I have returned, my friends. I have returned...to haunt you.

Wow.  It's been more than a month since I posted, and considering that I never wrote one of my typical "I'm taking a blogging break" posts, I'm afraid it may have seemed as if I'd fallen off the face of the earth.  (Ouch.  That would have hurt.)  No worries though.  That phenomenon did not happen to me.  My feet are still firmly planted on the good old ground.  And I am here, my friends.  Here to relate to you all the marvelous and exciting things that have been going on in my life lately.  (Yes.  This is a "Lately I've been" post.  And no, I'm not really going to tell you everything that's been going on with me the past couple months.  That would take far too long.  Be far too boring.  And...it just can't be done, okay?)

 

Right.  So.

 

Lately I've been:

 

 

~Working~

 

Business picked up this past month at the motel (due to the changing seasons) so I was suddenly a great deal busier than I had been since December.  Between work at the motel and work at the café I've been feeling pretty exhausted.  (Okay, maybe keeping late hours and watching too many movies and a few other factors play into that as well, but we're not talking about that right now, we're talking about work.)  Yes, and speaking of work, I did it again.  I quit another job.  (Because that's what Miss Marches do best!)  No but seriously, it was a responsible, clear-headed decision.  It really was.  In short,  I am no longer working at the café.  I decided to pick up more hours at the motel instead and focus on just one job.  And I think it's going to prove to have been a good decision.  I have high hopes for finally getting into a more regular, consistent schedule.  And that's huge for me.  I do better when I have a consistent routine.

 

 

~Watching~

 

The Dick Van Dyke Show:  Yup.  This has been regular evening viewing for the past several weeks now.  Ever since I went and bought all five seasons on eBay.  (Yes, it was worth it.  No, it was not a waste of money.  Why would you even ask such a silly question?)

 

 

 

Boy Meets World:  My brother-in-law introduced us to this show and we're currently watching through it at my brother's house on our weekly Monday night visit.  It's surprisingly good.  Better than I had expected.  Not that I would recommend it unreservedly because I don't like everything about it, but in my opinion it's a cute show, and I am growing quite fond of the characters. 

 

Thumbs up?  Sure, Cory.

 

War and Peace:  O-kaaay.  So this movie was really quite something.  And by something I mean good somethings and bad somethings and...yeah.  To be brief, it had some highly inappropriate scenes and I wouldn't feel comfortable actually recommending it to anyone.  But...it also had some really powerful moments, some great character development, and some very moving storylines.  Also a really good ending.  So yeah, I admit, by the time it was over I was totally invested in a lot of the characters, and I might watch it again (provided of course that the handy-dandy remote is, well, handy.  You know.  ;))

 

 

The Good Doctor:  I rarely ever watch current TV shows, but my brother saw part of this while staying with my grandparents during the fall, and the two of us decided we'd like to watch it together.  So we got a free month's trial on Hulu and watched all eighteen episodes in a week and a half.   We just finished it last night and ohhh!  The last episode was so good, but so emotional.  I was close to tears, okay?  (Disclaimer:  I'm not really recommending this show.  I mean, I enjoyed it, but I feel like it should definitely be viewed with caution.  It's not for everyone.  First off it's a doctor show so there are lots of surgeries and blood and all that--honestly, I had to look away at some parts--and secondly they deal with some very adult topics, as well as some of the typical social issues of our day--coming of course to the politically correct conclusions on those topics, which happen not to my conclusions, so yeah.  That's kind of annoying.  It's definitely not a show for kids and, like I said, definitely to be viewed with caution.  That's my opinion anyway.) But aside from that, I really did enjoy this show.  And there are some really cool characters in it.  The main character, Shaun Murphy is of course my favorite.  He's such a unique character!  He's autistic, ridiculously smart, and brutally honest, which makes for some very interesting interactions with other people.  He's also just super sweet and very loveable.  And I like him a lot.  :D 

 

And yeah.  I'm feeling kind of sad now because it's all over and there's no more to watch for another year.  :( 

Still, there's an upside to it.  I won't have to be staying up till 1:00 and 2:00am anymore to watch it.  I'm pretty sure that's a good thing.  Would you agree?  (Haha.)

