4th of July!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! It is getting so hot out in California! I got my hair chopped off to fight this heat wave. Of course, yesterday, my husband decided it was the perfect time to take a walk to my parents house, instead of drive. For some reason I decided to wear the one top I got recently that covers the back of my neck which totally defeated the purpose of having short hair. Yup. I'm just brilliant.

The walk was nice though. Especially the first half before it got too hot. Then we stopped for Menchie's midway and when we left, the sun was beaming. We had a great day though! Once we got to my parents, we had a barbecue and spent most of the day in the pool. Gwith and I were attempting tandem noodling. It mostly ended in chaos, but it was tons of fun! Then, we drove up to Topanga Canyon to try and find a great view of the fireworks. Note to self for next year: Do not drive up the canyon to watch. It sounds great in theory but first of all, it's super crowded (and a truck decided there was enough space to pull in right where we were standing with my sister and her boyfriend, and it nearly hit us) and secondly, you can barely see the fireworks! They're so tiny from that high up. After Gwith and I arrived back home though, we were pulling into the garage and started hearing fireworks. Thus began our yearly tradition of firework chasing. We got lucky and found them in a park not too far away!

Last year, our firework chase led us in the direction of these people in my parents neighborhood who were setting them off. We stopped at their location to watch and the second we arrived, they'd jump in the car all freaked out, and drive off. We kept finding them in different spots to try and watch...and they kept leaving. It was pretty funny. They must've thought we were going to call the police or something.

You should know that I was worried about Willow freaking out from the sound of fireworks so I turned on the Castle marathon for her. Ironically, she decided she wanted to wait to watch the fireworks and hopped over to the window and eagerly looked out.

Today, I'm planning to FINALLY watch this week's episode of The Bachelorette. Yay! I feel so behind and I'm sad that I haven't read the EW recap of it yet. I love those.

This week, a friend and I are going to see Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing. I'm very excited to check it out and see Fred and Wes reunited!!

It appears I've run out of things to say today. Must be the heat! I think it's melting my brain.

Anyways, how was everyones 4th of July? Did you see fireworks? Have you seen Much Ado About Nothing?

Willow waiting for the sun to go down!

The Best 4th of July TV Marathon

Not everyone plans the same thing for the 4th of July. Sure, for some the holidays are all about family, friends, barbecues, swimming pools, yada, yada, yada. My favorite part of the holidays? Watching TV marathons. I do it every year for every holiday. Thanksgiving it's every Thanksgiving themed episode of "Friends". Halloween, there's nothing better than "Buffy". Christmas and Chanukah it's any holiday themed episode of my favorite shows. Valentine's day, episodes where my favorite TV couples fall in love. 4th of July? Well that's what I'm hear to advise you on today!

Given the theme of 4th of July is our independence, I think it's highly appropriate to have a binge marathon on TV shows where the characters are fighting for their beliefs. Especially the episodes where they rise to the occasion against all odds.

Here's my suggestion of 8 great shows to marathon or 12 selected episodes to include in your perfect 4th of July marathon:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer-

For the super Buffy enthusiast, power watch the show starting bright and early Thursday morning. As someone who watched the 4th season of Angel in just one day, I know it is entirely possibly to enjoy at least 4 seasons of Buffy over this four day weekend! If you don't have that much time on your hands, I suggest including these episodes in your ultimate 4th of July marathon:

S2x21/22: "Becoming Pt. 1 & 2"

No friends. No family. What does Buffy have left? Herself.

S3x1: "Anne"

After Buffy runs off to LA, she realizes that no matter where she runs, she will always be the slayer and fighting against evil.

S7x22: "Chosen"

The First may think it's all mighty and powerful but in this episode, an important choice is made that empowers each potential slayer.

Angel

If you're already a Whedonite, chances are, you've already seen it all. Change up your usual marathon and watch the first season of Angel and the fifth season back to back to really highlight the rising moments of our hero! No matter what, don't forget to watch the final episode:

S5x22: "Not Fade Away"

This show was about fighting for the greater good, fighting for a cause. Whether Team Angel would win or lose this final battle, it didn't matter. What matters is they got to work and they fought.

24

If you're going to pick a season of 24 to binge watch, pick season 5. Not only is it, in my opinion, the best season, Jack also came back to town from on the run because he needed to save the day once again. If you're going to stick with my 12 episodes marathon, switch to season 1 and watch these two amazing episodes:

S1x12/13: "Day 1: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm" & "Day 1: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm"

It's impossible to choose just one and hard to choose just two episodes of 24 but these episodes were the only true ones where if it ended at 1:00 pm, Jack would have saved the day.

