me any less anxious and stressed, but maybe that's what I need.  I don't want to panic, but I might be by the end of Christmas vacation, which is not what I want.  Keep your fingers crossed for me that I make it out of this alive and worth certifying, or I'm going to be looking for a new career path when it's too late...

    Besides the obvious problems I'm having with teaching, I really don't have a lot going on.  We recently moved, (another reason I haven't been on top of the blog lately), and have been unpacking for the last few weeks as we get settled in.  So far it's been really nice and comfortable and I really appreciate where we live now.  I don't come home to an empty, cold apartment and I have access to a great kitchen stocked with food, so I really can't complain.  Having animals again has been nice too!  Money has also been less of an issues, at least on my end, and I've been working on saving as much as I can already and reorganizing my finances so they fit my new needs.  My project for this weekend is finishing reorganizing my filing crate so I can fit all my bills, paperwork and other things in one accessible spot.  It's also been nice to have some extra help and expertise with these types of things because most of the time, when it comes to budgets and other adult things, I have NO idea what I'm doing yet.  Still trying to figure out a new routine for our new space, but so far I think we're settling in nicely and everything will eventually feel more natural.

    I'm looking forward to the holiday break mostly.  Next week is my birthday week, so I have that to look forward to.  I'm turning 25, which for some people is a big deal, but I feel like it'll just be another birthday for me.  I don't really know what age I actually feel like; sometimes I feel like I'm still 18 and other times I feel like I'm 30, so 25 should be interesting.  The following week there's a day and a half of school before break starts Wednesday.  After that, we don't come back until January 5th.  It will be nice to spend more time with my family and hopefully put the worries I have about my teaching future out of my mind for a few weeks.  My little sister is flying home from Texas on Saturday and I can't wait to see her!  Spending the holidays with family is greater than any gift I could receive.  It took me a long time to realize what Christmas should be about and I'm glad that we get to see everyone from both sides and spend a little time with each family.  It's worth it to me and that's all I really need.  That and lots of great food:)

    Once Upon a Time was really emotional last weekend!  I wasn't expecting what happened, and I love when shows do that because it keeps you on your toes.  With the last few episodes being very straightforward and predictable, it was nice to see a change.  I was getting pretty sick of the crazy family-hungry snow queen thing and it was heartbreaking to find out her sister really regretted her actions form the past.  The last time we saw that bottle was the very beginning of the season, so I had been curious to see what she had written in the letter, but I hadn't expected that.  I also wasn't expecting the flashbacks to Emma's past and the fact that Ingrid was very close to adopting her.  I can understand why Ingrid took Emma's memories upon her arrival to Storybrooke.  Now that the curse has been lifted due to Ingrid sacrificing herself, everything seems to be back to normal.  But wait!  Rumple is STILL a conniving bastard!  For next week's mid-season finale, I'm predicting Rumple attempting to take over the world one more time and get that dagger off his back, someone finding out about him lying to everyone, spreading that around and it getting back to Emma, who will have to stop him with the help of everyone else in town.  Elsa and Anna will probably help too before they go back to Arendelle to return those memories.  I'm hoping we at least see the Sorcerer or something because we've kind of taken a back-seat to the whole "author of the book" mystery, so that's the only other curiosity I had.  We'll see what happens, but I anticipate a lot of Rumple hatred next week.
    That's all I have for you this week.  I had to take some time and write this during school so I don't leave you guys hanging again.  I'm not sure if there will be continuous posts from me every week, but I will try to post at least one more time before Christmas break starts.  Hopefully I'll have some good updates for you.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Finally.

