Have You Seen My Nubbins?

In the first season of one of my favorite TV shows, Sanctuary, the audience is introduced to a creature called a Nubbin.  They are cute and cuddly, but ultimately end up slightly vicious and multiply rapidly.  On top of an over population problem, the "abnormals" as they are called, emit pheromones that make the staff of the Sanctuary slightly more aware of each other.  Here is one being adorable:

This weekend a friend and fan of the show suggested that I attempt to crochet a Nubbin.
Here is my version.  I have to say that I kind of freaked when I sewed the ears on and saw how absolutely adorable it was.

Fans of the show, please feel free to leave appropriate innuendos from the show in the comments section below.

Twitter

I started this blog post with something witty, but somehow it got erased.  So without much further ado here is a little bit of what I have to say about Twitter.

According to Wikipedia Twitter, a social networking and micro-blogging website, was created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey.  I'm not exactly sure when I became aware of Twitter but it has dominated many social media conversations for awhile now.  

I'm always a little behind on the social media train anyways, not getting on facebook or MySpace till after I had graduated from college and was married.  These two things, mainly designed for college aged folks to keep in touch and learn about new and interesting things, especially music in the case of Myspace, have evolved in to much larger networks.  

After awhile I dropped Myspace, it was slow and people put a lot of junk on their profiles that I just didn't want to look at.  Facebook is simpler, and I have connected with over 600 people who I know in person or have met one way or another online.  

Then enters Twitter.  I am not the most tech savvy person, I still really don't understand RSS feeds (although as a blogger maybe I should?), or rarely ever use to send or receive text messages.  But very quickly Twitter became the fastest and most prolific way for me to send and access information.  I do not have a so called "smart phone" but the basic text messaging, which my phone was designed for allows me to send Tweets (a short message, less than 140 characters) on the go.  I can also have tweets of particular interest sent to my phone.  Occasionally I find myself wanting to access the mobile web my phone has but I do not pay for on my plan because of a tweet I receive, but I suck it up and wait till I get home.

Some people may find that attraction on have for Twitter boarding on obsessed, but it's not all bad folks, I have surely reaped some benefits from my new friend.  I have won contests for clothing and concerts, I have made connections in my city and across the country, and I've been able to keep up with business and websites I respect.  

I connect with others who have chronic conditions similar to my own.  I can read the latest thoughts of critical thinkers around the subject of the environment, or theology, or sports, or politics, or entertainment, or the economy, or fashion, or... or... or... 

There are people out there who specialize in social media and could tell you all kinds of fun facts about what Twitter and other social media websites can do for your business or organization.  But I'm not one of them.  There are also all kinds of software developers out there creating new tools for social media everyday.  That's not me either.  I take what is given to me and use it. 

So this post is really just saying "FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER" and get to know the world like I am getting to know it.

What I'm Watching: Castle

Castle, which starts Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic is a crime procedural show on ABC. It's in its second season and going strong. I didn't get really interested in the show till half way through the first season, and then I was only watching it online. Last week Ryan and I made a switch from watching CSI: Miami in the 10 o'clock Monday night slot to watching Castle.

I am a fan of Nathan Fillion from when he starred as Captain Mal Reynolds on Joss Whedon's show Firefly, which is the original reason I began watching and stayed for the rest of the charming cast. Fillion plays a successful writer, Richard Castle, who joins up with NYPD's top detectives to do research for a new book. There he finds his inspiration in Kate Beckett, played by Katic. They have an great dynamic, both working well as detectives and learning to become friends. Castle also doens't hide the fact that he find Beckett incredible attractive.

The supporting cast is amazing. Castle is a single dad, and has an actress mother (Susan Sullivan) who lives with him and his daughter (Molly C. Quinn). The mother/son, father/daughter dynamic is amazing. They have real and positive family relationships and often contribute to Castle's thought process while working on a case or a book.

This show certainly has more humor than most crime shows that are on the air now. It still deals with death in a very real way, it is less about the violence and murder and more about the people invovled in the crime.

I think it is certainly worth a look online if you are not ready to replace your favorite Monday night show.

Distractions

Lately I've found it necessary to distract myself from my current situation in life. I'm not incredibly ill anymore like I have been. In fact I'm just well enough to want to a do a list of things that I'm not yet capable of doing. I still do not have the sufficient energy to attempt working, nor do I have the mental capabilities to consider going back to school.

Last week I thought I might be able to do both. I had the opportunity to work on a freelance writing job and I was very excited about it. But when it came time to complete the actual work, I couldn't accomplish anything. Partly this was personal, as I tend to be a procrastinator, but also the fatigue and headaches I've been dealing with on a daily basis really made it impossible.

I hate this. I want to be a productive human being. I'm smart, I'm moderately motivated (I'm not going to fool you if I said I was extremely motivated, you all know I'm some what of a slacker) and I enjoy being active and around people. It is extremely hard to not be able to do the things I love.

