October Comic Book Wrap-Up

    Hello everybody!  October is already winding down and it's been a bit of a tough month for me, reading-wise.  I admit that I've been more focused on reading my books, since I allowed myself a lofty goal of ten, (which I still didn't meet due to unforeseen circumstances I'll elaborate on Thursday), so I didn't put as much effort into reading comics as I have in the past.  That being said, I managed to get four of my six picks done this month and I'm very happy with that.

(goodreads.com)

    Hellboy:  I wanted to read this obviously because of my love for the films as well as the month being solely about Halloween, so this fit in really nicely with the theme.  I was pleasantly surprised by the story and how truly dark it was, which is what I was hoping for.  It was very similar to the movie, considering the movie is loosely based on the comics, but still had it's differences.  For instance, there is absolutely no romantic interest between Red and Liz in the comics, as it had been in the films.  Also, I do wish Professor "Broom" had more of a role in the comics because I was so enthralled by his presence in the films.  I thought his short time in the beginning of the first issue pegged him as a helpless and crazy old man instead of the proud and investigative explorer scientist we know from the movies.  Also, his relationship with Red is more fatherly in the movies; although he does mention in the comics that they had more of a father-son relationship, there was no time to really develop that claim.  Overall, I gave Hellboy Vol. 1 4 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    Hellboy and the B.P.R.D:  This was a comic I was excited about reading at the beginning of the month, so I'm glad I was able to get to it.  This comic is not related to the films at all, which was probably why I was so excited about the premise.  This comic takes place in the 1950s during the aftermath of the war.  Hellboy is a young man, (I think even possibly a teenager, since the other guys all refer to him as "kid"), who gets to go on assignment with the military members of the beginnings of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.  I loved the slight difference in art style to this one as opposed to the original comic series as well.  There is a lot of mystery and sabotage and I liked how vulnerable Red was at the beginning, trying to find out his place among the team, outliving most if not all of them in the end.  I gave this one 4.5 out of 5 stars.  I was very impressed with how good this was, I just wish there was more of it.

(goodreads.com)

    Shutter:  Honestly, I just read this one today during work, so it's still fresh in my mind.  This series seems to be about an alternative Earth future where dinosaurs and mythological creatures and talking skeletons exist in harmony with humans.  The story follows a young woman named Kate and she ends up getting dragged into a situation involving her father and her mystery siblings.  She has a side kick in the form of a talking cat clock that looks like Felix and I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.  He made this comic for me because he's a glass-half-full sort of personality, plus he's a talking cat clock.  I was also intrigued by the fact that this human woman, ex-explorer, can co-exist in a world where a humanoid fox warrior can ride a triceratops shooting a machine gun.  There was also a lot of diversity in this comic, like Kate having a trans best friend and her father being red-headed and white while she is dark haired and dark skinned, (I'm not going to guess her ethnicity, but she's at least really really tan).  Regardless, the story was mostly easy to follow, except for some times when it wasn't.  Sometimes the text ran together too much for my tastes, but I was able to pick it up and continue without too much confusion.  I ended up giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars, but I am planning on picking up the second volume to continue with the series.

(goodreads.com)

    TMNT: Change is Constant:  This series I had started years ago and never got to finish, so I thought I would.  I love me some Ninja Turtles, so obviously this was a no-brainer for me.  I love them as I knew them in cartoon form from 2007, so I have always been interested in reading the original comics, (now that I have a few), and reading about them in alternative time lines and worlds.  This story line takes place in a world where Splinter and the turtles still start off as lab experiments in StockGen, Baxter Stockman headquarters, and are taken care of by April O'Neil.  Ninjas of unknown origin end up stealing the turtles, with Splinter sabotaging their efforts and knocking them all into a storm drain.  A cat ends up walking away with Raphael before transforming into a humanoid figure, leaving Splinter with only the other three.  In the present day, the brothers are searching for Raph while Raph scours the streets for food until he finds Casey Jones and they team up before running into the cat again, who was also effected by the mutagen.  This was an interesting arc because I've never thought of the turtles not being together as a family.  Since Raph has been separated, this may effect his judgement and character in later issues once he is reunited.  I'm still getting used to seeing them all in red bandannas, but I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.  I'm planning on picking up more TMNT comics in the future to check out other story lines as well.

    Well, that's all I was able to read this month for comics.  I'll try to be more invested in my comic book reading next month as I work on continuing series that I've already started.  Check back next Tuesday when I lay out my TBR list for the month of November!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Nerd Alert!