    Hey guys, sorry about the impromptu break last week, but I really needed a legitimate break.  I've been really busy lately with finals and moving that I just wanted to sit down for a bit without needing to to anything important.  That being said, exams are over and Thanksgiving break is upon us.  Not to mention we're officially moving on Saturday, so we'll be out of this apartment.  Everything is slowly coming together and I'm FINALLY looking forward to something coming up!
    In school, it's the start of a new trimester, (as I believe I've mentioned before, my high school has trimesters instead of the traditional semesters), which means that most teachers have new students in at least some of their classes.  My full-year freshman course is an exception, but I'm glad I still have them, for now...  They've been tough on me and I haven't exactly been helping myself, but I'm determined to get back in control this trimester.  Operation: Retake 5th Block has begun and I am confident in my abilities to successfully succeed.  So far we've started our poetry unit to introduce them to the Poetry Out Loud project.  Since Thanksgiving break starts a mere three days after today, we decided to give them a break from reading so much and watch a movie.  We will be starting The Dead Poet's Society tomorrow and I can honestly say that I am already way more excited than my kids are about watching it.  There is so much they can gain from this film, so I hope they take away at least something from it.  It will be awesome to get to experience their first exposure to good film.

    My first day back in charge didn't go as well as I had originally thought, but it still went better than I anticipated.  I improved my projection and volume and did a decent job maintaining classroom management before lunch, but after lunch it went to Hell in a hand basket...  I had some technical difficulties, which resulted in a rowdy and distracted group of Freshman and a flustered teacher.  Obviously I have to keep reminding myself that I still have plenty of time to improve my strategies and come up with new ones that work for me, but it's daunting sometimes to think about whether or not I will actually be able to run my own classroom at the end of this.  I don't want to be overconfident, but I want to be sure I'm making the right decision and not wasting my time.  The thing I gained the most out of this experience was actually listening to what my cooperating teacher had to say for feedback without trying to defend my actions.  I need to work on thinking more on my feet and stopping to think when I need a minute to collect my thoughts so that I don't panic.  I also need to work on explaining WHY we do things, introduce the unit and set it up so that the students understand what we'll be doing, how it will impact them and what they can expect to learn.  I'd rather take away some good advice and work on it than waste time defending my horrible ideas.  I also started another co-teaching opportunity this trimester with a different teacher in a World Literature class.  She just came back from maternity leave and needs to leave the classroom every day for the last 15 minutes or so, so I'm running the SSR, (Sustained Silent Reading), and writing program for her.  It will be great to get to see another teacher teach and also get a taste for what it's like to teach juniors.  World Lit. has never been one of my strong points, so I'm hoping to learn more about the genre myself in order to add more books to my repertoire.  I just had a thought: I can spell "repertoire" without a problem, but I still have to check to see if I spelt "possession" or "conceive" correctly...what is wrong with me?

    I had a really great out-of-school observation last week at the school I work at in the afternoons.  It's a combination elementary/middle school, so I went to visit some of the middle school language arts teachers there.  One in particular, an 8th grade language arts teacher, stuck out to me.  She was genuinely kind, upbeat and quirky.  I felt honored to be included in their classroom group and honestly, I had one of the best times in that class.  We sat in a circle and had a truly engaging discussion about the dystopian short stories they had read and journaled about the night before.  I've never been so impressed with a group of 13-year-olds and the way they handled that freedom.  This teacher reminded me of why I love the middle school environment and what kind of teacher I'd like to be able to be eventually.  She was an inspiration and I learned so much in the short time we were together, but that exposure will only further my career in the long run.  I will never forget that class.

