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Heard about this new group that posts 13 things every Friday and I figured I'd try it.  So this week's topic is 13 things that I'm happy/excited about...

1)  My upcoming vacation--I'm off Monday-Friday and I'll be back in the 'bury for a few days of hanging out with friends and family, sleeping and eating those glorious seafood skins from Market Street.  And since I'll be at Market Street anyway, the odds of me partaking of a martini or three?  Very good indeed.

2)  Next Tuesday (the 27th), Jen will be on Jeopardy.  I feel like it's been so long since I saw the taping, and I'm excited to watch the episode again.  (I'll be at work but I'm DVRing it--how awesome is it that I can watch it every time I miss her?!)

3)  This week, I get to watch season finales of all my shows.  It's sad that after Thursday, they'll all be gone, but meanwhile?  Two hours of Desperate Housewives and Grey's, plus a usual-sized farewell to Gossip Girl, OTH and How I Met Your Mother.  Oh, my cup runneth over.

4)  And since the regular season is over, that means that we're getting really close to the return of Weeds and Big Love.  And if you know me at all, you know that the return of Weeds is worth anything. :) 

5)  I'm doing really well on the DVD project.  I've only watched 32 movies, but I've watched the special features for over 200 movies.  (201, if we're being specific.)  So far, almost everything has been really, really fun.  I've also amused myself by doing the singalong features on My Best Friend's Wedding and The Wedding Singer. 

6)  I only have to deal with one more sweeps story (on Monday).  And then we don't do sweeps again until November.  To which I say "huzzah."

7)  There are so many good books to read out now.  I have a huge amount to read, and I'm falling behind (thank you, DVD project) but I'm doing the best I can.  I plan on taking a whole bunch back to Salisbury with me and maybe I can get caught up.  (Of course, I'm also bringing my portable DVD player and some movies, so we'll see which wins.)

8)  Amazon's awesome TV on DVD sale.  I just bought seasons 3 and 4 of Melrose Place for $10 less than normal.  For the unitiated, season 3 is the one where we meet Brooke and where Kimberly kidnaps Jo's baby, then goes even crazier and blows up the apartment complex and season 4 is the one where Brooke dies and where Kimberly...well, goes back to her usual semblance of sanity.  I also have the first three seasons of 90210 (the high school years) and I have to decide if I want to keep going with the series.  The first three seasons are the best, but I'm a completist and also, I love Susan and Claire.

9)  Speaking of 90210, I am very excited about the fact that the CW has a spinoff of it in their fall lineup. AND that Kelly (and maybe Donna) will be involved. :)  My childhood self is doing cartwheels. 

10)  There is actually food in my kitchen.  This is a minor miracle, because generally there's only popcorn, water and soda here.  But now?  There's food.  I have apples and pears, sandwich stuff, frozen dinners, meat to cook...it's almost an embarrassment of riches here. :)  Also there's salt and vinegar Pringles and, for the various season finales, ice cream.  It's awesome. :)

11)  We are approaching (very slowly) the August horror con.  Spending time with Katie is always fun but this time I get to meet Chris Sarandon and Michael Biehn and every time I think about it, I spaz out a little. 

12)  And by the time we get to the horror con, I will have read Breaking Dawn, the last Twilight novel.  And I probably will have cried at least twice.  (And if Edward doesn't turn Bella into a vampire, I am calling shenanigans on all of it.)

13)  Still totally gobsmacked in the best possible way by the Office finale.  I love that show. 

Finished Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin.  I didn't like it as much as Something Borrowed or Something Blue, but it was way better than Baby Proof.  I totally recommend it and hopefully now she'll start releasing books every year instead of every few years.

It's cold and rainy here again.  Booooo.  I was going to go to Panera and get some lunch (Friday is clam chowder day) but it's really gross so now I don't know if I will or not.

It is a good horror movie day and coincidentally, Amazon said my copy of Diary of the Dead would be arriving today. Yay for Amazon breaking street date! :)

Did you guys watch the Office?!  I didn't see any of it coming.

(Incidentally, you guys kept watching after Michael's talking head, right?  BEST CLIFFHANGER EVER!)

Love:

Burger King's steakhouse burger.  If there is a better fast food burger out there, I don't want to know about it. 

The new Emily Giffin (Love the One You're With)

Today's weather--warm and sunny, so much better than yesterday's cold, rainy day.  (And I can't even complain--parts of Maryland were totally flooded.)

Half an hour tonight and an eight-hour shift tomorrow and I'm on my weekend.

After tomorrow, I only have one more week left of sweeps. (Next week is the last week of sweeps.)

The CW's fall lineup (Gossip Girl/OTH on Mondays, new 90210 on Tuesdays!)

Loathe:

The salad I've been living on for the past few days.  It's not bad, but I'd rather have french fries.  That said, this weight isn't going to disappear on its own, and I need to either pick a diet and stick to it or quit whining that I'm fat.

Our website didn't win an AP award.  I am discouraged.

Hillary Clinton--she's smug, her followers are smug.  And they have no reason to be.  Also?  Please don't act like you're the voice of the working class when you can afford to donate millions of dollars to your campaign.  You do NOT feel my pain at living paycheck to paycheck and seeing even the cheap gas station sell regular unleaded for over $3.70.  Don't act like you do.  It just makes me hate you more.

What are five movies you love far more than you probably should?

Tom adds: "Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Casablanca, et al, are on lots of people's favorites.  Name five movies that just work for you, even if critics hate it and your friends roll their eyes."

1)  Dirty Dancing.  Oh sweet God, I love this movie.  It's one of my favorites and while it's not intellectually taxing, it's just really sweet and fun.  I've loved it since I was eight or nine years old.

