moons and junes and ferris wheels

A post about GH after not posting for months on end.

raindrops888 — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 23:59:51 GMT

I watched General Hospital live today for the first time in forever and it completely WRECKED ME.

First off, I can see the improvements with the new regime. I watched every single scene and was not bored out of my mind. Then again, everything was related to Robin's funeral and no mob stuff was involved, so that's not surprising.

I knew I was going to take Robin's death hard. When I first found out they were killing her off, I was furious, mostly because they were planning on going down the HIV/AIDS route. I thought it was such a disgraceful way to kill a character who's been on the show since she was 7 years old and a beacon of hope for those living with HIV. They've since changed her exit story and even though it was still terrible and pathetic (really, Robin, you went back into the lab for Jason? *rolls eye*), I can at least live in denial that she's not really dead and will be back in the future.

I'm also annoyed that Robin is leaving the show when we finally get decent show runners. I know Kimberly McCullough wants to go into directing and I'm sure she wants new challenges in life, but ugh. I had to suffer through blog wars and Lisa Niles and other awful storylines. Patrick and Robin could have gotten some great storylines in the upcoming months/years! Wasted potential.

Robin has and always will be my favourite soap character and I've invested years into her and Patrick's relationship so it was always going to be tough saying goodbye. I didn't think I would end up BAWLING MY EYES OUT. Every time Patrick was on screen today (with or without Robin), tears would just start leaking from my eyes. I was glad I was watching the show alone because it was quite embarrassing. Jason Thompson is killing it with Patrick's grief. SOMEONE GIVE HIM ALL THE AWARDS.

It also doesn't help that they found the most adorable girl to play Emma.

The point of this post? I am going to be a sobbing mess in the upcoming days. JUST LOOKING AT THIS BREAKS MY HEART.

Emmys 2011

raindrops888 — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 02:56:56 GMT

Jason Katims/Friday Nights Lights won for best writing.

Julianna Margulies for best actress!!

KYLE CHANDLER. BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES!

MY BRAIN CANNOT HANDLE FNL FINALLY GETTING RECOGNITION FOR ITS PERFECTION.

Thanks, Jack.

raindrops888 — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 07:40:01 GMT

I'm currently in Paris, gluttonously eating my way through the city after three weeks of working on an organic farm in the Normandy region (hello, regular access to internet!) but at the moment, I feel nothing but sorrow from the news of Jack Layton's death. He was such a positive, inspirational and formidable force in Canadian politics that I thought there was nothing he couldn't do, including beating cancer. And just when the NDP finally became the opposition party! I was so looking forward to seeing him in the house, opposing Stephen Harper. He really was a people's politician, constantly working to better this country. I remember seeing him last summer at the Taste of Danforth, a Greek food festival in his constituency, shaking hands with the people and charming everyone's pants off.

Here are some last words he left for the public, which he wrote two day before his death:

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."

Is it May 3rd yet?

raindrops888 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 22:21:39 GMT

The Good Wife 2x21 promo.

!!!!

Fandom March Madness 2011

raindrops888 — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 01:07:11 GMT

Work today was RIDICULOUS (though let's be honest, that sums up my past week and a half), but this improved my mood immensely:

BRING IT ON.

"A man got to have a code."

raindrops888 — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 03:24:41 GMT

I just spent the past two days watching season 4 of The Wire. I've had the dvds for almost a year but finally started watching them when I got sick over the holidays. I can't believe it took me this long to watch the show because holy eff, it is fantastic. Realistic, complex, nothing is ever black and white and seeing bureaucracy in action is frustrating and infuriating.

I've been watching an episode or two here and there but could not stop myself from clicking "next episode" once I hit season 4. The theme of the season is education and it was completely fascinating and heartbreaking to see these barely-teenage boys grow up and survive in their neighbourhood and pulled into the drug game because that was all they knew.

I'm eager to finish the last season but The Wire is like a good book - I can't put it down, but don't want it to end either.