    Since we've been so busy working, moving and such, my husband and I have not had a lot of time to devote to TV in the last week or so.  We JUST got caught up on everything we missed from LAST week, (which was almost everything, so it took awhile).  So for now, I'm only going to post on Once Upon a Time, which seems to be the only show at the moment that I can watch on time.  Things have taken a turn for the weird in Storybrooke...  I'm starting to understand all the pieces, but it still doesn't leave me with many answers to the questions I've been asking.  We still have no idea what the hell Rumple is trying to do, but I have a hunch that it has something to do with revenge for the death of Neal, (who I am still not convinced isn't coming back, since Rumple may be trying to resurrect him in his own twisted way).  After this episode, with the potential foreshadowing of Hook's imminent doom, we may want Neal to come back and pick up the pieces of Emma's already complicated heart.  But that's beside the point.  Ingrid already started the black plague of hatred and now we finally know that Anna is frozen with my poor Kristoff back in Arendelle, so at least that's settled.  For me, it seemed a bit anticlimactic to go through all that back story and hunting around just to have her be frozen across the sea for the last few years.  I'm glad Emma has found a friend in Elsa, but I'm a bit disappointed in Snow and Charming for losing a little faith in their daughter.  They've been kind of lack-luster this season, so I'm not really sure what's in store for them.  The one thing I was wondering about is who the sorcerer really is and who wrote the book, now that we know someone has been tampering with the pages.  I have a few different theories, but they could all be horribly wrong for all I know.  My first theory is that the apprentice is actually the sorcerer in disguise, considering the extreme longing way he looked at that box the second Ingrid gave it to him.  That one makes the most sense.  My second theory is that Henry is the sorcerer, but this is where it gets tricky.  Henry could have been the sorcerer back when everyone was still in the Enchanted Forest.  He may or may not have had a "past life," and obviously doesn't have any memory of it at this point, so we'll see if this comes up later.  My last theory is that Henry is the author of the book.  Again, this would play into the alternative life theory as well, but we'll see.  I have no idea either way, but it should be fun to see all these play out together.
    That's all I have for this week.  I'm so excited about watching Dead Poet's Society tomorrow and moving into our new place this weekend!  A lot of good things are happening right now and it's been nice to have things to look forward to besides doctor's appointments and hospital stays.  Hopefully this good vibe sticks around through the holiday season, because that's only making me more giddy:)  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Looking Forward to November

    Hey guys, sorry to post on a Friday, but I was desperately in need of a break this week.  The first three days were awful and long, so it felt nice to just sit and relax for a night without having to do anything.  I've also spent little to no time with my husband since he's been working so much, so it was great to get that alone time with him.  Needless to say I'm beyond ready for a weekend and a chance to sleep in tomorrow!
    Health-wise I've been feeling great.  Still no obvious side effects from the drugs and no pain in my joints or anywhere else.  The only thing I've been noticing lately has been cramping in my hands and feet.  I don't think it's supposed to be as frequent as it has been and that is a bit concerning, seeing as it can get quite painful.  Hopefully it's not a side effect but a lack of water consumption on my part, which I've been trying to improve on.  You wouldn't think it would be that difficult to down about 6-8 bottles of water a day, but it's definitely a struggle for someone like me who's always doing something.

    We are also still in the process of moving.  It's full-force now so we're packing up everything we can as quickly as we can in order to get everything out within the next two weeks.  We have been house-sitting for my parents this week, so neither of us have been at the apartment, but I'm going over there today after school to work on packing up the living room and our bedroom.  My short term goals are to have the living room and bedroom done by next weekend so we can start on packing up the kitchen, which will probably take us the longest time because of all our large and breakable items.  There is also a serious lack of newspaper and other packing supplies, so hopefully we are able to wrap everything properly.  Next week will be a bit crazy, but I feel confident that we can have everything out of our apartment by the 22nd.  We'll see how that goes, but right now we seem to be right on track!  It'll be nice not to have to worry about too much anymore after Thanksgiving break.  Then I can finally start planning to save up for the things I need!  I can't wait!
    As far as teaching goes, I had a meeting yesterday with my cooperating teacher and my professor about starting the transition back into a leadership role in the classroom for the start of Trimester 2, which starts in two weeks.  I believe I'm more ready and confident now than I was at the beginning of the year and that's partially due to the way my health has improved over the last month or so.  I'm feeling better, so I feel more focused on what's going on in my class rather than what's going on outside of school.  I've been giving myself little pep talks and trying to remember everything I've learned and observed so far from my observations, so hopefully that will help me discover what kind of teacher I will become as I try taking control again.  We'll be starting our "Poetry Out Loud" unit after exams, which I will be following with my cooperating teacher.  After that, I will be creating my own lessons and running a unit on my own, so I'll be prepping for that in the coming weeks.  I'm actually excited about planning again because I feel like I have some good ideas and I have easy access to other teacher's ideas as well, so I'm looking forward to teaching my own stuff soon.  I have a colloquium planning day next Thursday, which is a mandatory workshop for interns in the teaching program where you learn more about educational law, practice and your subject area.  I plan on taking full advantage of the day so I can better prepare myself for what's to come.  One of my previous professors is running the English seminar, so I'm excited to see and learn from her again.