    Since I neglected to post Tuesday and posted Wednesday instead, I thought we would just post a day off this week and get back on the wagon for next week.  This post will be a new segment I'll be trying called "Nerd Alert" in which I will do a comparison, a rant or something along those lines about something really nerdy that I find interesting.  Topics may include book-related things, such as  Harry Potter, or could be completely random, like the Power Rangers or Pokemon, etc.  I think you'll find that I enjoy a wide variety of things not meant for adults.  Unlike my husband, who is a comic book nerd, I can be nerdy about a bunch of different things and I fully embrace that!  Sometimes you just don't feel like adulting, and that's ok.
    Today's post was inspired by a cartoon I started watching again on the weekends through YouTube.  I used to watch it EVERY weekend, for about 5 years or so, (well into my high school years, no shame).  It has become a huge part of my life and my nerd fandom, so I thought it deserved a spot in here.  Since Nickelodeon has since picked up this rebooted series as of 2012, I thought it would be fun to compare the two versions.  Obviously I'll be a bit biased, but each version has it's own strong points and set backs.  I give you, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

(comicsalliance.com)

    Unfortunately, we won't be reviewing the original cartoon because, let's be honest, you really can't compare the original to anything.  The version that I was, (and still am), mildly obsessed with in high school is the 2003 version that aired on 4Kids TV.  This version was a little darker than the original with more hard lines, shadows and a comic book style look.  We'll also be looking at the newest version of the cartoon, which airs on Nickelodeon as of 2012 and is currently doing extremely well.  The current cartoon is CGI with some subtle anime-esq animation throughout.  This one's a bit more "campy" than the 2003 version and is more along the lines of the original with nods to both the comics and the original live-action movies from the 80s.

(playmatestoys.com)

    The newest version of the cartoon, (shown above), has been doing very well on it's new network.  I'm personally glad that the TMNT have benefited from this resurgence of 80s nostalgia and it seems to be flourishing.  This series has the voice talents of Sean Astin, (Raphael), Greg Cipes, (Michaelangelo), Seth Green, (Leonardo), and Rob Paulsen, (Donatello).  You may recognize Paulsen from his earlier voice acting gigs, such as The Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Carl Wheezer from Jimmy Neutron, Spike from The Land Before Time movies, plus too many more to list here.  Not to mention Paulsen was the voice of the original Raphael from the 1980s cartoon series!  What a legend to have on the TMNT squad!  There was some backlash when Seth Green replaced Jason Biggs as the voice of Leonardo in 2014, but the series hasn't seemed to suffer since the change.

    I haven't watched this series as much as others, however, I will say that they have done a great job keeping true to both the comics and the other franchises.  They have made numerous references to the comic book story lines as well as the movies.  They have also brought in characters from the original series, like Rocksteady and BeBop.  The series is still meant for children, mainly kids within the elementary school to middle school range, so it's not dark and leans more towards the campy original version of the cartoon.  I enjoy the back-and-forth banter between the brothers, (say THAT five times fast), and the occasional wit from Raphael or Mikey, as per usual.  This series is actually pretty funny and adults will laugh if you give it a try with your kids.

    What I DON'T like about this series is it's lack of seriousness.  Last week's episode was the first one where I actually saw some emotion and some grit in the series.  Donatello is supposed to be a genius and an inventor, but he uses garbage cans and other trash to make weapons, robots and vehicles, (that they shouldn't be driving because they are teenagers, but I digress...).  I think Donny's talents are being wasted, quite frankly, compared to what other Donnys have done in the other series.  This also makes me think that they modeled this cartoon off of the original because the original Donny's inventions usually didn't work correctly or at all.  I think there's also a lack of character development for the brothers.  They all have their own unique personalities, but I think Mikey is the only one who really shines through in this series.  The others haven't been allowed to stand on their own once or twice, so we really only see them when their working as a team.  I miss the banter between Raph and Leo and the tension that put on the team.  Again, another reason I think this series mirrors the original the most.  

