Don't Open / Dead Inside

This was my Halloween pumpkin for this year. In honor of The Walking Dead.

Walking Dead - Say The Word 3:05

Say the Word

After the last episode I was hoping for a pallet cleanser to get Lori’s death speech out of my mind. We open this one with Woodbury and people enjoying festivities. Cold drinks are just another thing we take for granted in out pre-apocalyptic world. It brings me back to the hot shower scenes that book ended the first season. (Episode one with Rick and Morgan in the police station and Episode six at the CDC) Milton says to Andrea that “Mere word can not antiquely describe the festivities ahead”. This I find interesting that he clearly does not approve, nor does he think it’s a good use of the generators for ice and he voices his feelings to Andrea. He is really a complex character that we are clearly not supposed to like very much. His experiment is something of great curiosity and I think it has something to do with his tea that they mention several times just in case we the audience didn't pick up on it as important.  Something that keeps nagging my brain is when the Gov and his crew were bringing Andrea and Michone back to Woodbury he radioed ahead to Milton telling him that he’s bringing him “homework” that turned out to be the pet walkers. When the Gov says he’s also bringing back women Milton’s voice was just a little too excited to me. At first I thought that the Gov just wanted women to repopulate then it occurred to me that it’s possible that he thinks they are less of a threat and that’s why he killed all the army dudes without even giving them a chance to become part of his little town. It’s Milton’s excitement that makes me think that possibly he’s using women in his experiment. Maybe using stem cells to search for a cure?

I had a very strong feeling that we were going to run into the Governors’ undead daughter some time this season based on the picture we've seen and his wall of creepy heads in tanks. He seems like the kind of guy to have many more secretes for us to discover.

It’s no surprise that Daryl became the group’s leader when Rick takes his little trip to crazy town. He’s been Rick’s second in command now that Shane is out of the picture and you can really tell that he’s invested in these people. His friendship with Carol wasn't the only thing keeping him with the group. The way he holds the baby and feeds her showed a softer side to him and he’s definitely in the lead as far as my favorite character award. He’s able to be a bad ass without looking like a dumb hick (yes, I’m talking about you Meryl) and his character is by far the most interesting.  When he and Maggie go to the daycare center I had to watch between my fingers with my hands over my eyes. I didn't really want to see any walker kids or babies. Other than Sophia, Penny and the little girl in the opening shot of the series we haven’t had to see much of that. Daryl isn't the only one that was happy to see that possum in the cupboard.

When the Gov tells Andrea that Michone killed captive biters and she asks why he has them in the first place, he says that he’s not going to get into it but really all he had to say was, “ Didn't you guys have two on a leash when we found you?” That probably would have shut her up. When Michone and Andrea have their brake up scene the best part is when she stated that Andrea was only slowing her down. This hurts the most because it’s so true.

Walking Dead - The Killer Within 3:04

The Killer Within

This was a really powerful episode. I still haven’t been able to watch it twice. I like to review each episode before watching the next but this one was just too emotional. I knew we were going to loose people when the episode started with joy. Maggie and Glenn being together in the watch tower, Hershel walking around… it was too good to be true and this is a group that doesn't get happy, peaceful moments unless there is something horrible right around the corner. When Glenn says “Aww man, can’t we have just one good day?”  I just knew… then during Lori’s goodbye to Carl I just cried. I have a ten year old son and it just hit too close to home. What would I say if I were in her shoes?  I know a lot of the fans of the show didn't like Lori and so there wasn't much of a connection with her character but at that moment when she looks up and says “Goodnight Love” it was just so hard not to forgive her for the last two seasons.

Now that we know that Andrew wasn't eaten by walkers, it makes me think that Carol is still alive. It sets up the premise that if we don’t see you get bit and turn then you’re probably alive somewhere. Plus what a waste of a main character to take her out now and not show it. I was sad to see T-Dog leave the group but he didn't have much of a story line so I’m not surprised. So now we've lost two and gained two in Axle and Oscar. Axle wants to prove himself by using his mechanical skills but I have a feeling that Oscar is going to be the one the group values. The way he didn't beg for his life shows that the writers can give him a back story and hopefully more of a character arc than T-Dog got.

At the end when you see Rick break down it was so emotional and powerful and raw. The performances in this show are amazing. The kid playing Carl (Chandler I think his name is) has had some scenes that really show that he is just as good of an actor as the adults around him. I hope to see more of what he can do. 

Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Pepers

Halloween Party

For a Halloween party we attended this past weekend we dressed as the Monster Frankenstein, Bride Of  Frankenstein and Igor. It took longer than an hour to tease/spray my hair into the solid  mass on my head that is still not completely gone days later. The side white strip was done with powder sugar and a stencil. (Shout Out to Beth for doing an amazing job and for being genuinely excited to take on the challenge!)  The screws on Dan's neck are made of corks and a wire hanger. It was overall very easy to make and fun to wear. I had a white sheet ready to be cut up and used as my gown but after my hair took so long we just got straight to partying. The pictures are a little dark because there was a fog machine going.

Tobyn as Igor

Our hosts also made ice shot glasses and got a bottle of Absinthe... A Happy Pre-Halloween was had by all!

Walking Dead 3:02 Sick

The second episode of this third season is hard to watch for me. Its isn't the violence that sets me off and I can still point out several parts of the episode that I loved (and I will) but there is just something that doesn't sit right with me about this one. I've watched it a few times and had all week to review it but when I try to really think about why it's not right, I can't put my finger on it. I'm really only making myself write this so I can watch the next episode that is downloading as I type. I put all the spoilers after the break in the last review but I don't think this one will be as long so expect spoilers throughout. 

I knew that dealing with these prisoners was going to show the audience that Rick no longer is going to let strangers put his group in danger. If Randall would have stumbled on the the group now (he would literally be stumbling with how badly his leg was messed up) he would need to be simply let go or taken out and Rick would have needed to make that decision quickly and without debate. This is why there are dictators after anarchy.  This is what we see him do when it's clear that at least one of these men was not going to play well with others. Maybe something that bothers me is how quickly Tomas comes to the conclusion that they should stay at the prison after learning that there are no locks on these doors and certainly not men with guns on the other side. These guys are told the world is over and they ask for typical things like cell phones to call loved ones and it takes very little explaining before they see for themselves that the outside world has changed. These guys have just spent 10 months shitting in a freezer together, having no idea what is going on outside and then they see this Rick dude chop off another guys leg, tell you the world has ended and would they like help cleaning out a whole cell block just for them? They all jump at the chance to stay there and not even attempt to take off or challenge what this stranger has told them. It just seems that Tomas decided on a plan before even really knowing what was going on. I felt like there were enough guys in the group that one of them could have made a run for it and they could have watched walkers eat him on the other side of the fence giving the rest of them more of a reason to want to stay. (I know, the show is only an hour long and they really had to fit the long scene in where Maggie says goodbye or the one where Carol is lifting the corpse's dress to reveal her dirty underwear.)

They all seem conformable with killing or "shanking" the walkers (I laughed so hard at Rick's face when they went all prison-riot style) but it's not the fact that Tomas really likes the killing that makes him so dangerous.  Daryl may have pointed out his love for the blood but the scene when he kills Big Tiny is disturbing for more than just that reason.

Big Tiny was a gentle giant. He did his part but when the violence got more graphic than you're average prison riot, he backed away. He wasn't a bad guy who enjoyed the brutality that is involved with clearing out a cell block from these prisoners that he maybe knew and were now trying to bite them, and scratch them with the exposed bones from their wrists because they were still handcuffed when they turned and now their rotting flesh is more like butter than skin...

Tomas is dangerous because the world he lives in hasn't changed at all. In a pack of animals the alpha male will kill not just for sport or food but as a way to show all the other males that he is the alpha for a reason and if he would just kill at will then you could always be next. This "don't fuck with me" mentality can make living on the streets, in a gang, or cell block C a better place so I don't think Tomas killing Tiny had anything to do with the fact that he could change but was more of a show for T-Dog, Daryl and Rick.

One of the things I loved about this episode was the relationship we see between Rick and Daryl. Even last episode in the oping scene when Rick opens the door and it's Daryl and his red neck smirk on the other side, or when the other's were pantie-washing and so Daryl wanted Rick as his hunting buddy. These men have become close, they have each other's back, and this will really become Daryl's story line when we see that Merle is back. The brother relationship between these two is complicated to begin with but I'm sure when we add the guilt leaving his brother on the roof.... wow, it's going to get really hard for Daryl to choose between the brother that we saw in his pain-fueled hallucination insult him but ultimately giving him the anger to get him up that hill and this man that he's learned to respect like a brother and he's watched out for. The only thing that bothers me about Daryl is that he's still driving that loud motorcycle (It's not a motorcycle  it's a chopper, baby)  I have one that lives on my street and you can hear it until it's half way out of town... I know it's his brother's so I'm really hoping they use that somewhere because it can't get that great of gas mileage...I'm just hoping that the writers are holding on to it for a reason other than it makes him look cool.

I think my prediction for who was creepily watching Carol preform her walker C-section is going to be (drum roll please) : Merle      
At first I just thought it was someone from the Governor's camp but now I think it's M-Dog himself.

I hope we see Oscar again...