2011 Books & Films

raindrops888 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:54:31 GMT

Books:
01. Free The Children by Craig Kielburger
02. Persepolis 1 & 2 by Marjane Satrapi
03. Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan by Bruce Feiler
04. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
05. A Year in Japan by Kate T. Williamson
06. Blankets by Craig Thompson
07. Little Princes by Conor Grennan
08: Mediterranean Summer: A Season on France's Cote D'Azur and Italy's Costa Bella by David Shalleck with Erol Munuz
09. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
10. Bossypants by Tina Fey
11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (reread)
12. My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme
13. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
14. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
15. My Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz
16. Towelhead by Alicia Erian
17. The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
18. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
19. Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford

Films:
01. The Social Network
02. Sunshine
03. The King's Speech
04. Blue Valentine
05. Never Let Me Go
06. Easy A
07. Billy Elliot
08. Kings of Pastry
09. Bridesmaids
10. Baby Mama
11. Arthur
12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 & 2
13. Morning Glory
14. Just Go With It
15. Serendipity
16. The Fighter
17. Midnight in Paris
18. Food Matters
19. Butter
20. L'hiver dernier (Last Winter)
21. The Fountain
22. Crazy, Stupid, Love
23. Jane Eyre
24. The Help
25. Friends with Kids
26. One Day
27. The Ides of March
28. Martha Marcy May Marlene
29. 50/50
30. Beginners
31. Drive
32. Moneyball
33. The Holiday
34. The Adventures of Tintin

raindrops888 — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 04:18:08 GMT

It's surprising how the death of someone I don't personally know can truly, completely stop me in my tracks.

Mark Dailey passed away today at the age of 57. For as long as I can remember, he did the voiceover for CityTV (a local television channel). To me, he IS CityTV. He used to do these hilarious intros to the movies playing on the channel - a brief summary while injecting his own opinion (i.e. mocking the terribleness of the movie).

At the end of every hour, the channel shows a brief clip or montage of something related to the city and his voice would say, "This is CityTV... everywhere." A simple slogan, yet iconic to the channel. It's hard to imagine anyone else doing the voiceover.

CityTV and Toronto has suffered a great loss today. Mark Dailey, you will be missed.

HP 7.1

raindrops888 — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 02:11:52 GMT

HOW FANTASTIS WAS THIS MOVIE?!

As much as I love the franchise, I have an underlying fear that the movies will be terrible because they usually are 50% of the time. This is especially true as a Ron Weasley fan because we all know Steve Kloves has a hard on for Hermione so he tends to give all of Ron's great lines to her and shun Ron to the side. Remember the ending of HBP where Harry and Hermione were having a heart-to-heart and Ron was randomly sitting there in the background? RAGE.

So I was pleasantly surprise at how great this movie was as a whole. I'm not sure how much sense it made to those who have never read the books (things that were not explained: the broken piece of mirror that Harry carried and why Dobby appeared to help them at Malfoy Mansion, why the trio were discovered at Tottenham Court because I'm pretty sure Harry didn't utter Voldemort's name, etc.) but as someone who reread the series recently, I thought this was the best adaptation of the books and I'm hoping part 2 will continue to be just as amazing. My only huge complaint was that I went to the 7pm show, which meant I was stuck with all the obnoxious tweens/teens who nearly ruined it for me with all the squealing/screaming. Note to self: suck it up and watch the 10:30pm show next time or better yet, go to the midnight screening.

Things I enjoyed:

- RON BEING BOOK!RON.

- I was spoiled for the Harry/Hermione dancing scene and was afraid it was going to be Steve Kloves pushing his ship preference on us again but it turned out to be a really nice BFF moment between the two of them. I love the Harry/Hermione friendship in the books and while there was an overtone of H/Hr in the beginning of the scene (when he's taking off the locket), I took the scene as Harry trying to cheer Hermione up and he succeed, if only briefly. Great addition to the movie and I got a great laugh out of Harry dancing dorkily.

- That effing snitch always gets to me - "I open at the close." I had tears in my eyes when the message appeared etched on the snitch.

- The trio really stepped up their acting game but it was Emma Watson who impressed me the most. This is the first time where I thought she did a great job as Hermione - thank goodness she is no longer over-enunciating or eyebrow-acting

- George bringing the funny during the awkward Harry/Ginny kiss.

- The seven Harry Potters. PERFECTION. What really made the scene was Fleur!Harry putting her head down on Bill's back when they were on the thestral. LOL.

- All the little Ron/Hermione moments. Glad they kept the hands-almost-touching moment when they're sleeping in the living room, and I swooned when he touched her face and told her she should do the obliviate spell since she's the best at charms. Look, I know that moment was not in the book and was probably inappropriate for the setting, but I've been shipping them for 10 years and am impatiently waiting for The Kiss so I will take what I can get in the mean time, okay?