    I also don't really care for the Casey Jones in this series.  Casey and April are way too young and Casey is basically a high school drop out.  He's supposed to have motivation in order to fight the Foot Ninja as a vigilante, but I don't see that in this series, or it was never brought up.  April is also a little conflicting for me because she brings her dad into this and she also has a psychic ability for some reason, (I think she's originally a clone experiment from the Krang, but still...too much).  Overall, there are some key features missing from this series, which is why it hasn't grabbed me yet.  I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

(comicvine.com)

    This is the series to which I compare all others.  I LOVE this series, although there are some things I didn't like about it, it was and still is superior to the others.  This series, created in 2003 and aired until 2007, was gritty, dark and driven solely by the story.  It stayed true to the comic books, almost entirely, especially with the origin story.  No weird mutant bats or other animals here, except for Leatherhead, (who looks SO BAD ASS in this series by the way!).  This series hearkened to the comic book style like you wouldn't believe.  The animation is a bit dated by our standards now, but it was so inventive back then, (I'm saying that about the early 2000s...I'm so old).  LOOK at their muscles!  They are supposed to be teenagers!  Who cares?  I don't.  This is the only time I will publicly admit to having an unwarranted crush on an animated character.  I love you Raph <3

    What I love about this series is the obvious character development.  Everyone has their own personality and it shows throughout the series.  Michaelangelo is the funny guy, so he's usually the one cracking jokes and pushing everybody's buttons, (mainly Raph).  Raphael is the angry, brooding one who often goes out on his own just to get above ground, away from the confinement of the lair.  Donatello is the genius and the mechanic and builds some seriously awesome gadgets and vehicles to propel the turtles through hard times.  Leonardo is the definite leader, which sometimes pisses Raph off, but ultimately makes sense to the group.  Leo actually goes through trials for this position, which you don't see really play out in the newer series.  Each turtle has it's own voice and is differentiated from the others by variations in their green colors, which I find completely amazing, considering they already have masks, right?  These guys bring teamwork to a whole new level.

    Did I mention this series was hilarious?  I usually find myself laughing to myself every time I watch an episode.  Much like the newer series, this series makes constant nods to the comic books, movies and other nerdy fandoms, (at one point they reference Star Wars).  The wit in this series is unparalleled and the wise-cracking is insane.  You really feel like you're there with them, going through what they're going through, which is a lot actually.  They start the series with one of the comic arcs which includes Dr. Stockman's famous Mouser robots, (in the comics) and goes through their relocation process and the beginning of their adventures with The Shredder.  The story lines are so good!  They cover everything about their origins, meeting April and Casey, going galactic and everything in between.  I actually watched every weekend just to see where the story went.  I was addicted.

(turtlepedia.wikia.com)

    I love the classic comic book style animation, I love the grit and the wit, but I especially like this April/Casey combo.  They are ADULTS, first of all, and second, they both have a true purpose.  April worked for Baxter Stockman before bumping into the turtles and becoming their first human ally.  Casey shows up a few episodes after that, running into Raph after he almost bludgeons Mikey with a metal pipe, (See?  It's really heavy guys).  Casey and Raph butt heads until it's time to team up and they become BFFs.  This Casey is great and very goal-oriented.  His father's store was attacked by the Purple Dragon Gang when he was a kid, so he becomes the masked vigilante to make them pay.  No one ever kills anyone though.  Heck, they even make a note to practice restraint on more than one occasion, but this series has real emotion behind it.  They have complicated lives and it shows in the story.  Watching the romance bud between Casey and April is both hilarious and awkward at the same time, but watching them get married at the end of it all makes it worth while.

    This series takes you on adventures.  First you're in NYC battling Oroku Saki, then you're transported to another dimension, back in time, alternate universes, outer space, and beyond.  Renett, the Time Lord's assistant, makes her appearance in both this series and the newer series, as well as in the comic books.  I loved meeting new characters along the way, like Usagi, the rabbit ninja the turtles meet during the Tribunal in the alternate dimension.  Seriously guys, go watch this series.

    There were things I didn't like in this series, although not as much as the other one.  First there's something I liked AND didn't like at the same time.  It was one episode that's titled, "Same as it Never Was" and it focused on Donny as he traveled to an alternate timeline, (due to interference from an evil sorcerer).  Donny lands in the future, having disappeared for many years, and bumps into future Michaelangelo, missing an arm and fighting off an attack from the Foot Clan, who have taken over the world thanks to The Shredder.  Mikey explains that, after Donny disappeared, the team fell apart and split up, so Mikey stayed behind.  Through careful manipulation, Donny is able to get Raph and Leo to meet up and make amends.  They had cut ties over a disagreement about how they handled the passing of Splinter, who was killed protecting them.  Donny gets everyone to team up again, minus Casey, who was also killed in a previous attempt to overthrow The Shredder.  In the ensuing battle, Donny prevails, but at the cost of his brothers.  April promises to keep Donny's memory alive as he disappears and returns to his own timeline, happily reuniting with the other turtles who are not dead.  This episode is ALL the feels, especially if you've been watching this series for years like I had.  It was awful to watch and at the same time I'm glad the producers took this chance at a gritty and terrible alternate timeline.  This episode was not for the faint of heart, but I appreciated the effort to make this series really great.

