She's slabsolutely sure Ted should get the slap.

Finally got around to watching this.  Puts me in the holiday spirit all over again.

Plot summary: In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Marshall bequeaths his 4th (of 5) slaps from the slap bet to Ted and Robin.  Lily’s estranged dad shows up for Thanksgiving, and she storms out because Marshall invites him in for dinner.  Robin and Ted get into a big fight about who gets to actually use the slap they have been bequeathed.  When Lily’s dad makes Marshall angry, he throws him out and goes to apologize to Lily.  Lily has regrets about not having contact with her dad, so she reinvites him to Thanksgiving.  The gang gathers around Barney tied to the slap throne to dole out the slap.  Ted gives the slap to Robin.  Robin can’t slap Barney, so she gives the slap to Lily’s dad.  He finds he can’t slap Barney either, and Marshall declares this is the point of Slapsgiving–to bring everyone together.  Barney gets all relieved, and just when he stands up, Marshall SLAPS HIM.  THAT’S NUMBER FOUR!

What we learn about the mother: She likes turkey?  Just kidding.  We don’t even learn that.  We do learn that turkey covered in gall bladder bile is gross, though.

Best moment: The slap puns.  When discussing who should get to slap Barney, Ted says to Robin, “You’re a great slapper.  I want to study slapping under your tutelage.  I want to be your slapprentice.”  Robin replies, “Don’t sell yourself short, Ted.  You’re like a slapping rock star.  You’re Eric Slapton.”

Top 3 Quotes:

1) Lily’s dad is a board game designer.  He shows up to Thanksgiving bringing the new game “Diseases.”  He proudly declares that “the fun’s infectious.”

2) As Ted and Robin fight over who gets to slap Barney, they realized they’re spending their holiday fighting.  Robin remarks that “this once pure fruit has turned into a poison slapple.”  She tells Ted to take the slap, and when asked if she’s sure of her decision, she replies, “Slapsolutely.”

3) Lily’s dad gets inspiration from Slapsgiving for a new game.  It’s called “Slap Bet” the game, and it involves doling out slaps.  It comes complete with commercial and snappy jingle patterned after Marshall’s Slap Bet song found in this video.  Here’s the commercial:

NB: Barney does not take the slap bet lying down.  Read his letter of protest against the slap bet commissioner here.

Mr. Feeny and I have discussed this season at length.  HIMYM is back at full force.  These last 3 episodes or so have been FANTASTIC.  (Or should I say legen…wait for it…dary!)

I think these posts are becoming a recap type thing just because school is really getting all my writing attention. So random thoughts!

• Dancing With The Stars finale was this week. And for the first time in a while, I didn’t really care who won…in the bad way. ‘Cuz like last season, I didn’t care if Shawn or Gilles or Melissa won because they were all deserving (even though yes I did really want Shawn to win). But this season, especially after the lackluster performance finale on Monday, I truly just did not care. Period. Maybe it was because of the fact that for the first time in 5 seasons we didnt have a Hough or Ballas in the finale (which always makes for completely entertaining freestyles). I dunno, overall DWTS Season 9 was just kinda meh for me
• Speaking of meh, SYTYCD Season 6 has been off for me somehow. Maybe its the fact that I’m so used to it being a summer show that having it in the fall has thrown me off? Dancers are great, dances are good…there’s just something somewhere in this season that isn’t sitting well with me and I can’t pinpoint it.
• FOX announced their midseason schedule and all I have to say is….I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL FREAKIN’ APRIL FOR NEW EPISODES OF GLEE????!!!! after it’s fall finale on Dec. 9th, that’s like 4.5 months of Glee withdrawal!! DAMN YOU AMERICAN IDOL! you did this to Fringe last season too!!
• on the upside (and completely different network) Chuck is back in January!!! YAY!!!
• How I Met Your Mother – Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap….AWESOME!! Slapsgiving is now ranked as my 2nd favourite TV holiday, right behind Chrismukkah (although granted I don’t remember other TV created holidays lol)
• Oh! How could I forget the American Music Awards….the awards show that no one really cares about (I blame the totally ambiguous categories…like T.I. and Eminem were nominated for Best Pop/Rock Male Artist? WTF?) Performances were pretty solid, technical sound problems here and there but overall solid. Kelly Clarkson = Amazing! Carrie Underwood = Amazing! Speaking of Carrie Underwood’s performance of Cowboy Casanova, I totally loved it solely because she hired Tracy Shibata AND Dominic Chaiduang as 2 of her dancers (YAY Paris By Night dancers!!!!) Other dancers I loved seeing on the awards show: Nico Archambault & Natalli Reznik from SYTYCD Canada S1 dancing for Janet Jackson, Courtney Galliano from SYTYCD S4 dancing for Adam Lambert, Mark Kanemura from SYTYCD S4 dancing for Lady Gaga, Zach Brazenas from Paris By Night dancing for Jennifer Lopez
• Back to Glee…I continue to love it and their song choices. Kudos for using Jennifer Paige’s song Crush. I forgot how much I used to love that song. So damn catchy.
• After a boring start, Survivor had 3 completely kickass episodes. Early merge was a FANTASTIC idea!
• I’ve completely given up on Heroes. I just stopped watching/caring.
• I’ve started watching Modern Family…HILARIOUS!