Nitpicks:

- "She's like my sister... I thought you knew." Where the fuck was that line? This is such an important moment for Ron - he is forced to bare his soul, to show his deepest fears to Harry. This scene isn't so much about R/Hr vs. H/Hr but about Harry and Ron's friendship and Harry being there for his best friend when he's at his lowest point. Ron's most poignant moment in the book (and the Harry & Ron bromance) was taken a backseat just so they could keep the non-existent love triangle in the movie. SO MUCH RAGE.

- I wanted Ron to lose his shit when Hermione was being tortured. Not enough angst/urgency for me. I kind of wish there was more screaming on Hermione's part as well (I always imagined this scene to be more... intense and completely awful) but I thought Bellatrix carving "mudblood" into Hermione's arm was a chilling touch.

- Dobby dying in the book is when I lose all composure and start crying like there's no tomorrow. The part that really gets to me is when everyone takes off a piece of clothing and puts them on Dobby's body and I really, really wish we got that in the movie. Plus, I wanted Harry to carve "Here lies Dobby, a free elf" onto a rock. Also, I thought Bill/Fleur's house was located on a cliff overlooking the water rather than next to a beach? It wasn't quite where I imagined Dobby to be buried.

- Dean is one of my favourite secondary characters so it's such a shame that he was completely cut out of this film.

Overall , I really loved the movie and I'm ready to go see it again.

raindrops888 — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 03:26:38 GMT

The new tv season is underway and I may have been a little ambitious with my schedule because I'm behind on shows already. Or I need to give up on shows I no longer have interest in rather than having the episodes build up on my hard drive.

Battle of the Blades:
I talked about the first season of this show in January and the second season has started out even more amazing. The bar has been raised - one week in and the guys were already skating in sync with the girls and doing fantastic lifts. The second week was even better - two double throws were completed successfully, one couple did a leap of faith and all the guys looked like REAL pair skaters. It's the little things (posture, arm and head placement, footwork) that makes a big difference in the routine and it makes me so happy that this year, the guys are really giving their all right from the start. The show has gone international and brought in Kyoko Ina and Katia Gordeeva (!!!), who is partnered up with Valeri Bure (aka DJ Tanner's husband). I need to go to one of the tapings, if only to see Katia (of Gordeeva/Grinkov fame, aka possibly the best pair skaters of all time). I have never seen her perform live before and seeing her skate would make my life complete. BotB never fails to put me in a gleeful mood (whereas Glee does the opposite, but I won't get into that.) Are any Canadians watching this? As for non-Canadians, some of the programs are uploaded on youtube here and here.

The Good Wife:
I don't have anything objective to say about this show because when Tuesday night, 10pm comes rolling around, I become this:

Oh show, so glad to have you back in my life. Also, please make this happen a la Fug Girls:

But imagine how delicious it'd be if, say, she had to take her kids to the doctor, and the pediatrician turned out to be none other than her ex-ER co-star George Clooney, as — oh, let's call him Dr. Ross Douglas. In fact, we'd advocate setting an entire episode in Dr. Douglas's office. And then, if Cloons is in a giving mood, his character could get sued for malpractice and need a lawyer … and the stress could cause him to develop an extremely rare, tragic pants allergy. Truly, the story-line potential is endless.

Leafs:
I know the season just started and it's too early to even be cautiously optimistic, but the whole city is a-buzzing about how we'll they've been playing so far. Last Saturday, I was at a party thing and no one could take their eyes off the tv because we were all in disbelief at what was happening on the screen. Keep in mind, last weekend was a pre-season game and yet, we were in awe that the team was actually playing well. This is what happens after several shitty seasons.

Things I am thankful for: that this is a long weekend. MUCH needed.