 

 

 

When Calls the Heart season five sneak peaks:  When you don't have TV and you can't watch the actual episodes, you watch the sneak peaks and the previews.  Not because they're necessarily worth watching but because you must have something to distract you from what you should be doing.   Isn't that how it works?

 

 

~Reading~

 

Jane Eyre: Started it.  Got distracted by other things.  Haven't read it for weeks.  Typical, typical, typical.  (I do want to get back to it sometime though.)

 

Jane Austen's Minor Works:  I've been making my way through these very slowly.  Her minor works are not like her novels.  Not so easy to get into.  However, I've still got my bookmark in place and I plan to finish them eventually.  Howsoever long it may take me.  What I really wanted to do was read her unfinished novels again, but they're at the end of the book so...must wait.  Gotta do things in order.

 

War and Peace:  Okay, so I was inspired to read this after watching the movie.  I mean, it's sort of been on my to-read list ever since my dad and brother read it the other year, but it's a daunting task, and I never quite got around to it.  Well, now I have.  And what do you know?  I am officially daunted.  Even more so as my older sister started reading it soon after I did, and had the audacity to read at a fast pace that I was reading.  I mean, that's not fair!  I started it first, I should finish it first.  But no.  She's way ahead of me now and there's no way I'm gonna catch her and...it's hurting my ego, guys.  I quit.  Okay, not exactly quit.  I mean, I am going to try and read the book still.  I just quit the race.  The race that really wasn't a race but which I made into a race out of pure selfish silliness--or silly selfishness--or whatever you want to call it.  Yeah, that one.  I own myself defeated and go and pout in a corner.  The end.

 

~Thinking~

 

...Exactly what else am I supposed to include in a "Lately I've been" post?  I mean, I've covered books and movies and work...what else is there?

 

Oh that's right!  I forgot!

 

~Writing~

 

*Dun, dun, dun, dun*

 

*cough*

 

Not much.

 

"Now, now.  If you can't think of anything better to say than that!"

Sorry, Percy, but it's the truth.  I've just not been doing much writing lately.  Unless you want to count emails.  But even those I'm starting to fall behind on.  They're piling up on me again and...OH NO!

 

Help, help!!  I'm drowning!!  Someone save me!  I can't write.  I can't think.  I can't...



"Do calm down.  There's no need to get flustered.  Sink me!  Just take a deep breath, and a pinch of snuff, and you'll be right as rain in a moment."

Did you say "sink me"?  Wow, that wasn't very sensitive of you, was it?  Right after I tell you I'm drowning, and you have to go and say "sink me".  Is that your idea of a joke?

 

"Odds fish, my dear fellow.  How you do talk!  You really are making very little sense just now. 
But don't worry!  I have a plan!"

 

Oh yeah?  And what would that be, pray?

 

"Go to bed, Miss March.  Just go to bed."

 

And she did.

 

*signing off at 1:37 am*





10 of my Favorite TV Shows

Because I'm still suffering from a severe case of writer's block (oh! woe is me!),  and because I feel that I must post something or risk giving up on this whole blogging thing forever (ah! dramatic!), I thought I'd go simple today and throw together a list of my favorite TV shows.  Naturally, they are in no particular order (except the one I have been watching most often recently just might be at the top of the list...it just might).  So here you are!  Hope you enjoy this thrown-together little post.  :)

1. The Donna Reed Show
 

 

 

2. The Dick Van Dyke Show

 

 

3. Lark Rise to Candleford

 

 

 

4. All Creatures Great and Small

 

 

 

5. Jeeves and Wooster

 

 

 

6. Hogan's Heroes

 

 

 

7. Disney's Zorro

 

 

 

8. The Andy Griffith Show

 

 

 

...Okay, so maybe this kind of post isn't so simple after all.  I can't even come up with ten favorites!  Grr.  Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm going  loony.  Loosing my brain and all that, you know?  ("Where's my brain?  I want my brain.  Come here brain."  *Ahem*  Sorry.  Private joke.) 

 

Anyway, I guess I'll have to call it quits because I seriously can't think of anymore that I want to include. 