I think that’s all I’ve got. Nothing else is really standing out in my mind right now. At least, nothing TV related…maybe I’ll do a music post later if I get bored writing papers for class.

Happy Thanksgiving week! Let me prime your appetite for turkey, stuffing, potatoes and pie with a little bit of some warm pop culture goodness. Here’s the top 4 things you need to know about from this past week:

4. The NPH Pose

For those of you who have been hiding in a hole for the past few years, Neil Patrick Harris has arisen like a child-star Jesus back into the mainstream. The man is funny, charismatic, and endlessly watchable in his many projects. Which is why nobody was surprised when he added his own pose to the world. Observe:

Simple, yet elegant. Spread this around and do NPH proud.

3. The Jason Segel Awesome Song

Speaking of people who make me laugh consistently (and are on How I Met Your Mother), schlubby comedy master Jason Segel has come out with a brand new video consisting of a song he sang at a The Swell Season show. And seeing as Mr. Segel has brought us the genius of the Dracula Puppet Musical, I’m pretty sure he can do no wrong with original songs. Watch and enjoy (and call the phone number because IT IS TOTALLY REAL).

2. The Once-Normal Lady GaGa

Speaking of people playing the piano exceptionally well, it turns out that before she went all crazy in the head, Lady GaGa was tearing up the ivories at NYU, as seen in this surprisingly good clip of her from her heyday there.

Now if that doesn’t make you question the power of stardom and fame on one’s sanity…

1. The Shame of the Nation: New Moon

Speaking of things that constantly make me question humanity, The Twilight Saga: New Moon shattered all sorts of records and young girls hearts in its opening this weekend. Unfortunately, this sort of thing propagates an endless sterotype amongt anyone with half a brain: the Twilight series is lame. There, I’m on the bandwagon, deal with it. Besides, when you have arguments like this one:

I rest my case.

Don’t eat too much turkey, everyone. See you all next week around the breakfast table!

Another Thanksgiving clip from a favorite TV show.  Slapsgiving: Legen– wait for it, then carve it up, eat it, and go into a food coma– DARY.

Ayer no hice nada de lo que tenía pensado hacer. Todavía no sé bien en qué se me fue la mañana (una de esas incógnitas que quedarán sin resolverse por los siglos de los siglos); sé que bajé a comprar pan, pero muy tarde. Y, por la tarde, me eché una siesta de aquí te espero, Baldomero. Más de hora y media dormida. Y luego tuve visita. Y me acosté muy pronto. Total, que el lunes se fue volando y no hice nada.

Hoy he estado trabajando y la tarde se presenta ocupada (aunque no descarto dormir un ratito). Mi única queja de hoy: Iberdrola tenía un corte de luz programado y no nos ha avisado. El resultado, hora y pico sin luz, una llamada que me va a salir un ojo de la cara a Iberdrola y que ha durado más que tres días sin pan gracias a las malditas máquinas contestadoras que no entienden mi voz, y un cabreo considerable. Espero, al menos, que se acaben los problemas con la luz, porque desde el temporal de viento del otro día, todos los días se va la luz unas cuantas veces. La otra tarde me cansé de contar a la octava…

Al menos, hoy sí voy a hacer algo de lo de la lista de ayer. En un ratito voy a hacer un pedido de arena a Zooplus y voy a poner una lavadora. ¡Bien! Voy a poder tachar algo… Me he decidido por una arena ecológica, a base de madera y papel. Se desintegra en el retrete igual que el papel higiénico. Dura mucho, dicen que no huele (un poco a madera, según las opiniones de los usuarios de Zooplus) y es muy barata… Ya os contaré si va bien, para que todos los dueños de gatos la uséis.