Fall 2010 Teevee Schedule

raindrops888 — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:38:54 GMT

Sunday
8pm: Battle of the Blades (CBC) [Sept. 26]
10pm: Mad Men (AMC)

Monday
8pm: Battle of the Blades: Result Show (CBC)
8pm: Chuck (NBC) [Sept. 20]
8pm: How I Met Your Mother (CBS) [Sept. 20]
10pm: Weeds (Showtime)*

Tuesday
8pm: Glee (Fox) [Sept. 21]
10pm: The Good Wife (CBS) [Sept. 28]
10pm: Parenthood (NBC) [Sept. 14]

Wednesday
8pm: Undercovers (NBC) [Sept. 22]
9pm: Modern Family (ABC) [Sept. 22]
9pm: Friday Night Lights (DirecTV) [Oct. 27)*

Thursday
8pm: The Vampire Diaries (ATV) [Sept. 9]
9pm: Nikita (ATV) [Sept. 9]
10pm: Addison's Anatomy (ABC) [Sept. 23]

Friday
9pm: Supernatural (CW) [Sept. 24]*

Midseason
Mr. Sunshine (ABC)

*download

I'm giving all the new spy shows a try because I have a soft spot for them from my Alias days. Mr. Sunshine is the only new show I am looking forward to (Allison Janney! Matthew Perry!) but it isn't starting until 2011 because the universe hates me.

Pacey Witter is the greatest character in television history. Ever. Period.

raindrops888 — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:24:23 GMT

Fannish linkage:

+ PACEY-CON. Which lead to this video:

I WILL NEVER STOP LOVING YOU JOSHUA JACKSON/PACEY WITTER.

+ Matt Long is now on Mad Men. You guys, he was on this amazing WB show that no one watched called Jack & Bobby (which also had Bradley Cooper and John Slattery) and I am so glad his pretty self has finally found some decent work.

+ Mark Reads Harry Potter. It's absolutely hilarious and I love going along for the ride as he discovers HP for the first time (he's at Goblet of Fire). I just finished rereading the whole series and was a complete mess during the last book.

+ Also, can it be November already so we can have the Deathly Hallows film (part 1)? I know I'll be disappointed eventually because the movies never live up to my expectations but at the moment, I'm completely hyped up from watching the trailer over and over again.

Fuck yeah Coach/Mrs. Coach!

raindrops888 — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:20:09 GMT

HOLY CRAPPERS.

Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton were nominated for an Emmy for best actor/actress.

I actually gasped when I found out. After three years of snubs, I've given up hope that this show would get any recognition for its amazingness.

'TIS A JOYOUS DAY.

"You might even have a scar now, if you're lucky."

raindrops888 — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:21:38 GMT

+ The violent G20 protesters have succeeded in transferring my hatred towards the government for wasting $1 billion of my tax dollars to them because they spent most of yesterday trashing the downtown core of my city. FUCK YOU and get out of my town. I'm so disgusted by the events of this weekend. Whoever thought hosting the G20 was a good idea can go DIAF. (This does not mean I condone the actions committed by the police this weekend; I don't even want to get into that right now.)

+ I'm sorry, but even the G20 wasn't going to prevent me from heading downtown to watch England's game today. (They are the only team I would willingly get up for at 7:30 in the morning.) Dear FIFA: I THINK IT'S TIME THE REFS LOOK AT VIDEO REPLAY BEFORE MAKING A FINAL DECISION. It does wonders in hockey (i.e. to see if a player is offside) and it will prevent refs from making shoddy calls like a goal not being counted when the ball CLEARLY BOUNCED OVER THE LINE. That said, Germany was the better team. England has played like crap this tournament, the defense was practically non-existent today and the strikers couldn't get past Germany's wall of defense. I knew Germany had the advantage going into the game, but it doesn't make the loss any less painful. You think I'd be used to England breaking my heart by now, but... no.

+ I had the most delicious calamari at a Greek restaurant the other day. I'm pretty sure it was deep fried in butter and other unhealthy things, but it was DELICIOUS. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

+ Saw Arcade Fire in concert a couple weekends ago when they did two surprise shows. I've been wanting to see them for years now and they did not disappoint.

+ I'm currently reading Fast Food Nation and it's taking me ages to get through it because every couple of pages, my rage at the food industry becomes unmanageable and I need to take a breather. I'd love to read a book or some articles focusing on the Canadian food system so if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'll be forever grateful.

+ At the same time, I'm also rereading the Harry Potter series and I'm now on Goblet of Fire. I surprisingly got very emotional in book one when Harry caught his first snitch since that moment of joy and innocence is such a contrast to what the same snitch represents in the last book. Seriously, I had tears in my eyes.