 

So that's that, folks!  You have now received the earth-shattering knowledge of what are my 10 (no, 8) favorite TV shows!   Aren't you positively thrilled?   (Ha!)

 

 

 What are some of your favorite shows?

Have you seen any of the ones mentioned above?

 

What I've Been Doing Lately // A Disastrously Random Post by Miss March

And now it's time for random posts with Miss March.  The part of the show where Miss March comes out and sings a silly song writes a random post.

What ho, people!  I have this feeling you've all been extremely curious to know what I've been up to lately.  (Okay, so I'm sure you probably haven't been curious, but please allow me the fun of laboring under that delusion. Ha!)   I won't waste time with lengthy introductions but cut straight to the point (if there is a point) and prepare to bombard you with a whole bunch of something...or nothing...or everything in between.  In order to give some semblance of order to my scattered thoughts I'm going to categorize each activity by an emotion or feeling connected with it.  (I do hope that makes sense.)

 

Thankful

 

~for a busy, but delightful day spent with my family. 

 

1)  Going to the park in the morning and watching my siblings get all hot and sweaty as they played tag around the playground, while I sat on the bench cool, calm, and comfortable. 

2) Going out for lunch with my three older sisters, my mom, and my sister-in-law and having a good time of girlish conversation...complete with lots of delicious food. 

3)  Going to the Christian theatre where two of my sisters work in order to watch the evening premier of their latest production.  Fun times!

 

 

Frustrated

 

~over politics and the state of our nation.  We've been saturated by politics ever since the Republican primaries began--watching debates, reading loads of news articles, keeping up with the candidates' standings in the polls--and to say the whole process hasn't been enormously frustrating from beginning to end would be the understatement of the year! 

 

But don't worry, I'm not here to have a political discussion.  That would be boring and depressing.  I just want to give you an idea of what things are like around our house, by saying:  You know you've been thoroughly steeped in political jargon when you have a conversation like this at the lunch table: (I can't remember the exact words we used, but this is the gist of the conversation.)

 

It began with an innocent remark about lettuce.

 

22-year-old Brother:  "You know, iceberg lettuce seems to be really popular these days.  At least, we've been selling a lot of it at market lately, and I've noticed that people ask for it specifically more than they used to."

18-year-old brother:  "Ah!  You mean it's been surging in the polls!"

Me [laughing]:  "Yes. Exactly! But the question now is, does it or the Salad Bowl lettuce have a better chance of winning in the general election?"

22-year-old Brother:  "Hmmm.  Well, it's obvious the Salad Bowl lettuce doesn't stand a chance against homegrown strawberries."

14-year-old brother:  "Does any lettuce?"

 

Yeah, we're nutty.  Which is probably why this conversation amused us so very much.  ;)

 

 

Invigorated

 

~by a week of Spring weather in March!!  It was lovely!  I even went so far as to go outside and...get this...take a WALK!  I mean it, the weather was that inspiring! 

 

 

Annoyed

 

~by certain ladies in certain TV shows.  Primarily, Donna Stone (The Donna Reed Show) and Elizabeth Thatcher (When Calls the Heart).  After seeing these ladies in action, I have come to the conclusion that there is a large majority of women portrayed in film who are manipulative, unreasonable, easily offended, and annoying.  And the worst part is that nine times out of ten they get the last word, and the apology (when they should be the one giving the apology), and come off has having been in the right when clearly they were in the wrong!!!  Women!  In cases such as these I stand adamantly on the side of the men.

 

 

Pleased

 

~with my recent purchase of the first three seasons of the Donna Reed Show.  Yes, I know I just finished saying that Donna Stone annoys me (she's the mother in this series, in case you wanted to know), but despite her, I really do like this show.    It's one of those simple, family shows, and it makes me very happy--when Donna isn't being her normal aggravating self, that is.  ;)

Disheartened

~by my inability to express myself in writing.  Every time I sit down to write my mind goes blank, and I get nowhere.  The words seem determined to elude me. 

Impressed

~by this passage in Great Expectations (I told you this was going to be random). 