Yes, I skipped over Lori and Rick (his hand on her shoulder)... Lori and Hershel (mouth to mouth, really?)... Beth (who I'm surprised isn't back in her catatonic coma state), and Glenn being dumb enough to leave Hershel's side but I have to say something about Carl. Of course he took off to get medical supplies! No one was watching him and no one else was doing it! When Lori gets on his case about doing what needs to be done and then coming back unharmed it really makes me wonder where her story line is going to end up... Are we supposed to hate her that much?

Growing Green Onions

Tasty House Plants

Don't throw these away!
They already have roots and are ready to plant in soil.
These guys were in a  plastic bag on the counter for two days and they have a little green growing on top.

After a few weeks they grow and become yummy green onions that you can eat right out of your window.
 We also have lettuce growing.

Cucumber Tomato Bruschetta

Chop & Mix Together:

Tomato

Cucumber (seeded)

Red Onion

Cilantro

Garlic

Green Onions 

Salt & Pepper

Lemon Zest

Then you toast your baguette with a little olive oil .

I made a smear with some cream cheese, a little sour cream and the leftover Diplicous Smoking Tomato Bacon Artisan Dip Mix that you can got online at Diplicous.com.  

They were very tasty and I'm always looking for good things to make from things grown in our garden. Cucumbers usually get made into pickles around here but this was a great way to use them up. These also have just a bit of parm cheese on top.

VHS

One of our DVD players is on the fritz so rather than moving the working one back and forth between the bedroom and living room (or just buying a new one) we got the old VHS player out of the closet. My 10 year old son was like, "What's that?" to which I responded, "It's what the dinosaurs' watched movies on..." Watching VHS tapes is like time travel without all the worries that your mom would fall in love with you and then you and your siblings would vanish while you played the guitar. (Doc Brown warned us all...)

After watching Goonies for the first time, Tobyn asked to see the deleted scenes and special  features. (He wanted to know why they cut the giant octopus scene.) I tried to explain that there were none and because he believes very little of what I say these days he asked me to show him the tittle screen to prove it. I wish I could have captured the look of confusion on his face when I told him to rewind it.
Mine will be the last generation to know anything about video rental and record stores. My first job was at a video store that was right across the street from a Blockbuster. Oh how I felt bad for those corporate schmucks. We could play any movie we wanted (rated R only after 9pm) and even though they were the big bad chain, we made twice the amount of money because we had a porn section in the back and they did not.

We had a few tapes already but for fifty cents a pop at the good old local thrift store, our collection grew slowly. It grew slowly because every time we go to look they added more and there is no rhyme or reason to where they put them so I compulsively have to organize them based on who's in the movie. It's a sickness I know...
Some movies we had to get (Gotcha and Running Man) and others were just for fun (Ace Ventura 1&2).

As I've mentioned before we do not have cable so when there is nothing on the few channels we do have, we now stick in a video. Last weekend it was Willow and I had forgotten how cool that movie was for it's time. Tobyn loved it and has asked to watch it again (twice). He was reading the cover and said: "Well no wonder I like this movie, it was written by George Lucas!" How fun it is to be a child discovering the world one George Lucas film at a time...

Last night we put in The Wizard Of Oz. I loved this movie growing up and still love it to this day. The first thing Tobyn said was, "Is the whole movie in black and white?" Not wanting to ruin the big Oz reveal, I lied and said it was (this is why he believes me almost never.) The version we bought came out in 1989 as the Fiftieth Anniversary edition so it did have a few minutes of extra footage at the end. It's so amazing that this wonderful film came out in 1939. 

Now I'm in search of more movies with little people in them, just to keep the streak alive...

Walking Dead 3:01 SEED

The Walking Dead season three has begun with last night's episode titled Seed. We do not have cable TV in our home, let alone AMC, so I usually purchase the season pass on iTunes and download the episodes as they air; that way I don't have to wait for a show to become available on DVD. I have not gotten this season yet because I knew that we would be House/Puppy sitting for this past weekend and so we watched it with commercials like everyone else...
Usually when I write a review of a TV show I will watch it once to get a felling from the episode, then I'll watch it again and take notes on the points that I want to revisit and discuss. I was able to watch this one again because AMC is showing it for free on their website for a limited time.

Contains Spoilers After The Break!!!!! 

Halloween Decor

Spider webs on the bottom of the lamp and cut out spiders  on the shade.
Mummy with crow picture and skeleton straw in the planter. 

Picture frame with old contact paper, black yarn spider web and spider rings.