    TV was sparse again this week, partially because I have to wait for my husband to watch most of our shows, but also because half of them didn't air this week.  I have Once Upon a Time and Arrow for this week, which were both pretty intense.  We finally find out that Elsa's mother had not one, but TWO sisters, Ingrid and Helga, at least one of which had the same ice powers as Elsa.  We also find out what Ingrid, (the Snow Queen), has been trying to plan this whole time- a chance to have her perfect family.  She wants to use the evil mirror to turn everyone in Storybrooke against each other, except for Elsa and Emma, (whom Ingrid believes would be a perfect replacement for Helga, since she apparently doesn't have the time to try to look for her too).  Those scary movies where the creepy stalker is dead-set on constructing his or her perfect family out of people they pull off the street at random really makes my skin crawl.  Despite the Snow Queen's plot to destroy everyone in Storybrooke being revealed, this episode was mainly focused on Belle and her relationship to Anna, as well as her role in her disappearance.  After Belle's mother is killed in the Ogre Wars and Belle loses her memory of the attack, she goes on a mission to Arendelle to find a way to get her memories back from the Rock Trolls, which Anna helps her do.  Unfortunately, through a series of events, Belle ends up choosing her memories over saving Anna from falling to her doom, causing Anna to be taken by the Snow Queen.  Belle is wracked with guilt over causing her disappearance, so she seeks out the Snow Queen to see if she can redeem herself, with the help of her lying, deceiving husband.  I still think everyone in Storybrooke is lying to each other, which bugs me, but I guess that's the theme in this season, so we'll have to go with it.  We still haven't found Anna, (it might just take the whole season), but at least we might get to meet Helga this Sunday.  We'll see!

    Arrow was pretty interesting this week, focusing on my favorite character, Felicity Smoak and her mysterious past as a "hacktivist" back in college.  Obviously Felicity's special skills were needed to solve this cyber terrorist attack on Starling City, but it wouldn't be that easy.  We got to see Felicity as a Gothic rebel with a fellow hacker boyfriend and awkward roommate.  This set up made me think of the Ted/Marshall/Lily dynamic from How I Met Your Mother.  Anyway, Felicity's sleazy mom stumbles into town unexpectedly, (which is all part of the plan, we later find out), Diggle gives her his baby to watch, (a complete stranger?!), and spends the whole episode basically in the dark while Felicity tries to help both her bosses tackle this cyber bully, who is using her own virus from five years ago to steal money from Starling.  Although this episode was great because we see a different side of Felicity and a reconciling between Ollie and his sister, (who now has a sweet new apartment), the REAL mind-blowing moment of this episode comes at the end, (figures), where we find out WHO killed Sara.  It was ROY!!  In a mirakuru-filled stupor he literally threw arrows into Sara's chest, which is weird because he should have it under control by now.  I don't think he's working with anyone in secret, but I do think he needs help, so who knows when everyone else will find out the awful truth and eventually turn on Roy.  Didn't see that coming!
    That's all for this week!  It's finally November, so that means I've slowly been turning into a holiday-crazed lunatic trying to find any excuse to buy Yankee Candles.  With moving into a more comfortable home, more school vacation days and Thanksgiving so close now, it's hard not to get excited about the holidays coming up.  It puts me in a great mood, so I'm not complaining!  I'm looking forward to everything I have coming up in the weeks to come, so hopefully that propels me forward to achieve everything I want to get done this month.  I'll be moving pretty much all weekend, both for myself and my uncle, who just bought a new house, so I'll be working my upper body strength this weekend.  What are you looking forward to this month, if anything?  Let me know in the comments below!  I also posted a new Book Review in my review tab, so check that out as well!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
   

Can I Keep You?