What makes it even more difficult is that to look at me I look EXTREMELY healthy. I've lost weight due to the change in my diet. My finger nails are growing wonderfully. I'm a delightful color (not as tan as I once enjoyed being, I've decided staying out of the sun is super healthy and I'd rather be pale). No one can see what my head feels like, constantly like it's going to implode, like a vice is gripping it from all angles. Or that my jaw is sore sore it's hard to chew, or swallow, or talk. No one sees the hours I spend in bed, because when I come in contact with others I'm out and about and trying to enjoy life as much as possible.

It's all so frustrating. But I have enjoyed my distractions. I enjoy watching tv and reading. I keep up to date on my favorite people, friends, tv shows. I love twitter. And occasionally I read the news. But it's mostly sad and I don't need any more negative feelings in my life. I have to keep myself in check however, I do not want to get so distracted that I lose focus on my goal of becoming healthy and active again. It's not easy and there is a balance to be made, and perhaps I'm still working on it. But I hope while I am, you enjoy my entertainment recommendations and observations on the world in general.

Accents

I am constantly amazed by actors and actresses. I really enjoy television and movies and the way that someone can completely be consumed by a role (or at least good actors anyways.) One of the things I enjoy most is when people take on characters that are from a different place than they are and therefore assume and accent of this place.

I am not an actress. I think at times I can be entertaining, and I sometimes can mimic movements or the pace of someone's speech. But I can not assume any kind of accent than what I originally have (and who knows what that is.)

I read a lot of websites and blogs about the entertainment industry and E! Online has a really great survey and photo gallery called Sham Yankees. It gives some of the most notable performances and asks you to vote on whether they are Apple Pie or Crumpets. I'm not sure exactly what they are asking for, as crumpets I would assume refers to England but it doesn't actually say that. And furthermore not all of the comparisons are between England and the US. It's entertaining none the less. And you may learn a few things about the actors from your favorite shows. Check it out!

What I Miss: Cartoons

Recently I've been thinking about the rare availability of quality cartoons.  As a kid I rarely watched TV but some of my favorite things to watch were cartoons.  I remember watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the mornings, but mostly I remember watching cartoon specials.  My older sisters or Mom would tape the specials for me on our VCR so I could watch them again and again.  

I watched them so much that I wore some of the tapes out.  I had three favorites.  The first was "Snoopy: The Musical."  I can still sing most of the songs from this wonderful gem.  The second was a tape that had several different Garfield shows on it.  My mom especially liked Garfield. 

The third is the reason I'm writing this post.  I use to LOVE the Looney Tunes.  Most of what we had on tape were season specials that played classic Looney Tune segments.  Bugs Bunny was my favorite and I remember more than one shopping trip in the Warner Bros. Store in NYC.  Last night I watched The Bugs Bunny RoadRunner Movie.  It had some of my very favorite segments in it and it's hosted by Bugs Bunny himself.  It really made my day, made me laugh like I was seeing them for the first time, and also made me smile to remember how much I loved them as a kid.  

Below is a short trailer for the film. 

When Ryan and I first started dating, we enjoyed "Dexter's Laboratory."  It was a story about a boy genius with a secret lab in his basement.  He fought evil villains as well as dealt with his older sister DeeDee.  It's been awhile since I've seen it, so I can't really remember what we liked about it so much.

Some cartoons that are being produced today are quality, but most are obnoxious and not all that funny.  Last summer I spent six weeks at my sisters house and had a lot of time to watch cartoons with my nephew who was 5 at the time.  He watched some things that weren't really aimed at anyone but his specific age group and I didn't mind them, but I didn't really pay much attention either.  "Ben 10: was one of these, it wasn't bad I just didn't care for it much.  "The Fairly Odd Parents" on the other hand are extremely obnoxious and happen to be

on the list of things my sister does not care for my nephew to watch.  They promote bad habits and obnoxious noises, and of course kids find them funny but there is never much of a story.  

My favorite from the summer had to be "Chowder."  This was a cartoon about a "bear-cat thing" who was an apprentice to a chef.  They live in this imaginative and colorful world of food and cooking.  The things they make are all made up and there are always great stories about adventures and misadventures.  Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the show is the theme song which I enjoy sining with my nephew.

Music I Dig: Green Day

Green Day had a kick ass performance on Conan's second night hosting The Tonight Show.  When Conan introduced the band he said our very close friends, and they proved that friendship by presenting Conan with a guitar at the end of their performance.  Many of you may not know that Conan actually plays guitar and does so fairly well.

I've been a fan of Green Day since middle school, thanks mostly to my good childhood friend Becki who introduced me to them.  We would watch MTV in her basement and she even ordered VHS tapes of Green Day concerts that we would watch to learn even more of their songs. We also spent summers crushing over the guys in the band and dreaming of meeting them someday.  One of the most amazing things I ever saw, and I still remember how I felt, was a t-shirt on the boardwalk in Seaside Height's, NJ.  The entire front was airbrushed with Billie Joe Armstrong's face.  What a fun time.