(youtube.com)

    Another thing I didn't particularly like about this series was seasons 6 and 7, the last two they made.  This would be TMNT "Fast Forward," where they get transported in time to the future and meet Casey and April's grandson, and also "Back to the Sewer," where they return from the future.  These two seasons I didn't watch as much because it was terrible.  The animation changed drastically and the story became too extreme for my tastes.  A lot was happening and it all seemed too far-fetched for the series as a whole, so I abandoned ship.  I did watch the TV movie special they did toward the end where they brought back every type of turtle, (animated original comic book black and white turtles, original 80s turtles, and the 2003 turtles.  This was a great special and showed just how much the turtles have changed in the last couple decades.  It was still weird and the animation was terrible, but it was worth watching for nostalgia purposes.

    That's all I have for the turtles, then and now.  I don't necessarily want people to become swayed by my opinion alone, so make it for yourself.  I know way too much about the TMNT for my own good, so if you are a proclaimed turtle lover, such as myself, then do yourself a favor and relive your childhood!  Re-watch both series, (they are both available online and I've been watching the 2003 version on YouTube), and see what you think.  You will enjoy yourself either way.  Which version do you like the best?  Are you still aching for 80s turtle nostalgia?  What about the live-action movies or the newer ones?  Let me know what you think in the comments!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Break Time

    Hello everyone.  Sorry the blog's late again, but I'll be getting to that issue shortly.  I've realized that since starting camp while simultaneously trying to plan at least the first couple weeks of classes before school starts I've had a hard time keeping to my blogging schedule.  I know I've cut down to only one day, but I think it's time to take a little break, only until September.  I will be working nonstop almost with almost no breaks, save for when I take a week off at the end of this month.  Needless to say I'll be sad, but I'm hoping to start back up again in the fall with a new perspective.  There will be more TV on and I would've started my first teaching internship, which I plan on chronicling through here.  The entire year should be really interesting, eye-opening and beneficial to my future career.  To put more focus on making sure I'm prepared, I'm giving up blogging for the remainder of the summer.  Come September I will hopefully be better prepared to blog more often about different things, including things of an educational nature.  I hope this doesn't disappoint any of my frequent readers, (if any), but I'd rather just take a break straight away rather than be late or non-existent every week.  This is for the good of everyone involved and I'll be re-energized to hop back on the blogging bandwagon in September.
    That being said, this will be my last entry for awhile, so I will try to update as much as I can, (including my past couple recaps for The Bachelorette!)  Camp has been great so far, with only a few hardships.  I've been having trouble adjusting to the constant heat and humidity so my body is rebelling in every way possible.  Right now my left knee is killing me and my joints in general have been terrible.  Unfortunately I'm currently out of meds, so I'll have to wait until my next shipment arrives, but I'll be fine until then.  I'm just hoping my breathing gets easier after the fact this time...  Although it's been mentally and physically draining at times, I've enjoyed coming back to camp.  I missed interacting with the kids and having fun during the summer.  I couldn't have done that behind a desk at a retail store, that's for sure.

    As for The Bachelorette, (SPOILERS PEOPLE), I'm pretty comfortable with my predictions this season.  So sorry about Dylan, but he really wasn't the right fit for her anyway.  I'm sure he'll find a nice Boston lady.  Anyway, the rest of my Top 5 seemed to have made the cut, save for Brian and Marcus.  Nick is completely unnecessary at this point seeing as he's just playing this game instead of actually falling in love, but knowing this show Andi will probably end up picking the guy everyone doesn't like.  I'm still rooting for Chris overall now that poor Marcus is gone...he really was a great guy.  I don't particularly like Josh at all and I find him incredibly dull.  I've barely been watching because the dates have been kind of repetitive, but I'm keeping track of who's left and I'm not surprised.  Can't wait to see who she actually ends up with!  GO CHRIS, THE SEXY FARMER GUY!!