    Hello all!  The end of another week is in sight and I have to say this one was a lot better than the last.  I got some much-needed answers to my kidney questions, a chance to substitute teach for my cooperating teacher and got some packing done for the move.  And there seems to be free candy in my future, so that's a plus.  I've been in an incredibly good mood lately so let's hope that holds!
    I finally got to meet with my Rheumatologist to go over the results of my biopsy on Tuesday.  Nothing good, but I at least know what's going on.  Apparently, my kidneys are in a state where they need to be treated aggressively in order to combat the Lupus nephritis.  I'm currently at stage four, which is worse than I thought... (stages from 1-5, one being the lowest)  I feel fine, but we're still taking this seriously.  It will take two years for a full repair and recovery, but I'm ready for it.  Hopefully some good will come out of this and I might be able to start a family at the end of all this.  Thank you everyone for the positive thoughts, I really appreciate it.  Spoonies unite!

    I think one of the things contributing to my stellar mood lately is the prospect of moving out of this Godforsaken apartment.  At the beginning of the week, when I thought someone had stolen our recycle bin for a SECOND time, I thought I might lose it.  Luckily it has been recovered, but my hesitation about this neighborhood only grows by the day.  I've noticed that after awhile certain places I've lived lose their appeal.  It's usually around the two year mark where I get antsy and need a change of scenery.  This time it lasted a little less than that, but I still think we made the right decision.  Soon enough we will be able to breathe a sigh of relief.  Until then, I'll be living out of boxes and hoarding all the newspaper I can find.
    In teaching news, I had probably the best class I've had in awhile today.  Figures it was the one day that I walked in on a surprise subbing opportunity.  I had fun with my own kids and absolutely no problems with the other classes on my own.  I felt great all day and the fact that I had concrete plans in front of me helped cement that confidence.  Needless to say I feel that my first solo mission was a success, so hopefully I'll get to do more of them in the near future.  I actually felt in control for the first time in awhile, so maybe this is a sign that I will be ready come Trimester 2 when I get to take over my class again.  In less than three weeks that will be my reality, so fingers crossed!

    For TV I've got Once Upon a Time, Agents of Shield, The Flash and the Face Off finale.  By now you know there's spoilers a-brewin...  First, I'm really glad that Dina won this season of Face Off!  She's definitely the most improved all around, even though I don't believe she ever did anything terrible.  Definitely well deserved.
    Once was crazy this weekend!  Emma and Regina working together, the Emma flashbacks, Mary Margaret's lingering pregnancy brain and the Snow Queen with her surprise connection to Emma.  I'm kind of glad that Elsa took a little bit of a back seat this episode so they could focus more on the dynamic between Emma and Regina.  I'm also really happy that Emma is starting to open up more to Hook, which means that they could become a more serious thing.  The most shocking part of that episode was for sure the end, when Emma casually decides to watch a video from her past which happens to have the Snow Queen in her alternative form.  Apparently she used to work at wherever Emma was staying in foster care, (I think), which is huge!  I guess we'll find out soon what her real connection is to everyone and why she's so desperate for the dark power and someone to love.  Isn't that everyone's evil intention in a fairy tale world?
    Agents of Shield was interesting this week.  I have a funny feeling at least one person is lying, manipulating and/or planning something without the others knowing.  Mainly just Coulson, but I feel like he's always one step ahead of everyone else or in cahoots with the right people at the right time.  I felt very confused by the energy around Skye, Coulson and Ward.  I can't tell what's going on with them anymore, but it'll be interesting to see where Ward goes from here, now that he's broken himself out of prison.  Where Coulson was working closely with May for the last few episodes, now he seems to be trusting Skye a little more, so they might have something planned that the other members of the team aren't privy to.  This season has started a bit slow for me, but we'll see how these issues work themselves out.  At least they seem to have the support of the army now.