I'm sure we knew little about music at the time, but we did know we dug Green Day and their amazing sound.  Not much has changed about them since then and they have a new album, 21st Century Breakdown.  They may be older than they were back in the mid 90s when I liked them so much, but so am I.  They have grown up, their sound has grown up, and I believe their lyrics can speak to anyone in America.

I may not be a music genius, but I enjoy a good sound, a good performance, and I love to be entertained.  Green Day has always done just that.  They don't appear to be coming to Columbus anytime soon, but when they do, I hope to be there.

What I'm Watching- The Tonight Show

It's a new era for The Tonight Show.  Conan O'Brien debuted as host last night and it was the first night that I watched a late night talk show in a very long time.  Ryan and I have been waiting for this day.  

Back when we were in undergrad we heard the announcement that Conan would be taking over when Jay left.  At the time we were faithful fans of Conan and watched what ever show had the better guests before hand.  We thought, by the time Conan gets to an earlier slot we will be too old to stay up that late.  And we were almost right.  We made a special effort last night however because we had been waiting so long.

Critics have mixed reviews about last nights show, but for me it was right on par with what I was expecting.  In the opening scene Conan was seen with a check list of things to do to move to the Tonight Show when he realized he had not moved to LA.  The next several minutes are scenes of him running and even swimming in his suit across the country.  The thought of it itself is funny, but the actual scenes were him in different parts of the country, like the St. Louis Arch.  The entire sequence can be seen below:

With Andy Richter returning as the new Tonight Show announcer, Max Weinberg behind the drum set as always, and new beautiful set it seemed that the show couldn't get any better.  Then his guest was Will Ferrell who had a perfectly appropriate entrance.  Conan of course isn't overly optimistic about his place in late night as he said in his opening monologue "I have to admit I think I timed this moment perfectly -- I'm on a last place network, I've moved to a state that is bankrupt and tonight's show is sponsored by General Motors." 

Conan might have a different kind of humor than Jay, but I believe he will speak to younger generations like Ryan and I better than Jay did.  His guest tonight is Tom Hanks and his musical guests is a favorite of mine, Green Day.  I can't wait.

What I'm Watching- Eureka

Because Ryan and I have made the decision to not spend money on cable, I have been taking advantage of free online streaming on such sites as hulu, as well as spending a few dollars a month to rent dvds and have access to streaming through Netflix.

One show that I have been fond of over the last several months is Eureka.  Developed and produced by the SciFi network,   beginning in 2006 it is a show about a town full of super geniuses somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.   The stories are seen from the point of view of the sheriff Jack Carter who was a US Marshall until a wrong turn landed him and his daughter Zoey in Eureka. 

The characters are well played and I personally want every one of them to be my favorite character, I can never make a decision.  Colin Ferguson plays Sheriff Carter, like the rest of the cast he is not known for many larger roles but has been in the business for over a decade.  As the sheriff he is always getting the town out of the big messes they find themselves in with his common sense and wit.  As a person who values common sense I find this part of his character very endearing.  

Carter's best friend and rocket scientist Henry is played by Joe Morton.  Henry is always tinkering and is the one to explain the complicated science behind the towns problems to Carter.  The relationship between these two is enough reason alone to watch Eureka, not to mention the hilarity of the situations as well as the more serious and thought provoking moments. 

The series is filmed in British Columbia which gives a beautiful backdrop for the chaos that ensues.  The second half of the third season returns to SciFi on July 10th at 9pm. 

Exploration

During this time of struggle that I've been having physically, emotionally, and mentally I am constantly exploring the possibilities of the future.  What am I going to be capable of accomplishing and will I ever have a career.  I've explored writing and yoga, I've entertained the notions of finishing school and continuing on with an education in a completely different field like nursing, and I've continued my passions for the church and environmental education.

One new thing that I've really become interested in, which almost seems a little shallow, but plenty of people make this the focus of their lives is entertainment. I've been enjoying TV, movies, and other forms on media mostly online.  As someone who never watched a lot of television as a young person, or even as an adult, until I was unable to get out like I wanted to.  I've really taken interest in the imagination behind the writing and creation of good entertainment, as well as the talent for the people who bring these things to us.

Below is a clip of one of my new favorite shows that I enjoy on hulu.  It is amazing technology, with a great imagination, and some fantastic philosophical and psychological aspects. 

Some people might scoff at the idea of being so into television and the media, and perhaps I've been one of those people in the past.  But it really is a creative outlet for me right now, a release, and a way to forget about how much I'm hurting, and just enjoy myself.  I hope you can take some time to enjoy yourself too.

I hope to write some reviews about my favorite shows in the near future.  As well as make some commentary on the different kind of personalities you may find in entertainment writing.