    Besides The Bachelorette, my husband and I have been watching the third season of Legend of Korra, which is a spin off cartoon series based on Avatar.  It takes place years after Aang, the last Avatar.  It has been great so far and we've seen some familiar faces from the Avatar series, so I'm looking forward to seeing where they take this season.  It's one of the best cartoon series I've ever seen!  Other than that, I'll be eagerly waiting the premier of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, coming out August 1st, and then the new TMNT movie on the 8th.  I will be getting midnight showing tickets and I could not be more excited!!
    Well that's it!  I hope everyone enjoys their summer and has time to get out and enjoy the sunshine!  I'll be counting the days until I can write back again.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

It's Finally May!

    Happy Thursday!  This week is great because both of my classes end, (although I still have at least a couple assignments that aren't due until the 14th).  The point is that I can start working more at the after school program as well as the morning one.  Making more money will make me very happy, especially if I don't end up getting that summer job.  At this point I still don't know where I stand, but I'm hoping to find out by tomorrow.  Unfortunately I don't think I'll hold my breath on that one...I should probably start looking elsewhere.  Regardless, less class time will hopefully give me more opportunity to work on the papers I have to accomplish before their due dates.

    Internship news: so far nothing yet.  I was supposed to meet with the same cooperating teacher I met with before vacation today, but she had a last-minute substitute.  We might be meeting tomorrow, but at this point I wouldn't mind working with her next year.  I can't really afford to be picky in my situation anyway, but I can't see a downside so far, besides the obvious age gap between what I envisioned for myself and what she teaches.  I think I'll be able to make high school work, but we'll see what she thinks.  I can't make the decision by myself.  If that were the case, I would've had a teacher by now.
    As for reviews, I am actually a little behind.  With everything going on this week and my husband working late almost every night, we haven't watched any shows this week yet.  So, all I have for you is Sunday programs.  Sorry!  Luckily, that's the most exciting day for television anyway.  SPOILERS:

  Amazing Race was a bit disappointing this week, being a non-elimination round.  The Blondies escape elimination yet again, by sheer luck.  I would have much rather seen them or Brenchel go home, but at this point I don't even care.  The girls keep pulling this "helpless" act in front of everyone and I can't tell if they really are that useless or if it's a ruse.  I would think that if you didn't know how to navigate, read road signs or directions or understand any foreign language, you wouldn't even bother signing up for the race, unless you wanted the TV publicity.  We'll see how next week goes, but right now my vote is for either the Cowboys or Dave and Connor, who both definitely deserve the win.

  Once Upon a Time was great this week, solely because Henry got his memory back.  In fact, everyone did, which should make everything a lot easier.  I feel bad for Hook because Zelena put him in a bad spot with Emma because of her mini cursed lips scenario.  He was only trying to protect her by staying away from her and not making himself a distraction.  Needless to say I was heartbroken when she told him she couldn't trust him anymore, which I think is ridiculous.  Hopefully this all gets reconciled so they can FINALLY be together, (I'm desperate now, but it'll probably never happen at this rate).  As for the brief appearance of Neil, that created a lot more controversy than the curses.  I don't understand why, because what happened at the end of the episode happened in the past when everyone was back in the Enchanted Forest before the curse that sent them back to Storybrooke, so he's still very much dead, but is there a chance that he could be brought back with another sacrifice?  Only time will tell, but I'm excited about this weekend's episode with Dorothy.  Maybe she can give us some insight into the "light magic" phenomenon that seems to be able to beat Zelena.

  Game of Thrones was awesome as well this week.  I was glad to find out who actually killed Joffrey, but I had a feeling Baelish was behind it somehow.  As for his creepy infatuation with Sansa, I bet she caves and ends up being with him out of pure loneliness.  She seems like one of the perfect candidates to train to become his right-hand lady: emotionally drained/crippled, no family and a will for vengeance with little to no physical attributes to speak of.  I think she would make a great manipulator, but we'll see.  I cringed when Hodor gets stabbed and taunted by those douche bags at Krastor's Keep.  Also, hitting Bran and keeping him hostage will probably be the worst idea Karl will ever have, seeing as Jon is on his way to them right now.  I can't wait for that reunion!  It seems like it's been forever since we've seen more than one Stark on screen together.  I'm also looking forward to seeing how Daenerys handles the situation with all her newly-freed slaves.  I believe that eventually it'll become too much for her to handle, especially with her dragons getting bigger every day.  I know that the biggest upset over this week's episode was the very end, with the White Walkers.  I'm glad we finally found out what happened to all those poor bastard babies, but what exactly are they doing to them?  Are they growing their army?  What's happening?  Apparently it's not in the books, so everyone is at a loss.  We'll see where this goes, but I'm sure it'll be explained eventually.
    That's it for reviews.  Some very big news from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie happened yesterday when a new, longer TMNT trailer was released.  It is the second official trailer for the movie and includes a better, (although still really brief), look at all the turtles and their turtle faces.  It's basically the first trailer with an extended middle section, by like ten seconds.  It's nothing incredibly different, but it still got me even more excited for August.  I'm going to be a wreck the closer we get to the release, but I'm betting there will be more trailers to come in the next few months.  Getting excited!