In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong.  I had had no intercourse with the world at the time, and I imitated none of its many inhabitants who act in this manner.  Quite an untaught genius, I made the discovery of the line of action for myself.

It was the last line especially that impressed me.  I'm currently reading this book aloud to my brother (or perhaps I should say one of my brothers, for I have several) and when I came to this part I just had to read it twice.  Why?  Well, because.  I thought it was clever.  That's all.

Delighted

 

~with the scarf I received from my parents for my birthday.  I've been wanting a pretty scarf for a while, but I didn't actually ask for it specifically, so that made it all the more fun as I had no idea what I was getting. 

Isn't it pretty?

~also with the birthday present my seven-year-old brother gave me.  He drew it himself with the intention of giving it to one of his sisters when the right occasion presented itself, and when my birthday rolled around he decided that was the opportune time.  He's such a sweetheart.

Sad

~to see my sister drive off to work after being at home for the past few months.  (She works at a theatre, but has a couple months off during the winter when the theatre is preparing for the next show.)  It's been so nice having her home that the sight of her car pulling out of the driveway, on her first official day back at work, made my heart sink.  

Amused

~by my twelve-year-old sister's comment, "I feel it in my bones that you guys are going to watch a movie tonight."  (This is my adopted sister who's only known English for about two years, so the choice of words was doubly amusing coming from her.)  Honestly, though, where did she ever get such an idea as that?  It's not as if her older siblings have a reputation for watching movies after the younger kids go to bed!  Really!

I must say, though.  Either my little sister has very perceptive bones or she just knows her siblings too well, because she was entirely correct in her assumption.  That very night...as soon as the little kids were in bed...the rest of us were in the living room watching Jeeves and Wooster.  (Lucky guess.) 

 

 

Shocked

~No, shocked isn't the right word--horrified more like--when my sixteen-year-old brother pointed out to me that Jeeves plays the Master of Lake Town in The Desolation of Smaug!  Wha-wha-WHHAAAATT?   You're kidding!  Not Jeeves!  That just can't be true!! 

Yeah, and I just about had a fit the next day when we looked up the cast and saw beyond a doubt that it was so!  Jeeves?  The Master of Lake Town?  No, oh no, oh no!!  It's enough to make me lose my faith in human nature!  (Just kidding.  But it did take me a little while to get over the shock of how far Jeeves had fallen!  Haha!) 

 

 

Disappointed

~that we've come to the end of the second season of "When Calls the Heart" and now I, my mom, and my older sisters, no longer have an excuse to indulge in a "girls' night" multiple times throughout the week.  We are all very sad about this, of course...though looking on the bright side of things at least we've made our brothers happy.  They'd been growing somewhat tired of being shut out of the living room so frequently, and had begun to make remarks such as, "You're not  going to have 'girls' night' again, are you?"  "If I hear 'girls' night' one more time..."  "I have some advice for you.  Next time When Calls the Heart, hang up."   Yeah, needless to say, they were quite thrilled when we informed them that the season was over and there were no more episodes to watch.  (That is, until the third season comes out on DVD.  Then...look out!  Hahaha.  *evil laugh of triumph*)

 

 

Happy

 

~reading David Copperfield again.  Oh, that book!  I just love it!  This is, I believe, the fourth time I've read it, and I think I can safely say that it is my absolute favorite Dickens' book!  I won't go into ecstasies over all the lovely characters, and all the wonderful, heart-breaking/heart-warming moments, because I may want to do a review on it and then I'd have nothing left to say.   Or perhaps I'm simply unable to put my love for this book into words and so what's the use of trying?

Here's the book itself.  The actual, literal volume which I've lovingly perused multiple times.  It's a little bit worn, as you can see.  My dad probably never suspected when he bought it that it would come to such a pass, but at least it hasn't sat idle upon the shelf.  ;)

 

This has been random posts with Miss March.  Join us next time to hear Miss March say, "I broke an ankle once skiing.  NOT!  I've never skied in my life.  That was a movie quote."  (Talk about random.)

 

 

What have you all been up to?

Is there anything that's made you particularly happy lately?



I've Been Watching...