Los capítulos de hoy de How I met your mother y The Big Bang theory han sido tronchantes. Hacía tiempo que no me reía tanto. A ver qué le parecen al capitán… Piticli se está echando la siesta tumbado a mi lado. Lleva un día de lo más mimoso (igual que ayer Marmi). Por cierto, Marmi ayer usó su bandeja después de cinco meses sin pisarla; lo más curioso es que no había arena ni cristales ni nada… Creo que odia los cristales, por eso le voy a comprar la arena ecológica, que encima es muchísimo más económica. Y nada más por el momento. Como hoy, por fin, funciona Telecinco, voy a poner el Sálvame mientras trabajo (hace tres semanas que no lo veo). A ver si luego me decido a escribir un poco más…

“Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap”

November 23rd, 2009

I’ve been having a back and forth with other critics over the past few weeks about the current state of How I Met Your Mother, as there’s a general consensus that the show got rid of Barney and Robin before its comic potential had been fulfilled but a disagreement over whether this is all part of a broader plan. And, on Friday, co-creator Carter Bays did an interview with Michael Ausiello that managed to do absolutely nothing to settle this argument. On the one hand, Bays noted that this could just be one part of a larger journey between the two characters, which seems encouraging. However, on the other hand, he also said the following:

“None of us wanted to see Barney wearing a sweater-vest and going to bed-and-breakfasts,” says Bays, adding that it makes sense the relationship would “flame out fast” given that “neither of them, at their core, really wanted to be tied down.” Bays also believes that, deep down, viewers prefer single Barney to attached Barney. “It’s one of those things where you can give people what they think they want, or what they really want.”

It’s one thing that Bays is remaining coy about their future, but for him to have internalized what I feel is a close-minded and limiting audience reaction to the character is highly problematic for me. The show didn’t give Barney a chance to adapt Single Barney into Attached Barney so to judge so quickly is so short-sighted that it is either a misquote or a sign that my faith in Bays/Thomas is lower than it’s ever been.

And while “Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap” seems built to regain my trust and sympathy by tapping into the show’s most slaptastic mythologies and by actually giving Lily and Marshall a story of their own, it does nothing to deal with my overall concerns about Barney as a character (proving a wash in this area) and disappoints by feeling like a strange mash-up of sentimental and comic that feels far less organic than the original “Slapsgiving.

Accordingly, How I Met Your Mother remains “on notice,” even during this holiday season.

The reason this episode does nothing to do with Barney’s character is that he remains in a supporting capacity. Barney, as a caricature with no sense of emotionality, works so long as he isn’t asked to be the center of attention. Like with last “Slapsgiving,” the slap itself is less about Barney (who simply sits paralyzed by fear, this year trapped by not knowing who is going to slap him as opposed to not knowing when the slap is coming) than it is about Ted and Robin arguing over who is going to slap him. As a result, Neil Patrick Harris simply gets to play the combination of mortal terror and savvy disruption as Barney tries to get them arguing to the point where neither of them will dole out the slap before the imposed deadline of sundown. The result is a performance and a character beat that doesn’t fall short because it has no aspirations: Barney is specifically compartmentalized outside of the dramatic side of the episode, and there’s nothing wrong with this.