    Now that that's finished, I can get back to work.  This weekend I may be going to see Spider Man 2, so I might talk about that next week.  I love getting to sleep in and spend time with family over the weekends.  It really makes you cherish and enjoy those moments you have to stay in bed and relax with the people you care about.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Sorry Not Sorry

    Hey guys, I understand that it's Friday and I missed yesterday's post.  Just be thankful that I'm here because I was considering not posting at all after the week I've had...  Early mornings, long days and late nights coupled with papers, unit plans and watching elementary school children every day has made me hate the world at this point.  Let's just say I'm glad next week is April Vacation.

    With less than two weeks left until the end of the semester, things are looking pretty tight.  I finished my case study, but now have to revise it, on top of the already scheduled term paper due at the end of finals week.  I also have to finish leading the discussion we were supposed to have Wednesday, but because of case study work shopping, it got pushed back.  In my other class, I just finished up my gaming and literacy unit with my friend Jess, so that's one less thing I have to worry about.  We still have a multimodal reflection due by May 1st as well as a unit plan due by the end of the semester, so I have to get cracking on those.  I was supposed to revise and resubmit my interview research paper, but I really don't think that's going to happen.  With everything else I have on my plate, I may barely scrape by with what I have to do now.  As for my new job, I now have to create three lesson plans for them and have them in by Monday.  I've resigned myself to a few facts: I can't be great at everything I do, I have to make sacrifices to stay sane, and I can't keep stressing about everything.  Hopefully I'll get a good chunk of work done while I don't have to see my kids next week until Friday, but we'll see.
    As I've been pretty swamped, I managed to finish all the TV shows I usually watch that were on this week so far by last night, so I could talk about them today in my reviews.  SPOILERS AHEAD...

    The Amazing Race was great last weekend solely because of the change in scenery.  The only part I found difficult to watch was when the Globe Trotters were at the Spanish Steps and were trying to count them and write the number down, but they forgot to do it in Roman numerals.  He never thought to check the Road Block instructions to see if maybe he was doing something else wrong besides guessing the wrong number.  The other groups seemed to fare well in all of the challenges and no one really stood out to me as doing a brilliant job, mostly because everyone caved and got help from some locals, or even tourists, (which is sad really, when you think about it).  Even the team who went home weren't really that exciting to me, so I'm still waiting for Brenchel to disappear...  Hopefully next week will be more exciting because I just wasn't feeling the vibes this week.

    Once Upon a Time, however, turned up the volume on some stuff this weekend.  I loved seeing more of Hook because, let's face it, he's dreamy in an evil kind of way, (IE: the best kind).  His tangled past with Ariel was a good back story to add to the betrayal Zelena pulled at the end.  Now Hook can't have Emma or tell her the truth without hurting everyone she loves, which right now doesn't really include him.  Sure, she cares about him, but she doesn't love him...at least not yet.  So I'm thinking he's going to go back to keeping his distance from her so that he doesn't ruin her chances of beating Zelena.  He may even take Smee's offer to go back to pirating, just to get away.  Who knows, but I hope he doesn't just sulk in a lonely corner at Granny's blaming himself for everything that goes wrong from in on out.  I also loved seeing Snow and Charming trying to be "cool grandparents" to Henry, even though he doesn't remember them that way.  Driving the truck through town probably wasn't the best idea, but I don't think anyone really cared that much, (except Regina...oops).  Can't wait for Sunday's episode!  I'm hoping we finally found out what else Zelena needs for her spell.  There's also talk of a Frozen crossover involving Kristin Bell, so that might be interesting, (although it seems like Frozen is taking over every aspect of our lives as human beings at this point...).