October Calander

Every year when we get out our holiday stuff the first thing I have to do is fill the Christmas calendar with candy, that way we can celebrate all month long. On December first all my kid wants to do is open that days goodies. It's almost always candy so while he gets to open it in the morning he has to wait to enjoy it fully. Now since we celebrate Halloween the whole month of October, I thought it would be fun to make a Halloween calendar for this year.  I took these pictures in the morning so they are a little dark, but you can see that each day is made from a cardboard roll. I covered all 31 in construction paper and filled them with candy and spooky treasures from the dollar store.

yes, he got to use his pocket knife to cut the first day's string...

recycled garden

Two liter soda bottles and contact paper become upside down tomato planters.

A little paint turns tin cans into colorful planters.

A log can be cut into a long planter.

yummy lunch

Home grown veggies and home made tortillas...

Basil Garlic Oil

 Basil and Garlic Oil

weekends

Last weekend was a lazy one. It was the first time I've have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off in over two years. Sure I took that one Friday off because I had such a badly sun burnt bottom, but not the whole weekend. I started off my lazy weekend with a red box trip.  Usually I try to get one funny movie and one moving movie but this time I picked The Raid: Redemption, Bernie and Friends With Kids. I had seen the previews for the first two and was hearing some chatter online and in my podcasts about how awesome Raid Redemption was so I wasn't going in blind. I choose Friends With Kids because it was written and directed by Jon Hamms long time girlfriend and if Don Draper loves her than I'm willing to give her a chance. All three movies were really good in different ways...

  Movie Reviews and Spoilers After The Jump...

Ben Folds Five and Fraggle Rock?

Yes, Please!! Do It Anyway!!

For Lunch Today

Fish Taco

Homemade tortilla, avocado, sour cream and salsa mix, tempura fish and green onions. . .

ON A (sushi) ROLL

The fine art of making sushi is something that can take years to master but I tried it anyway. A friend just went on a fishing trip and brought back huge fresh fish. He gave us three big pieces of yellowtail, otherwise known as Hamachi. The first night was messy (especially after that first bottle of Sake).  I had the nori sheets wrong and when I cut the roll it just fell apart but it tasted good so I carried on.

On night two we made long rolls, hand rolls and Nigiri and they turned out great!

Most of the rolls had Hamachi, crab, shrimp, avocado and green onions... so good...











Big Dead Fish (not to be confused with Reel Big Fish)

Watching Ryan hack this guy up was pretty cool. He had two whole bait fish in his belly and there was enough blood for a horror movie. This picture doesn't make the fish look that big until you notice that it's on two full size cutting boards.

Most of my sushi experience has been just eating it and then asking the chef what it was I ate and why was it so good. I got one book and went to these sites: Make My Sushi and Eat Sushi

The book had chapters about how the basic elements of Japanese cuisine are less in quantity and excellent in quality. It focused on things like elegant presentation and using the freshest ingredients.

We ended up doing tempura with our sushi (on night three) and fried one of these long rolls, it was yummy!

This post is making me hungry...

Okay. . . . Okay . . .

There are times in a person's life that make them think that it's time to start a blog. For me that time is now. I have spent time writing little things for websites and sharing my (many) opinions in chat room and forums, but other than that old Myspace account that sits there waiting for me to return and update it's never ending screens of pictures and Mobwars invites, I have yet to divide the interwebs into my own little corner of crazy. Sure I have a facebook page (so do all humanity) and I'm a member of the Nerdest community The Node and I have a Tumbler and Twitter account, but I have not started and really took the time to write a Blog.
Yesterday a friend of mine was looking for a distraction from her life so she posted as her facebook status that she was awake early and did anyone want to go to breakfast. I (also being up early and like to eat breakfast) responded and she headed on over. There's nothing I needed more than a little conversation over hash-browns. She ended up hanging out longer than just breakfast and we rubbed elbows with the elderly at the local thrift store and my ten year old son got to show her all the wonderful things we have growing in our garden. It was in the middle of this friend-date that I was trying to justify my unhealthy compulsions of not being able to throw anything away by showing her all the crafty things I make with the things that everyone else just tosses, that she said "Why don't you have a Blog?"  My reply was that I'm to busy not throwing things away to blog about it.
This not being the first time that I've been asked this question, I had my snappy answer ready for the draw but the real reason that I've started and never kept up a blog wasn't because I didn't have anything to blog about but more that I didn't want to worry about who is reading my blog. I thought I would have to start a separate blog for each one of my interests for anyone who stumbles across it to really be able to be engaged enough to keep reading. Then I came to the conclusion that I'm not writing a book that I need to market to 28-40 year olds. I can write without wondering who is reading and if they enjoy, that is after all what everyone else is doing online. If the internet had a constitution then there would be an article that says:
thou shall post of freewill and never ending comments . . .  
Okay maybe that's more like a commandment then something in a constitution.