    I know I haven't talked about this particular show yet, but The Flash has proven to be very successful in the wake of shows similar, like Arrow.  Obviously because we watch Arrow we had to start watching Flash, especially because of all the potential crossovers, which happened this episode.  Felicity Smoak, everyone's favorite sexy tech lady, ended up in Central City for one day and seemed to have all the fun.  She is by now an expert at keeping secrets and hacking anyone's computer system, almost as fast as Barry can run.  I loved seeing her outside of Starling City, but it did feel weird to not have Oliver or Diggle there with her.  We know that the events happening now in The Flash happened awhile back from the Arrow perspective, but it still felt relevant.  Barry and Felicity have a mutual understanding for each other, so I hope we see more of her and possibly Barry over in Starling City, once this whole League of Assassins thing blows over...
    That's it folks!  I have so much to do and less time to do it in.  Tomorrow my plans are a simple night in, by myself, packing and watching as many Halloween-themed movies as I can handle.  I usually save Casper for the 31st.  Luckily my dad is awesome and saved me all his leftover candy from tonight's trick-or-treating festivities:)  Looking forward to the nest few weeks and making November my bitch.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

The Equivalent of Screaming Into a Pillow

    Good evening everyone!  It has certainly been an exciting and hectic week...  I had lab work to get done Monday, baking and other preparations for the last few days for both parties taking place this afternoon, (hopefully the one I couldn't be at went well, or else I may be in trouble...), a team meeting during a delayed opening, finishing my pedagogy, (FINALLY), AND, to top it all off, we're officially moving in six weeks, which means they're starting to show our apartment tomorrow.  That is a long and very stressful list of things that I have had to get done without a lot of time to do any of them.

    Firstly, I did get my kidney biopsy results back with not a lot of good news, (not that I was expecting any).  My Lupus has spread to my kidneys, as we had thought, so now it's time to devise a plan for treatment.  Hopefully it won't be too difficult, but I'm anticipating at least some mildly uncomfortable side effects and/or long term damage to some other organ in my body.  It has been great feeling relatively normal these last few weeks, but I know that eventually I'm going to have to face whatever is coming and it won't be good.  Needless to say I have so much support it's ridiculous, so I wanted to publicly thank my husband for his understanding and his unrelenting patience when it comes to dealing with me when I'm needy.  I'd also like to thank my parents, both of whom have provided me with enough support, advice and love to last even the longest lifetime.  I honestly don't know what I would do without my family.

    Speaking of family, my mother has graciously offered us a place to stay.  We'll be moving back to my childhood home very soon, but it's a very different place.  We will practically have our own private apartment upstairs, complete with a full bathroom, bedroom, common area and even an office, (in the foreseeable future).  There is a lot of stigma surrounding adults moving back in with their parents, but in my situation it's actually a positive thing.  Moving back home does not always have to symbolize failure or disappointment.  It can actually be a great opportunity to get back on track, save money, live a healthier lifestyle and get in touch with your goals and aspirations.  Both my husband and I are very excited about this opportunity and this arrangement and look forward to reaching our goals so we can live the life we want to live.  If you told me six years ago that I would be living with my husband at my mother's house, I would've told you that you were crazy.  I'm very excited about the prospect of happiness and look forward to moving into a better environment.  Although, I'm not a huge fan of the moving process in general...  Boxing everything up and storing it for years at a time isn't my idea of fun, nor is moving said boxes from Point A to Point B in various vehicles.  I'm not looking forward to the process, but I am definitely looking forward to the end result.  We've already got a head start on cleaning because of all the scheduled showings, so it'll be easier to pick through the debris.  We're hoping to be out of here by Thanksgiving break at the latest.