However, ignoring the fact that this story would have been just as interesting if Robin and Barney were still together (where Ted and Robin could have still brought the turkey as roommates and her right to the slap could have been about getting retribution for their fights), the real reason that this story doesn’t work is that Ted and Robin have nothing to work out. While the first “Slapsgiving” put a nail in the Ted/Robin relationship (if not the friends with benefits potential) for good in the midst of the slaptivities, providing an emotional depth to the episode, this year’s Ted and Robin story was ultimately pointless. I kept waiting for something to happen to make Ted and Robin’s conflict more explicitly about either Barney (for Robin) or something at all (for Ted, who hasn’t had a real story all year) so that it would have some sort of impact, but it never did. I don’t mean to so clearly cry out for some continuity, but at least start listing off the various ways that Barney has wrong Ted in the past, or bring up Robin’s relationship with him long before the conclusion of the episode. As good as NPH was in the various reactions, especially when Ted and Robin were arguing and he was popping up between them, the only time their argument became interesting was when Ted tried to lie and claim he was still in love with her: at that point, as played out as that card is, it was at least something to give the storyline a point.

In the end, for the episode to claim that the whole “Slapsgiving 2″ storyline was all an effort from Marshall to bring everyone together (which makes no sense considering that he raised it before Mickey arrived, and thus before they needed to be reconciled in any major way (Major Way! *Salute*) ) is patently false, and a bit of broad overgeneralizing that the show is normally above. I thought Chris Elliott was engaging as Lily’s inappropriate board game-obsessive deadbeat dad, and I like that Lily was finally given a storyline, but it failed to connect with me both a) because we had never been introduced to it in the past and b) because Lily was kind of unsympathetic throughout. It may be a symptom of the fact that Lily has been somewhat mean all season, but the “You’re Dead to Me” look and her unwillingness to forgive her father lacked emotional nuance. The episode didn’t know if it wanted us to take Lily’s hatred seriously (in overdoing his faults to the point of sending Lily’s grandfather back into the steel mill) or to view it as frivolous and silly (like with her newspaper stealing neighbour or her bridesmaid), mixing Lily’s pride and love for her family with being overemotional and bitter. So when the episode eventually tells, rather than shows, Lily’s moment of realization that the convenience store owner was actually dead to everyone, it’s like we’re so disconnected from Lily’s emotions that any real value in their reunion is lost, a problem only compounded when it gets lumped in with the slap towards the end.

Of course, the episode had its charms. I thought Marshall got a lot of great content in the episode, whether it was the fake arms in his Sunday dinner webchat or him retelling the story of he and Mickey’s meeting so that it wasn’t him who was bawling his eyes out. And Mickey was worth it if only for the endless parade of board game concepts (Tijuana Slumlord, Car Battery, There’s a Clown Demon Under the Bed, Landmine Lunge, Diseases, Dog Fight Promoter, etc.) And even though it could be seen a mile away, the premise of the slap bet hasn’t lost all of its charm, and seeing Jason Segel rip into Neil Patrick Harris remains as entertaining as ever before.

But the episode struggling trying to both use an existing mythology (the slapping throne was a nice addition) and create a new one (with Lily’s father) in the same episode, and both suffered as a result. The two storylines never meshed together as organically as they did in “Slapsgiving,” and the Lily side of things needed more time and focus to allow us to connect with her emotional journey. It wasn’t an unfunny episode, but it didn’t live up to the mythology it tapped into.

It’s not a slaptastrophe, but let’s just say I have my slapsgivings…as in misgivings, not the pural of Slapsgiving. Note the lack of capitalization.

Cultural Observations

• You’d be amazed how instinctively I added the repeat/salute after “major way” above. No delay at all.
• Of the various new slap phrases in the episode, I think “Slape Diem” was my favourite.
• They’re onto the last slap, and I’ll say this much: it needs to be an event on its own. Don’t worry about other storylines, just give us an epic slap episode worthy of the occasion.
• It used to be that Lily’s different hair was what destroyed any realistic flashbacks, but wigs could at least pretend: Hannigan’s new chest, however, is far more conspicuous.
• And yes, as everyone saw, the 1990s Board Game commercial version of Aldrin Games’ Slap Bet, complete with kids slapping the elderly was a whole lot of fun, especially the 90s commercial interpretation of “You Just Got Slapped.”

Who doesn’t love themed episodes of favorite shows? So let’s prepare for Thanksgiving by picking four especially memorable and fantastic episodes of television all about the turkeys. I thought about doing this for Halloween, but with my new infatuation with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they probably would have all come from there. Also considered it for Columbus Day, but really, that would have just ended up being a Columbo marathan.