    Game of Thrones was the big one this weekend with the Purple Wedding shenanigans.  Everyone was talking about it so much that the spoiler disputes made the news.  Luckily, now there's an app for that.  Needless to say we all really wanted that ending to happen, but Joffrey's death wasn't the only embarrassingly disgusting thing that happened.  Joffrey's treatment of Tyrion made me and my husband cringe through that entire scene, so I can't imagine how everyone else felt watching that humiliation unfold.  I felt bad for Tyrion, but I also knew what was coming, so I knew he would get retribution for his mistreatment.  The big question still remains: who really killed Joffrey?  I have only read the first book so far, (my funds and time are both severely limited), so those who read know the truth, but luckily I haven't heard any spoilers for that yet.  Everyone has their own theory and they all seem valid, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.  I think we'll find out sooner rather than later, but my money is on Cersei.  She who blames the imp must be guilty of foul play!

    Agents of Shield didn't really impress me this week.  I liked seeing Patton Oswalt in the cast, but the fake Ward act meshing with the "real" Ward is already starting to bug me.  The saddest part was when Coulson was giving up his badge, telling everyone that it "means something."  It's disheartening to know that they don't have anywhere else to really go at this point, and now Ward is on his way to them.  Hopefully everything works out, but as of right now everything is up in the air.  I am curious to see what Ms. Flowers ends up doing with all of that technology they gave her.  She could just as easily turn on Hydra and use the stuff to enact her revenge for their lies, but she could also genuinely be on their side now, so who knows?  Her character confuses me the most, so I'd like to see her become more developed.  I'm excited to see Cobie Smulders reprise her role as Agent Hill in an upcoming episode.  Also, can we just ship Fitzsimmons already?  This petty back-and-forth is getting old.
    Something cool that also happened this week occurred during the MTV Movie Awards, in which they showed a TV spot featuring the TMNT with none other than SPLINTER in some very brief new footage, added to the already released trailer.  There were flashes of Raphael pushing a guy out of his way with just a forearm and Splinter from behind, adding a new voice-over to the action.  Mikey also apparently has his rocket skateboard back, so that should be cool.  I CAN'T EVEN.  Let me know what you think of the spot below!

    Welp, that's all folks.  As I stated above, I'm extremely tired and severely drained from this week, so I didn't really enjoy anything I watched, besides maybe GOT.  Hopefully this weekend will give me the much-needed rest and recuperation I need to re-energize before next week starts.  I have some fun things planned for this weekend, including a Harry Potter night with one of my favorite Phi Mu's and some Easter family time.  I'll be baking my brownies for a second time in order to contribute to the dessert feast, so they should go over well if they come out like they did last time.  Easter for Italians is basically like the Spring equivalent of Christmas dinner, so it should be a good time!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Burn Out

    Welcome to Thursday everyone!  I really could use a weekend right about now, so I'm glad it's finally here.  Not to do fun, exciting things one would normally do on a weekend, but mostly to catch up and finish/start all the work I have to do by next week...

    For starters, I have not one, but TWO heavy-duty revisions to do, one of which is due by tomorrow, so I better hustle.  I also have a rough draft of my 10-page case study due Wednesday as well as a proposal for a unit plan due next week as well.  On top of all that, I still have to read another book before Wednesday and stuff to get done for my new job, (testing, fingerprints, etc.).  I felt so overwhelmed yesterday I thought I might cry, but I stuck it out.  Meanwhile, my body decided to play a cruel trick on me and make me feel like I got hit by a car...  Needless to say it wasn't the best time for a flare, but I feel better today, thankfully, and hopefully it won't come back anytime soon.