2)  Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.  It's really, really dumb but I can't not laugh every time I watch it.  Is it Freak Show?  Is it Neil Patrick Harris?  I don't know.  It's beside the point, probably. 

3)  Saved.  If you don't love this movie, I will question, secretly, whether we should be friends.  It's one of the funniest movies ever. :)  Also, Jena Malone and Mary-Louise Parker AND Eva Amurri?  You know I'm there. :)

4)  Freaky Friday.  The remake.  It's one of my secret shames.  It's very cheesy and it's got Lindsay Lohan in it (but it's early Lindsay, pre-trainwreck Lindsay.  And it's not like I said Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen).  And the soundtrack is fun. 

5)  National Lampoon's Vacation.  Should it come up on Jeopardy, this is the first R-rated movie I ever saw.  I was probably five or so.  Love, love, love this movie. 

So I'm waiting for my Indian food to come (lamb korma) and I was reading Watch with Kristin.  It's the time of year when networks announce what shows are coming back and what new shows they'll have.  I already knew my favorites are coming back, so it wasn't a huge "Oh my God!" fear thing like it has been in years past.

A lot of people are apparently annoyed that One Tree Hill has been renewed, to which I say "Whatever."  I try not to bash shows that I haven't seen because that really just makes me look like a jackass.  For example, I can't imagine that I'd like The Hills (vapid people are not entertaining to me) but I don't say things like, "How can people watch this crap?" because it could be awesome.  I just don't want to be the person who watches TV for hours every night so I'm really selective about what I watch and I don't give every show that's on a chance.  I know my tastes pretty well, so I try not to watch things that I'm 99% sure will annoy me. 

There are certain things I look for--involvement by Joss Whedon or Rob Thomas, a comparison to shows I already like, the presence of actors I already like watching or the phrase "it's like the X Files." 

I also have a thing where certain shows draw me in based on where I am in my life.  One Tree Hill is an example of that.  I started watching when I was dealing with my birth father, so watching Lucas try and deal with his birth father (who is actually even more of a douche than mine is) was pretty therapeutic.  And I kept watching long after Zack and I stopped talking to each other because, while it's not what I would consider to be intellectually taxing, it's a fun show and it's a lot better than people give it credit for.

I'm not the kind of person who gets annoyed when people bash things I like, because I don't really need validation from outside sources.  And you KNOW that's what it is when you read people blogging about how ridiculous it is when people don't like whatever they do.  And I'm sorry, but I'm not going to like sports/Family Guy/Kristen Stewart/whatever just because it'll make you feel better about yourself.  It's like, wow.  I know, for example, some of my friends don't like Jodie Foster (and I think she's awesome).  Her awesomeness is not diminished just because Jenny and Katie don't see it, and it's not like they're saying that I'm stupid for liking movies that star a two-time Oscar winner.  ;)

I hope my lamb korma gets here soon.

Update--I ordered my food an hour and 15 minutes ago.  It's not here.  I have called the restaurant twice and have talked to the driver twice and he doesn't speak English and it's probably never going to arrive. 

What's your "go-to" movie?  The one you watch when you need to just get away from it all?
Submitted by uncagedbird.

It depends on what's wrong with me (why I need to escape from my life).  If I need to laugh, it's Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle or The 40-Year-Old Virgin.  If I need to cry (because sometimes you do), it's My Girl or Stepmom or Steel Magnolias or Beaches.  If I need the cinematic equivalent of a pep talk, it's Rocky.  And if I want to go back to my childhood, it's Dirty Dancing or Heathers.

Finished James Patterson's Sundays at Tiffany.  It's a quick read (like all of his) but it's more like his Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas books and not the crime/suspense/thriller novels he usually does.  It was enjoyable, I guess, but I keep feeling like I need to stop reading his books. 

Also, on an unrelated note, I was kind of underwhelmed with last night's Brothers & Sisters. (Spoiler)  I liked Scotty and Kevin's wedding and the fact that everyone's still into the idea of keeping Rebecca in the family.  Rebecca and Justin's kiss was kind of eh, and even the whole Ryan thing, I was like, "Hmmmm" more than "OH MY GOD, I CANNOT WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!" 

Also?  I hate Scotty's parents.  "We're not bad people," the dad said earnestly.  No, you're just horrible parents.  (See, sometimes your kids aren't the way you want them to be.  And how awesome is Scotty?  Why wouldn't you want to be a huge part of his life?  Ugh, I hate people.  Hate.

Not much going on here.  I'm working on the DVD project (holding steady at 30 movies watched, but I've watched all the extras on 180 movies).  I still have a long way to go though. 

I'm dieting again.  Lots of fruits and vegetables (for lunches and for snacks).  It's about two days in and I have no idea how long it will last, but I figure every meal that doesn't come with french fries is a victory. :)

I also got a package of those 100 calorie cupcakes.  They're really good and come in packs of three, but I can comfortably fit all three cupcakes in my palm.  Still, I figure it's a good way to satisfy a craving for cupcakes without, say, dropping $3 a cupcake at one of the cupcake places in town.  Even if the peanut butter cupcakes are fantastic.

*sigh*

I'm also bummed that tonight is the last Brothers & Sisters.  Actually every show I watch will be done for the season by May 22.  (Brothers & Sisters tonight, The Office Thursday, Desperate Housewives next Sunday, One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl on 5/19 and Grey's Anatomy that Thursday, 5/22.) 

They just came back, damn it!

Finished The Host by Stephenie Meyer.  Really, really good and hard to describe without giving something away.

If I didn't have a ton of books to look forward to between now and the release of Breaking Dawn, I'd be really sad.