+ Beard Papa's cream puffs has finally arrived in Toronto! MY LIFE, IT IS COMPLETE.

"This is my warm and understanding face."

raindrops888 — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:26:30 GMT

Friday Night Lights:
I know I haven't talked about this show in ages but it is still my favourite thing on tv. Season 1 was absolute perfection in my eyes, but season 4 came pretty close to topping it over - it was amazing but on a completely different level. The show became a little darker, the characters more tragic, and I spent the latter half of the season watching the episodes holding my breath, unable to breathe because things were fucking intense. I started off the season hesitant about the new characters but slowly but surely, because this is FNL, the characters worked their way in my heart. Even Becky won me over in her pivotal storyline. Looking forward to another season in Dillon, Texas in the fall.

Now onto my favourite new show of the season:

The Good Wife:
As much as I want Will/Alicia to happen, I practically stood up and cheered when she told him that she wants a plan from him because she has kids and a husband who's running for State's Attorney and the media waiting for a new scandal to occur and basically, reality trumps romance. Who knew that a character being a rational, responsible adult would make for compelling tv? Other shows should give it a try.

We finally got the dinner between Will and Alicia! There was laughter and reminiscing about Georgetown and being comfortable around each other while the UST was crackling in the air. The evening was interrupted by Kalinda calling and you know she asked Alicia if she and Will finally took the plunge from the way Alicia rolled her eyes and stifled a "no" in response. Hee.

I let out a squeal when I saw Gary Cole's name in the credit because I enjoy his character with Diane. Diane was harsh for using the information she gained from her personal relationship with McVeigh after he told her that he would turn that job offer because of said relationship. You knew she regretted being so manipulative after the meeting but at the same time, she was pretty damned pleased with herself for winning because she's a great (ruthless) lawyer. And then in the end when they exchanged looks layered in meaning and he lets her in his barn anyway - oh show, I love you for your complex, grey characters and subtle acting.

Jackie is fucking RIDICULOUS. I shook my head in disbelief and chortled at the words that came out of her mouth.

I miss Alicia and Cary's collegiality though I think Cary acting as an opposing lawyer could lead to some interesting conflict. I do hope he eventually gets over his bitterness and their adversarial relationship becomes respectful again like most opposing lawyers on the show - they'll duke it out in court but are friendly with each other outside of court.

Kalinda's character is still the hardest to read. I can't tell if she made out and/or slept with the cop or the FBI agent for pleasure or for information. Right now I'm thinking she actually likes Tony since she freaked out about the possibility that he was a corrupt cop and was overcompensating to discover the truth because she's kicking herself for letting her guard down around him. And maybe she was playing the FBI agent even though the tension between them was off the charts (then again, Kalinda has chemistry with anything that moves), but it's never black and white with her character. Also, laaaame that we didn't get to see the kissing. Is it because the show is on CBS? The shot of the feet moving towards each other was nice in the artistic sense, but it also felt like a cop out to not show females making out.

I spend my week waiting for Tuesday to come around for a new episode of TGW so it's going to be a loooong summer. TGW fandom is almost non-existent and there is very little fic to read. Dear flist: please start watching this smart, brilliant show and jump into the fandom. Or write about your thoughts so I can hijack your comments. To win you over, here's a gif of Josh Charles:

You're welcome.

Here be current tv.

raindrops888 — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:26:50 GMT

+ The Good Wife: I started watching it this weekend because my friend kept insisting that I check it out, I was promised Dan Rydell/Carol Hathaway action, and my ER rewatch made me realize that I need Julianna Margulies back in my life on a weekly basis. YOU GUYS, I LOVE IT. I didn't think I would because I'm not a procedural show kind of person, but I do.

JOSH CHARLES, ILU. I have no idea what you've been up to since Sports Night (whereas it seems like I've seen everything Peter Krause has been in?) but I am so glad you've found work on tv again. Every time Will fidgets with the baseball or is in a basketball scene, I want to yell out DANNNNNY.

Will/Alicia? Yeah, I ship it. I was DYING in that scene with the "I want to be here/I want you to be here" and the smoldering looks. AND THEN THE KISS. With Alicia running away but then making a conscious decision to return to him ("This is not a good idea") but they end up missing each other because they've always had bad timing (!!!). I was spoiled for the kiss but everything else had me FLAILING. I haven't even gotten to the part where she used Peter for sex, followed by the awkward threesome breakfast discussion the next day. AWKWARDLY AWESOME.