...a lot of movies lately.  Aside from Cinderella which was all the rage last week, I have also been watching some very interesting TV shows with some of my family members, and now we are working our way through a mini-series as well, so I thought I'd let you in on the fun.  (That is, if it is fun to hear about the movies which someone else is watching, and you are not.  That is a debatable point, I admit.)  Anyhow...

Little Dorrit

My second oldest sister made the remark the other day that she would like to watch one of our long movies again--you know, the kind of movie that takes you several days to finish.  Well, such a stipulation, while narrowing our choices down considerably, still left us with quite a few options.  Fiddler on the Roof, Pride and Prejudice, Little Dorrit, Emma, Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist...lot's of good possibilities there.  We finally decided on Little Dorrit and began watching it Saturday night.  Can I just say this? I love that movie.  There are so many good characters in it.  And while in  many ways it's a dark and depressing story, still in others it's extremely fun. I'm telling you, we laughed so much the other night.  And really I don't see how one can help it with such characters as Panks and Fanny and Sparkler!  They're hilarious!  Why one only has to look at Sparkler to be overcome with mirth!  And Panks!  His mysterious comments and abrupt snorts are so ridiculously amusing!  Ahem.  Yes, well.   I do admit, Little Dorrit  has it's problems, too.  There are a few scenes which we forward, and I wouldn't say it's the cheerful-est movie I've ever seen (Ha! Far from it!), but if you can tolerate the really aggravating characters and make it through all the heartbreak and emotion then I think you'll agree it's a pretty amazing film.  I like  it anyway.  :)

Downton Abbey

I just started watching the sixth season last night with one of my sisters, my sister-in-law, and my sister-in-law's husband (which would be my brother, just in case you didn't get that. Haha!).  This is not a TV show that I recommend to people because there's too much that I dislike about it, but I have to admit that, personally, I've gotten sucked into the story and so I want to finish it and find out what happens.  So far it looks like this season is going to be pretty typical.  It was amazing how many characters were having a bad day in the very first episode.  Just about everyone had something to worry about.  So, yeah, let the drama begin! 

Oh!  And I just have to say, the Dowager Countess' lines are the best!   "Does it ever get cold up there on the moral high ground?"   So funny!  (Also, I was quite proud of myself for spotting Wickham from P&P '95.  He was just a minor character, and I couldn't place him at first, but I finally figured it out.  I knew I'd seen him before!)

Jeeves and Wooster

We're into the second season of this show now, and I must say it definitely measures up to what people have said of it.  It's hilarious!  Bertie's facial expressions!  And Jeeves', too, for that matter!  And all the ridiculous situations they find themselves in.  For example, the scene we watched last night where Bertie and Jeeves go searching through Miss Stephanie's room in order to find Gussie's book, which she refuses to return to him.  In the midst of their search, Miss Stephanie's vicious little dog jumps out from under the bedclothes, and before you know it Bertie's standing on the dresser and Jeeves...yes Jeeves!...that calm, proper, sophisticated gentleman...is sitting atop the wardrobe!  It took us completely by surprise to see him in such a predicament.  However, even in the midst of such a  ludicrous situation Jeeves still manages to sit up straight and keep his dignity.   (Dignity. Always dignity.)  Yes, well.  All that to say, I am very much enjoying this show.  It's hilariously funny, and if you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you strongly to give it a try. 

Get Smart

We've been watching this show sporadically for months.  I must say, it's one of the silliest TV shows I've ever seen.  The humor might be called "cheesy," but it's delivered in such an extremely funny way that the corniness of it only makes it all the more hilarious!  It's probably one of the few shows that can get away with using the same punch lines over and over again and still make you laugh every time.   It's hilarious, and fun, and...did I mention hilarious?  "Don't tell me I'm using the word hilarious too much. " "You're using the word hilarious too much."  "I ASKED you not to tell me that."  (Sorry, you'd have to see it to appreciate that quote, because the tone of voice is everything, and grr...I can't write a tone of voice in a blog post.)

Have you seen any of these shows?

What do you think of them?

Did I use the word hilarious too much?

Oh!  And am I, by any chance, asking too many questions?

Yes!  You are!

"Sorry about that." (In a Maxwell Smart voice.)