So, for the next four days, I give you some of my favorite Thanksgiving themed episodes. Remember, though, that even my TV database is limited, so some will certainly be left out. For instance, I understand Friends always has a great one, but I never watched it. After my Thanksgiving post (the ultimate Turkey Day TV episode), please add in your favorite episodes.

We  begin with a modern favorite. Two years ago, one of my (and CJ’s) favorite sitcoms unleashed a running side plot about “the slap bet.” Over the course of two seasons, How I Met Your Mother teased viewers about when Marshall would slap Barney, fulfilling an earlier bet (made on the previous season’s Thanksgiving episode). The ultimate episode featured Slap #3 and also revolved around Thanksgiving, or Slapsgiving. That alone made this episode legendary. But in HIMYM style, there were also other great reoccurring jokes introduced…like Marshall singing and saluting on “Major Problem” or “Private Matter” or “General Point.”

This is Part One of my series because tonight’s episode is “Slapsgiving 2.” Can’t wait.

It is a sad, sad day when I’d rather watch almost anything else other than How I Met Your Mother.  Considering at one time it was my all time favorite show ever.  And who could blame me for loving it so much?  The storylines were funny.  And who DOESN’T love Neil Patrick Harris?  I mean, come on.  He’s awesome.

I’m going to attribute my gradual moving away from the show to the multiple Britney Spears appearances.  I honestly think after those appearances that HIMYM really jumped the shark.  I haven’t laughed so hard I could cry in a really long time.  Not during the new episodes at least.  If I’m watching the dvds of the first and second seasons, there is no doubt I’ll be doubled over in  laughter.

But I’ve thought for awhile now that the show just isn’t as funny as it used to be.  I absolutely hated the idea of Barney and Robin together, and I was more than relieved when they finally ditched that relationship.

Now, I wonder if the writing just isn’t as good as it used to be or if maybe my tastes are just changing again.

With all that said, I’ve found a new favorite show.  I didn’t really click with The Big Bang Theory in the beginning.  I pretty much thought it wouldn’t last more than a season.  But much to my surprise, it is currently in its third season, and keeps getting funnier.

Shows that get silly songs stuck in my head because they are just so funny are something worth taking a second look at in my book.

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur/ Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr.

Oh yes.  I want that as my ringtone.

But that’s besides the point.  The writing is spot on, although sometimes the stories are a little… well, dull.  There are some amazingly well-written lines and fantastic delivery by the characters.  Just as an example, in the most recent episode where Penny dislocated her shoulder, and Sheldon needed to be her knight in shining armor, the chemistry between Sheldon and Penny was nothing short of a laugh riot.  They are just so different, which makes them interesting to watch.  And also wonder what kinds of awkward situations you can throw them into.

I just don’t see that with HIMYM anymore.  They’ve all been in awkward situations and thrown into a pit of uncomfortableness over and over.  But it lacks punch for me right now.  I won’t stop watching the show like I did to boycott the Britney episodes.  And I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for that comeback episode that’s going to make me cry from laughing so hard.

So, Big Bang is my number one.  And HIMYM with take a backseat until they make their comeback, which I hope will be soon.  I really loved that show.

What do you think of the rise of Big Bang and the fall of HIMYM?  Do you see a trend with current shows that used to be good but aren’t anymore, or with shows that used to be uninteresting, and now blow you away?

"The Scuba Diver" in action

Genius.  Loved this episode.  Must watch.

Plot Summary: Now that Barney and Robin have broken up, Barney is back on the dating scene and using all of his best tricks to get some new women.  Robin is swearing off relationships, which Ted and Marshall take to mean she’s going to meet the man of her dreams very soon.  Barney breaks out his old playbook with all of the best ways to get the ladies and starts running scams on the women at McClaren’s.  Lily quashes some of his schemes by letting the women he’s hitting on know about the plays Barney’s running.  Turns out, though, Lily quashing the scheme was in the plan all along.  Barney succeeds in pulling off “The Scuba Diver.”

What we Learn about the Mother: Take a guess.  I hope that guess was zilch.