Julianna Margulies is aging gorgeously. Though I do wonder how long it takes for her to straighten her hair.

Diane hooking up with Bingo Bob was absolutely delightful and I want Kalinda to be my best friend because of exchanges like this:

Random Guy: Don't you need a warrant or something?
Kalinda: Yeah, if I were a cop. I can get bolt cutters in here but it'll be easier if you just opened it.
Random Guy: So you're not a cop?
Kalinda: No.
Random Guy: And you're not with campus police?
Kalinda: No.
Random Guy: So who are you?
Kalinda: Kalinda.

I enjoy the complex relationships on the show and how a semi-hostile work/lawyer relationship doesn't mean the characters hate each other. Diane and Will can have heated arguments about their firm during the day but are capable of chatting and having drinks with each other at night. Or Will and Patti Nyholm (the pregnant lawyer who now has a baby girl) can be at each other's throats in court, playing absolutely dirty, but are able to joke with each other outside of court. And then there's Kalinda. KALINDA. Who's working for both Peter and Childs and works her magic to get information and says things like, "Have you been a naughty girl? ... Going now" to Alicia AND I KIND OF LOVE HER A LOT.

I don't want to wait until the end of the month for a new episode! WHAT THE HELL, CBS.

+ Chuck: I can't believe how this show has gone downhill (though there were hints of it last season). I don't care much for Chuck/Sarah and their relationship has sucked the fun out of this show. Also, it's absurd that Chuck is now a real spy and refuses to use a firearm. It's like the early seasons of Alias where Sydney never killed anyone because she was a "good" spy. Please.

+ Parenthood: decided to give this show a chance because of Jason Katims and I think the show has gotten stronger with each episode. No where near FNL quality, but I'm still enjoying it. The storyline I'm most invested in is, weirdly, Dax Shepard's character Crosby. How adorable is Jabbar and Crosby's efforts to be a parent to him?

+ Addison's Anatomy: DON'T JUDGE ME. General Hospital continues to be all mob, all the time rather than a soap opera so I have replaced it with this instead. The medical storylines are laughable, the characters and their relationships are ridiculously over the top but as long as I don't take anything seriously, it will continue to be my fun, soapy show. That Addison/Pete/Violet moment at the end of the last episode? AWESOME.

+ Other shows I'm watching: Modern Family (Cameron love!), SPN (the only person I can stand at the moment is Castiel?) and HIMYM (I want this show to be memorable again instead of me watching the episode and then forgetting everything that just happened.)

Get a CBC, chem 20, type and cross for four units.

raindrops888 — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:35:19 GMT

For the past two weeks, I've been consuming a lot of ER. It started innocently, when I wanted to watch a couple of Doug/Carol-centric episodes but ended up watching all of season 4 and 5. I wasn't quite ready to watch Carter and Lucy get stabbed so I backtracked and am now on season 3. At the same time, I'm watching clips from the other seasons while reading recaps. My god, I used to love this show and shipped Doug/Carol SO HARD, before I even knew the terms shipping and fandom existed. I had to steel myself to watch 'The Storm' parts 1 & 2 (the one where Clooney left) because I couldn't bear to see Doug's life spiral out of control, but had 'Such Sweet Sorrow' and 'Old Times' to soothe my broken heart. I am so, so thankful that the writers, producers and actors of ER made last season's episode happen. I hoped and hoped that we would get a glimpse of Doug & Carol's life after their reunion in Seattle but to actually see it on screen, nine years later - it was honestly one of the most satisfying moments on television ever, where I thought I was going to burst with joy.

I was reading the recap for 'On the Beach' (the one where Mark dies in Hawaii) and unexpectedly, tears started rolling down my face. I didn't even cry when this episode originally aired and was never a Mark Greene fan so this was a bewildering reaction on my part. I think what really got to me was that throughout the episode, Mark desperately wanted to fix Rachel before he died (who had become a troubled teen), telling her he didn't have that much time left. It kills me (as an audience) that I know, in the series finale, Rachel is going to follow her dad's footsteps of becoming a doctor, even wanting to attend med school at the same hospital where he worked. Mark never got to see his daughter "fixed," but we did.