Castle

There is nothing better than Kate Beckett trying to find the answers to her mother's murder. I'd suggest watching the episodes that showcase Beckett's greatest cause and don't skip out on this gem of an episode:

S3x24: "Knockout"

Sure, Captain Montgomery was involved in some bad stuff way back in the day but he died a hero: sacrificing his life to try and save Beckett and put an end to the coverup.

Chuck

One of my TV favorites! Chuck is the perfect way to spend 4th of July. It's got comedy, it's got drama, and most importantly, it shows the rise of a hero, in a mostly non-supernatural setting (we'll pretend the intersect is a real thing). If you have the chance and don't depend on sleep, you can watch this show in four days. Hit the play all button and don't look back. If you have to pick a season though, pick season 2. It marked Chuck's change from a guy stuck as a hero to a guy who truly wants to save the world. Pick just one episode? Go with this one:

S2x22: "Chuck vs. The Ring"

Becoming the intersect wasn't Chuck's choice but becoming a hero was.

Friends

Amidst all of the other shows full of drama, you're probably a little surprised to see Friends on this list! Independence though doesn't always have to be about fighting battles and saving the world. For most of us normal people, this show represents what independence is truly about. Getting out into the world and surviving on your own. Pick your favorite episodes but don't forget this classic:

S1x1: "The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate"

Not everything you watch today has to be filled with explosions. Rachel did cut up her father's credit cards in this episode and it doesn't get any more independent than that!

White Collar

Neal may not be free but he's got a pretty sweet deal and who knows, maybe one day he will get to independently choose to be an agent with the FBI. If you don't have the 4th (and latest) season saved on your DVR, you can watch the first three, which are all on DVD. No matter what, be sure to watch this episode:

S3x16: "Judgement Day"

Will Neal wake up tomorrow and only answer to himself? Or will his independence still remain years away?

Dexter

4th of July just took a massive turn to the dark side - or should I say, dark passenger? Yes, Dexter is a serial killer. Yes. It's not good that he kills people. But honestly, isn't he just Superman without superpowers and a cape? He still kills the bad guys. Dexter struggles with his independence every day. He thinks he's without a soul and yet he doesn't want to let go of Harry's Code because he truly does not want to hurt the innocent. Enter your binge marathon of Dexter with the first season and don't miss it's concluding episode:

S1x12: "Born Free"

Who is Dexter Morgan? Is he a super hero or a serial killer? Dexter is always trying to figure out who he is but when given the choice to save Deb's life or finally have his long lost brother, he battles himself and his code and chooses.

Don't own any of these on DVD or have Netflix? Don't fret. There's always an "NCIS" marathon happening on USA, a "Castle" marathon on TNT, a "Star Trek: TNG" marathon on BBC, or if you don't feel like seeing people battling for the greater good in solid story lines, there's always the show where self righteous characters battle for their own greater good, "Beverly Hills, 90210" on Soap. If you're not into a TV marathon, my final suggestion is to watch a Die Hard movie marathon. Just skip the latest one and pretend it never happened.

Have a great 4th of July everyone!

Mystical Vibe, Big Bear, more Graceland, and Sims 3!

I was hoping to post a little earlier today but my hubby had the day off and I have my priorities! Speaking of today, my sweet husband surprised me by taking me to Big Bear! The ducks were out in force today and really wanted food; so much so that they started chasing each other away in the water! After that, we enjoyed a peaceful boat ride where we nearly fell asleep we were so relaxed! The day came to an end with some delicious Chinese food from Mandarin Lotus in Agoura Hills and episodes of Castle!

Now, onto my music. I said I'd talk about each of my songs and I intend to keep that promise. I'm going to start with "Mystical Vibe". Back when I was 14 and only dreaming of what true love could be like (and pulling from my fictional experience through TV), I wrote this song. The song is about falling hopelessly in love with someone and losing yourself in them. It really does describe the way you do fall in love for the first time as a teen. You completely forget about yourself and your world just revolves around this one person. The song reminds me of Disney World (where I had my first date & kiss) just months after writing this. This song was my teenage fairytale and will always hold a special place in my heart. That's why this song begins my CD. I really felt like it was the beginning of my journey of falling in love. In a cheesy way, it was my first stepping stone to eventually finding my amazing husband. Mystical Vibe releases on my CD "Stepping Stone" July 15th, on iTunes!