Best moment: Barney describes a play from the playbook entitled “SNASA.”  He tells the unsuspecting blond that he’s an astronaut for “Secret NASA” or SNASA.  He has not been to the moon, but he has been to the “smoon.”  The blond eats it up.  Who doesn’t want to sleep with an astronaut?  After describing the play, Robin calls Barney a “smoron.”

Barney describes the playbook, including the “SNASA” and “The Ted Mosby” in this video:

Top 3 Quotes

1) Barney declares to our friends that he is back on the market.  He exclaims that mothers should hide their daughters.  And daughters should hide their milswancas.  Which of course stands for “Mothers I’d like to Sleep with and Never Call Again.”

2) Robin describes her own playbook.  A 2 volume set.  (Of boobs.)  Marshall calls it a great read.

3) After Barney sleeps with the girl Lily was trying to set up with Ted, Lily says that Shelly would probably still like to go out with Ted.  Ted asks the table of his friends to help him out with the harmonies.  They all go around the table and join in singing “hell no, hell no, hell no, hell no!”

Need more plays?  Read Barney’s blog.  It’s AWESOME.

Next Week?  SLAPSGIVING PART TWO.  So. Totally. Stoked.

slaptastic. // cbs promotional photo

Ausiello’s got an interview up with Carter Bays, the EP of How I Met Your Mother, on the subject of Robin and Barney’s breakup.  Here’s what resulted from Aus’s conversation with the showrunner:

‘None of us wanted to see Barney wearing a sweater-vest and going to bed-and-breakfasts,’ says Bays, adding that it makes sense the relationship would ‘flame out fast’ given that ‘neither of them, at their core, really wanted to be tied down.’ Bays also believes that, deep down, viewers prefer single Barney to attached Barney. ‘It’s one of those things where you can give people what they think they want, or what they really want.’

Okay.  While I happen to agree with Mr. Bays that the idea of a fast flame-out makes sense for Robin and Barney, I still find his comment moderately offensive.  Even though, if anything, I’d prefer Ted and Robin end up together (and I have an elaborate theory about New Stepmom Robin being the reason why Future Ted’s telling the kids the story), I resent any statement in which showrunners insinuate that fans can’t decide for themselves.  (See: Hart Hanson, daily basis.)

Sure, I’m not one of the people who was really vocal about Robin and Barney, but I know you all are out there.  And I’m miffed on your behalf that anyone wouldn’t take your word on your own preferences.  Ship loyalty is a very real thing, executives, and we take it seriously.  What we think we want is what we want.  And we’ll tell you.

My boy Jason Segel hopped on stage to perform a Segel original with The Swell Season, aka, Once stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Iglova.  And as usual, he kills it.

Had a conversation with KW last night about my love for schluppy boys.  Jason Segel is pretty much the prototype.

I suppose I’m obligated to compose a short note saying hello, as a form of welcome or greeting so that you guys can become familiar with the little woman herself?

Well here goes, Hello.

But of course I can’t stop there, I have to talk a little bit of myself and why I suddenly decided to set up this blog in the first place. If you must know, Barney the man himself (as you Should know – the one and only from HIMYM) re-sparked my interest in blogging.

Yes.. I admit, I’ve been a victim of the oh-so-awesome. As a student of IB, I get a lot of free time through procrastinating. So I sometimes enjoy reading through Barney’s words of wisdom in his very own blog. I think it’s ok, as long as I know he’s a non-fictional character. Mmhmmm.. Barney exists, in all our lives. We just don’t know it yet – that we all have inner-Barney’s.

As you could probably tell by now, I’m not new to the blogging world. I actually quite often re-visit my former blog, just because I enjoy cringing at my past entries. Which is partly why I had decided to set up this blog instead, because I was simply too embarassed about my last blog.

Also, this blog was originally supposed to be a collaboration between the two Ann’s, so maybe this blog isn’t going to be all about me afterall. As I had initially wished.

That’s just too much gay awesomeness.

Anyone who saw How I Met Your Mother this past Monday was undoubtedly entertained by the brilliant yet absurd methods Barney used to bed women. Dare I say it, the episode is legen…wait for it…dary?

The ep. recently had me thinking though — can sports card collectors hope to set their own trap in baiting the opposite (or same) sex? Afterall, something as rediculously compounded, yet somehow achieveable as The Scuba Diver could, if all the stars aligned properly, actually happen.