ER really does a fabulous job of having the storylines come full circle. Some classics:
+ "You set the tone": Morgenstern telling Mark after Carol's suicide attempt (about 3:30); Mark giving Carter the same advice; Carter attempting to pass it on to Morris (start at 7:00).
+ "There's two kinds of doctors": Mark giving Carter the pep talk in the pilot; Carter giving Gallant the same pep talk after Mark's death.

In my bias opinion, ER started going downhill after season 5 but it still had some great moments (helicopters excluded). I'm really glad the show brought back all the old characters in its final season so that we got some sort of closure on their lives.

Luuuuuuu. CROSBY!

raindrops888 — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:01:11 GMT

THANK YOU, TEAM CANADA, FOR TODAY'S WIN.

Today will go down as the best sporting event of my LIFE (until the Leafs win the Stanley Cup, that is.) My friend and I rushed out of the bar after Crosby scored because we wanted to be at the heart of downtown to celebrate the win. The first thing that happened? A guy was running down the street in his hockey jersey, arms opened, and hugged me/lifted me off the ground. AND I DIDN'T MIND.

I spent the next two hours on the streets in a sea of red and white, giving high fives to others and singing 'O Canada' a bajillion times. AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I was bursting with Canadian pride.

TODAY WAS GLORIOUS AND I WILL REMEMBER THIS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

Now that the Olympics are over (closing ceremony = LOLWTF INFLATABLE BEAVERS AND MOOSE, OH CANADA), I can go back into lurker mode. I think I've posted more in the past month than I have in the past year. Thanks for coming along for the ride and putting up with me, flist!

WOAH MORRIS.

raindrops888 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 06:26:27 GMT

Gold in men's curling!

Kevin Martin (the skip, far right) missed his final throw by half an inch in the 2002 Olympics, resulting in a silver medal so tonight was sweet and glorious. He was looking a bit nervous in the 7th end but he pulled his team through and they remain undefeated. He (and his teammates) couldn't stop smiling during the medal ceremonies and I'm glad he can check this final thing off his accomplished career.

HOCKEY TOMORROW.

Final skating post.

raindrops888 — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:28:36 GMT

Yu-Na Kim continues to live up to the hype. She is such a beautiful, elegant skater - consistent with her jumps, incredible speed, effortless footwork, gorgeous lines and charisma to boot. I'm so happy she nailed her program, especially with the insane amount of pressure she has coming from Korea. Plus, Brian Orser finally got his gold (as a coach)! He's adorable - he gets nervous with Yu-Na in the kiss & cry and when she's skating, he goes through the motions with her on the side, including doing hops as she jumps.

I have never been more proud of anyone skating than this girl right here. Jo, you deserve that bronze medal and more. An absolute inspiration.

This also happened today:

GOLD IN WOMEN'S HOCKEY. Thank you ladies for getting the job done! Now if only the men would follow suite...

raindrops888 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:51:24 GMT

I cried as soon as she stopped skating and then continued to cry along with her. Absolutely heartbreaking. To have the strength and courage to skate - she's amazing and I'm so proud of her.

What else? Yu-Na Kim had a fantastic short, didn't like Mao Asada's outfit, etc. I don't really have the heart to talk about the other programs.

To end on a higher note, here's my favourite picture of Tessa & Scott during their free dance:

Skaaaating.

raindrops888 — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:38:33 GMT

NO WORDS.

Okay, some words: FLAWLESS, EXQUISITE, STUNNING, BEAUTIFUL.

I loved that the coaches stopped them from leaving the kiss & cry and told them to take a minute to soak in the moment.

I love that they were belting out the anthem on the podium.

I love that they are such good friends with Davis/White and that they rushed to hug each other backstage.

I love that Scott is a prankster and told Tessa that they were in second.

CHILLS AND TEARS. SO MUCH TO LOVE.

Mixed bag of emotions.

raindrops888 — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:59:11 GMT

First off, I want to start by sending my condolences to Joannie Rochette and her family. When I found out this afternoon, my heart literally broke into pieces for her and I'm still devastated. This may seem like an extreme reaction but figure skating is a small community and I've followed these athletes for years, through highs and lows. She says that she's still competing on Tuesday but whether she changes her mind or not, she will have my and Canada's support behind her.