    In teaching news, I've been working on setting up teacher observations anywhere and everywhere: within my school and subject area, outside my district, outside the state, etc.  Every opportunity is precious, so I have to make them count.  I'm looking forward to seeing how other professional teachers teach and the strategies I can take away to use in my own future teaching practices.  In seminar we've been asked to think about what constitutes a "professional teacher" and I'm hoping to find out through these observations.  If I've learned anything from this process so far, it's that the preconceived notions you may have going in aren't necessarily going to ring true by the end of your journey.  In other teaching news, I created this great lesson plan for a Halloween-themed "hero's journey" activity that I would really like to do with the kids, but don't think it'll happen because of time commitment issues, (and the fact that the 30th and 31st has already been planned...).  I just wanted to do something fun with the kids and take a break from the monotony of The Odyssey, but it may not be in the cards I guess.  I'll keep you posted on how it goes if it really does come to fruition, but I'm not holding my breath on this one.

    TV this week has been sparse, but I did get some Once in.  It was crazy confusing this past weekend.  The best part of the entire episode was Hook, (or Killian), and Emma's date, which was almost as awkward as I thought it would be.  Still very sweet, but we definitely need a second date in the near future.  That should give Hook time to sort out what the hell is going on with his hand.  I have absolutely no clue what's going on with Rumple at this point.  He seemed to have changed last season with his marriage to Belle, especially after he gave her back the real dagger.  But now, he's being a complete asshole to everyone for what seems like no reason.  The sorcerer's hat has triggered so many memories and events so far, so it's importance is imminent.  I'm excited about the prospect of introducing more elements of Fantasia into the mix, but when the poor apprentice got sucked into the depths of that black hole inside the hat I got a little scared.  The hat seemed so innocent and unknowing in Fantasia and now it's this evil black hole weapon thing...  I don't know how I feel about all this, but I do know by now that when Rumple wants something he will stop at nothing to get it.  Who knows what's going on with him ever?  I do think it's cute that Henry is attempting to infiltrate Rumple's "lair."  We'll see how well that works out.

    There's one more thing I've stumbled upon this week that I thought was interesting.  There's a community of book-loving readers on YouTube called "Booktube."  This community regularly posts videos and vlogs regarding book reviews, suggestions, book hauls, and more.  Each Booktube vlogger brings there own personal flair to their channel and I'm intrigued enough to explore this new community that might actually interest me.  I've been looking back into vlogging again and this might be an avenue I travel down, considering my profession.  Let me know what you think in the comments below.  I have everything I need to start, just need the time and the confidence to do it.

    That's all I got!  Even if I don't start my own Booktube channel, I will do my best to revamp my Book Reviews page on here and keep it updated as frequently as possible.  Now that I'm starting to read more for leisure it should be a lot easier.  Fingers crossed!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Back to the Grind

    Hello!  It has certainly been a nice week to come back to school.  I didn't realize that I would miss my students as much as I did, but it was terribly boring at home without them.  Unfortunately, it seems like they've been equally bored without me.  We're probably only a quarter through The Odyssey and they're already drowning in it.  Needless to say my cooperating teacher and I have our work cut out for us over the next few weeks.  But it is glad to be back.

    School has been a lot easier since we decided on co-teaching.  I've found that I'm able to get more work done, help out a little more around the room and get to know that kids a little better each day.  I already know them well enough, but just thinking about the rest of the year with them makes me feel great.  I'm looking forward to taking over come next Trimester, if I'm really ready.  I've already seen some massive improvements in some of the kids who were struggling before.  One in particular, one of my initial problem children, has proven to himself that reading isn't as bad as he thought it would be by actively seeking out books in a series he's loving right now.  Also, today actually, he was the only one in my class to get a 100% on our first grammar quiz!  I ran to catch up with him in the hallway outside my classroom after I graded all of them and he had the biggest smile!  It's stuff like this that makes me remember why I wanted to go into this profession and why I can't give up.  Right now I'm focusing on finishing my pedagogy statement that was supposed to be due last week, as well as other stuff for seminar a week from today.  Did I mention I'm hosting seminar next week too?  Time to decorate the classroom, bake a bunch of stuff to feed the masses and hope all goes well.