Switching topics to my daily TV talk! I watched the most recent Graceland last night and I'm liking where the show is going. Even that actress I was hating is getting better. Thank goodness because she really was painful to watch originally! Now that I know Briggs is being investigated because of "money" stuff, I'm more on his side. Is it weird that when I thought it was for him being a loose cannon, I found it much more likely that he was bad? And now that it's supposedly money related I just don't believe it's true. And how sad that the other guy couldn't put his drugs and CI life behind him and buy that house for himself.

The Sims 3 Island Paradise comes out tomorrow! Is it bad that being on the boat today reminded me that my sims will get to be on a boat tomorrow? I am so excited! My hubby and I are going to run to Best Buy tomorrow morning for the game! I would pre-order but they didn't have that option when I was 9 and I started the tradition way back then of getting it from the store the day it comes out. Well, or at that age, having my mom get it from the store the day it came out.

So that's it for today! I'm assuming I'll be blogging tomorrow but who am I kidding, there is a significant possibility that I'll be too busy sailing my sims away! But hey, it's got to crash sometime right? The game, not the fake boat.

What's your favorite weekend excursion to take? Do you remember the first time you fell in love? Again, is Briggs bad? And how long do you think it will take for Island Paradise to crash? I'm taking bets!

My Bunny is a TV Addict!

So I've been trying to be really good about making this a daily thing. Of course, yesterday, it was my hubby's day off from work and my dad's birthday so I had to prioritize!

I don't know if you guys noticed on my last post or not, but the new TV meter I created has a little bunny on the rating system. Of course, if I was truly rating shows by Willow's preference, things would get crazy! Two days ago, Gwith and I sat down to watch our nightly episode of Castle, and I kid you not, the moment we hit play and the TV made a sound, Willow came running into the room and flopped onto the rug all eager to watch. She didn't get up and hop around until the episode was over...and she came back in for the second one.

I think Castle is right up there with Dawson's Creek now. Have I mentioned that her favorite show is Dawson's Creek? She loves James van der Beek. She also loves Dawson & Joey (what can I say, she's not perfect). When Joey got together with Pacey (and I was filled with my usual happiness), she started boycotting the show. She'd only hop in for James van der Beek scenes. Yes, my rabbit is fickle. She also watches Beverly Hills 90210 with us - but she's skipped all of the really terrible episodes. I have no idea how she senses which episodes are good or bad but somehow she does.

Switching topics.

I was playing The Sims 3 today and downloaded the new ballet set from the store! I am super excited that my sims finally can have a dance skill. I've been waiting for this for so long! Of course, if my game would stop crashing and freezing on me, it would probably all be a lot more enjoyable. My sim (and her husband) did however get to visit her elderly parents that I built a retirement home for. I've never been very good at playing with my sims once their elderly, or having my sims see them once they move out, but this actually works well! My sims go over every weekend and play dominos/pool/ping-pong with her parents and watch a movie!

I wish Tuesday was here already!!! I am so excited for Island Paradise! I've been building beach houses for my sims with docks all ready for their new boats. Maybe I should put the 90210 beach house I built a while back in Island Paradiso?

Ooo! Even better thought! I can now create Dawson and Joey's homes and have Joey row across the water to Dawson's! That would be incredibly fun.

In other news, I'm improving on my guitar skills! I thought I'd learn to play so I could actually play along with my own songs. After teaching myself the basic chords and strings and practicing rotating between them, I have finally started to learn strumming. Yay! Now, if I could just stretch my fingers out so I could play that G chord without cheating, that'd be great. Oh well. It will all come in time. I'm looking forward to getting a teacher at some point. Although, I have to admit, it's nice to just teach myself. There isn't really any stress and it makes it even more exciting when I learn something new!

Finally, before I wrap this up to go and watch The Bachelorette, I must post my usual about Veronica Mars! Max Greenfield has finally be announced for the movie. I am very excited to have Deputy Leo back! I am curious how they're going to use all of these different characters, but I have faith in Rob Thomas.

Yesterday, my husband and I went to LA and we tried to sneak a peek at the movie being filmed. Unfortunately, it was all being filmed in the sound stages, so all we caught a glimpse of was the building.

Do you have any pets that are addicted to TV? And if so, what's their favorite show? Have you built any fun places for your sims to go or new homes? And finally, are you excited about the return of Deputy Leo?