Second, I'm really upset about how the men's hockey team played tonight. As in sweaty palms, raving-at-my-television-like-a-crazy-person upset. I could barely concentrate on ice dance because I was so emotionally spent. I know, it's still the qualifiers but they really need to step it up. I hate the amount of pressure the media has put on our athletes to deliver the medals but they do have this one right: this is the one gold medal everyone wants, including myself. We could be last in the medal standing but that's okay, just as long as we win gold in hockey.

I think I held my breathe the entire time Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir did their program. They're my team and I desperately want them to win gold. Fantastic, aggressive program and I hope they skate like this tomorrow night for their free dance, which is a thing of beauty.

I love that Meryl Davis & Charlie White are friends and train with Tessa & Scott. Their Bollywood program was fierce and I think I recognize the music. Just googled it - it is from Devdas!

Okasana Domnina & Maxim Shabalin. This was my reaction: "..." The music was bizarre? And the choreography was weird? No wonder the Australian Aboriginals were offended by this dance.

I really enjoyed the program for Isabelle Delobel & Olivier Schoenfelder. Choreographed by Marie-France Dubreil & Patrice Lauzon!

It is possible that I will pass out from spectator anxiety for tomorrow's night free dance. HOLD ME.

More skating.

raindrops888 — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:54:34 GMT

Oh hey, guess what? PLUSHENKO DID NOT WIN GOLD!!!

Never mind the fact that I was pretty bored during Lysacek's program (I can't seem to get emotionally invested in his skating) because I will take him over Plushenko's hip thrusts any day. Maybe he will shut up about the quads now. (While I'm at it: STFU, Elvis Stojko.)

Johnny Weir was completely underscored! I'm just happy that he did such a great short and long and he's such a classy guy for accepting the results even he should have been placed higher, IMO.

I wished Stephane Lambiel loosened up during his skate but he's still a beautiful skater. Also, v.v. good looking. (I couldn't resist putting this picture up of him during training.)

Bonus: Stephane and Johnny skating together. IS THIS EVEN REAL?

I adore this kid, Takahiko Kozuka. Really bright future ahead of him.

I got home late last night, ready to watch some skating except I couldn't concentrate because the men's hockey team was tied at 2-2 in the third period, which went into overtime and then shootouts. Dear Team Canada: IT'S TOO EARLY TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK. Try and step it up for this Sunday, mmmkay?

raindrops888 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:50:36 GMT

Skaters I dislike: Evgeni Plushenko, Brian Joubert and Evan Lysacek. I'm not exactly happy that Plushenko and Lysacek are first and second, but at least I can appreciate Lysacek's skating. Plushenko - yes, he has the quad and his jumps are great, but his choreography doesn't even match up to the music! It's just there for background noise. Ugh.

Skaters that I did enjoy tonight:

Daisuke Takahashi: great, explosive program. Take down Plushenko and Lysacek, Takahashi!

Takahiko Kozuka: his footwork was to DIE FOR. I was in awe of both footwork sequences.

Stephane Lambiel: I've always had a soft spot for Lambiel and his spins were exquisite.

Johnny Weir: I've jumped on the "Johnny Weir is fabulous" train. I finally got my hands on Be Good Johnny Weir and I wonder why it took me so long to discover his fabulousness. Watching him with choreographer David Wilson (who has produced some of my favourite programs) just had me dying. So glad he had a great skate tonight!

Skaters who didn't do too well:

Patrick Chan: while the skate wasn't perfect, it was still decent. CTV has put waaay too much media pressure on him in the past year; I can't even watch The Daily Show online without an ad telling me how he's going to capture gold. He's a beautiful skater but, IMO, his chances of medalling has always been slim, especially in such a deep field. (Hint to CTV: our best shot of gold in figure skating is ice dance with Virtue/Moir.) He's still so young and with a couple more years of experience, he'll definitely be a contender in 2014.

Jeremy Abbott: oh, my heart broke for him. His short program is fantastic (Shae-Lynn Bourne needs to do more choreography in the future) but he just couldn't deliver on the jumps.

Skater who I wished was there: Jeffrey Buttle. I've been a Jeff fan for a long time and always imagined that he'd be at these games, kicking ass. Then again, he went out on a high note (World Champion in 2008) and I wouldn't wish the pressure Patrick has on him. I do miss his skating though.

Great skates tonight! Looking forward to Thursday night, and then it’s dance! Eep.