    As far as my health is concerned, nothing has really changed.  I feel that I've recovered better than expected from my biopsy and have had little to no complications.  That being said, I have noticed a few things I'm not happy about...like my hair falling out at a rapid rate and my feet and ankles swelling to abnormal sizes.  The fact that I now have cankles bothers me more than the fact that I'm slowly going bald.  The hair I can fix with a haircut, but when that might happen I have no idea.  I'm kind of looking forward to going back to short hair, as long as it looks like it did the last time I cut it.  I'm not sure how to fix the water retained in my lower extremities, but hopefully once we figure out what's wrong maybe it'll go away.  Now both doctors want me to get more blood work done by Monday, which is almost impossible considering I have NO time to run to both labs in one day, or even in two days really.  Plus it's not like the blood work will show anything different or anything that might help these side effects go away.  I'd rather not stay this way for longer than I have to...

    For TV this week, I'm going to focus on Once Upon a Time, Legend of Korra and Arrow, so put on your spoiler hats people.  So far Once has been juggling both the new Frozen storyline as well as the Regina plot to find her own happy ending.  I had a discussion today with a co-worker about possible angles and details that might give us viewers a clue as to what's really going on in Storybrooke, considering everyone apparently knows each other.  We know that Rumple is full of crap, the Snow Queen knows both Elsa and Emma, and Robin still has feelings for Regina.  Hook trying to blackmail Rumple was pretty cute, but I'm almost positive that Rumple will make him pay for that later on.  How is it Rumple is behind all of this stuff?  He knew that the house him and Belle spent their honeymoon in belonged to Merlin, (the hat from Fantasia gave it away), and he had contact with Anna, at least back in the Enchanted Forest, which he apparently doesn't remember, but I don't know if I buy that because he knows the Snow Queen, her relationship to Emma AND why she's here in the first place.  There's obviously something in it for him, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.  What really bugs me is the relationship between Emma and the Snow Queen.  I think that Elsa's family tree might go a little further than she knew, but whether the Snow Queen is really her aunt or maybe someone a little closer is still up for debate.  They tend to drag these things out, so we may not even get an answer until the end of this season.  Also, did anyone else scream when they realized WILL IS BACK?!?  This won't be the last we see of him, but he was oddly familiar with the Snow Queen's business, so that's interesting...  So many questions, so little time!

    In Legend of Korra, we get to see where Korra has been this whole time, leading up to the big reveal at the end of TOPH!!  I was so excited to see someone from the original Avatar series other than Katara I almost fell off my chair.  We had been teased about a potential Toph/Avatar reunion last season, but I didn't think they would do it so soon.  Unfortunately, it looks like we'll have to wait a little longer for that conversation, considering that tomorrow's episode looks like it'll focus more on Mako and the new Earth kingdom.  I hate it when they do that...

    Arrow hasn't disappointed either as of late.  The murderous death of Sara came as a shock to me, honestly.  I didn't think they would kill her off at all.  We do know that she knew her attacker, so it's only a matter of time before Oliver connects the dots, probably with a little help from Laurel, who will most definitely take up a Canary alter-ego.  I hate the fact that Felicity was so close to bagging Oliver just to walk out on him to join The Atom, (unbeknownst to her, obviously).  I was really hoping for that connection, but I guess they just can't let it happen.  I am curious to see how they incorporate Thea back into the mix, now that she's been training heavily with her real father.  For what purpose still remains to be seen. but I sense a sibling cage match in our future at the very least.
    That's all from me for now.  I can't believe it's already the middle of October...  I feel like this month is moving by so fast and I don't have time to get everything done that I need to!  With everything I still have to do for school, work and my illness it's amazing I even find the energy to leave my bed every day.  Did I mention that my husband and I are crazy and we're thinking about moving soon?  When that'll be we have no idea, but hopefully it's before May.  We'd like to not freeze to death this winter or succumb to poverty, but who knows?  Everything in my life is still up in the air and it looks like it'll stay that way for awhile.  At this rate, I'm relieved to still have my sanity.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.