    That being said, I had a lot of fun filling out paperwork today for my new job, (that's funny, isn't it? "Fun" and "paperwork" in the same sentence...)  I have no doubt that my new superiors as well as the other staff members are really fun, caring and genuinely good people.  I was even reunited with one of my old friends from summer camp, who now runs the local branch summer camp.  Hopefully we'll be working together this summer because I'd really love a chance to get back into summer camp, even if it's only day camp.  I have no idea what I would do, whether I would just be a basic counselor, or if I could potentially fit into one of the program areas.  I was thinking about my strengths and realized that camp really isn't a good place for reading or writing, it's more about the outdoor activities.  I think since I've already done recreation that I would be good at that, but I'd like to try something new, (but relatively easy), like arts and crafts or drama, something I might be good at but have little to no experience in.  We'll see, but I hope my summer is just as fun as my new job should be!
    All the work I've been doing has kept me pretty busy, but at least it's mostly good news.  Unfortunately, that means I really don't have a lot to report on today...  I didn't get to meet with my favorite focus child this week, some of my shows weren't on or I haven't gotten to them yet, (like Arrow, which I heard was really good), and it's just been a really hectic week.  I did, however, learn about a premier of the first trailer for the new TMNT movie coming out this August, (SQUEEE), so I've linked that video below.  I can't tell just yet whether or not it'll be great from a TMNT fandom standpoint, but I do know that I'm really excited about it!  Even if it might be bad, I HAVE to see it.

    That's it for me.  Time to get cracking on some stuff before I run out of time.  I'll be posting another blog post tomorrow about a lesson on cyber-bullying we did in class today and Tuesday.  That will be in my ENGL 889 tab, so look out for that!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Thanks a lot Pax.

    Hey everyone!  I feel like absolutely no time has passed since Tuesday, but here we are.  Obviously everyone has shut down because of this nor'easter, so I'm once again stuck inside.  Although it sucks that my interview and open house today had to be rescheduled for next week, I'm glad I don't have an excuse to go outside in this weather.  I'm better off going into hermit mode for a day.

    As many of you may be aware, tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  Most people deem this to be an unnecessary Hallmark holiday in which men buy pointless gifts for the women in their lives.  I'd like to think of it as more of a tradition passed down through generations of stupid people, but I'm not en expert.  Obviously I love chocolate; I am a female after all.  I also love flowers, possibly more than chocolate, (but really, who am I kidding?)  These would both be nice every once in awhile, but I don't think we need a day devoted to them, or him for that matter.  I see him every day!

    I've cooked a nice dinner for my husband every Valentine's Day for the last four years and it's my favorite part of the holiday.  Going out to dinner is overrated; I'd much rather make him something from scratch than wait around and make reservations to spend more money we don't have.  I make him the same thing every year, but he loves it, so it's totally worth it.  Plus, it's delicious because I'm an awesome cook:)  All I want to do tomorrow is cook sauce and drink wine with my mother, make a fabulous dinner for my husband and spend some alone time together.  If I can get him to sit next to me on the couch, I've succeeded in my efforts.

(courtesy of: http://www.melgotserved.com/)

    Speaking of "love," I got caught up in The Bachelor, so get ready for some spoilers if you haven't seen it already!  I still hate Claire and think that she's crazy.  I also still think my top three are Renee, Andi and Nikki, but you can never tell with this show.  My favorite part, by far, was the group date dinner at Hobbiton.  I can't even tell you how much I was fangirling at that moment.  I think it's safe to say that was the best group date so far in the shows history.  Although I also feel that anyone who would truly appreciate that set wouldn't be caught dead watching The Bachelor, but to each his own.  If you want to read a recap of this episode or any other, check out this blog called Mel Got Served.  She does various recaps of TV shows and they are most humorous.  Check her out for a good laugh!

    Unfortunately none of my other shows were on this week due to the Olympics.  I can't even comment on them either because I don't have cable and therefore can't watch them until Sunday:(  I will say that 15-year-old Russian girl, Yulia, who claimed the gold in the women's figure skating last weekend, was amazing!  I've never seen anyone do anything like that before in that event, let alone a teenager.  To think of my students pulling off something like that...it makes me cringe just thinking about how uncoordinated they'd be on ice.  The laughs I would have!  Note to self: arrange field trip to the skating rink asap.
    Well, that's about it I'm afraid.  I'll be spending the day getting caught up on some reading and some TMNT.  I'll also still be having class via Google Hangout, which should be interesting to say the least.  I may or may not have a new "Open Letter" up soon.  I at least want to get one up by the end of the month.  This weekend I'll be pretty busy: Valentine's Day cooking all day tomorrow, my mom's 50th birthday party Saturday and my dad's birthday Sunday, (yeah, I know, I couldn't have planned that any better myself).  It's great that I don't have to work, otherwise I would probably be screwed.  Here's to the minimal benefits of being unemployed!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

    *I'd also like to say that I'm super excited that Camp Takota comes out tomorrow as well!  You can pre-order the movie here.  Watch the extended trailer!  Congrats to Grace, Mamrie and Hannah on your success!