It reminded me of a list that appeared years ago in Canadian Sports Collector, back when the magazine was still not only in existance but was serving the collecting community admirably.

As part of its monthly humour section, editors Fabio Del Rio and Marty McQuaig came up with a top 10 list of card collector pickup lines. Though I can’t remember the contents off-hand, the lines went along the lines of the cheesy goodness we’ve come to expect from hobby humourists.

So maybe there is hope out there for the basement-dwelling segment of the card-collecting population. If nothing else, the experience of trying to pick up a girl or guy at a card show is a story worth telling. Would love to hear any experiences (and no, hitting on Benchwarmer girls doesn’t count).

To update a little, Louie and I moved into together, it’s been about two weeks. I’m still upset that the first thing I watched in my new apartment was the Yankees winning the World Series. Louie thinks it’s a good sign, I think otherwise, if you couldn’t tell.

As I settle in, I am growing particularly fond of Louie’s Xbox 360. Why? As most know, I cannot play any of the games that Louie plays. My feeble attempt to play Gears of War resulted in me getting killed in training mode. I like playing Puzzle Quest on my PSP,  thank you very much. But, the Xbox 360 is my little portal to NetFlix and now Zune. Too bad, How I Met Your Mother isn’t available for instant play on NetFlix. I have to patiently wait to my NetFlix DVD to arrive. ::sigh:: Or, just buy the DVDs… decisions, decisions. So, Louie was very excited about the new features on Xbox Live, which included Zune, which made watching The Guild very simple. Seriously, I would have finished The Guild last night, but that pesky little thing called “work” got in the way. This is new addition is probably why I still have a ton of boxes in our bedroom to go through as well.;)

Parce que que HIMYM ne serait pas aussi legen…wait for it… dary sans Barney Stinson, notre dieu à tous (avec Chuck Norris )

La vidéo n’est pas récente mais je la trouve quand même kiffante

Lien vers son blog

On continue dans l’addiction des séries. Aujourd’hui, je vais vous dévoiler qu’elles sont les 2 séries humoristiques que je suis. J’adore rigoler, dire des bêtises, faire des blagues pas drôle, j’aime tous les genres d’humour. Et les 2 séries qui me font le plus rire sont How I Met Your Mother et The Big Bang Theory. Encore une fois, je ne vais pas vous parler de ces séries, parce qu’il faut les regarder pour les aimer. Seulement, ces 2 séries sont celles où je n’ai pas accroché au 1e épisode au bout de quelques uns. A noter aussi que How I Met Your Mother ne se regarde qu’en anglais car la version française est absolument ratée, absolument pas drôle et des dialogues aussi intéressants qu’une conversations d’huîtres.

Fall is solidly upon us! After a week of terrible weather and even more terrible losses to rival football teams, it’s nice to know that there’s still people out there in the world who care about entertaining us. Even if its all by accident. Here’s the top 5 things you need to know about from this past week:

5. Sweeps Makes For Crazy TV

So, it’s officially “sweeps” time, which means networks are pulling out all of the stops when it comes to making sure the TV stuff we see is top-notch. Some of my favorite moments from sweeps so far:

• Michael Scott slowly going insane as a southern plantation owner
• The gang doing wheelchair tricks and eating special brownies on Glee
• Lorenzo von Matterhorn making a special appearance on HIMYM
• Stewie making less-than-perfect clones of himself and Brian on Family Guy

Anything I missed? Put it in the comments!

4. Crazy In Love (Or Just In The Head)

Well, I certainly hope this is true. According to my favorite celebrity site What Would Tyler Durden Do, apparently Beyonce has requested for a wind machine to follow her around everywhere when she goes to nightclubs so it can “keep her hair blowing everywhere” like it did in her Crazy In Love music video. And as awesome as it would be to have your hair constantly be blown back by the wind, I can’t justify having a freakin’ fan follow you around everywhere. Sorry, grrl, but you get the Celebrity WTF of the Week award.

3. THE APOCALYPSE ZOMG

2012, as expected, rocked the world this weekend with a ridiculous box office of $65 million. In what was truly the disaster movie to end all disaster movies, Roland Emmerich’s newest epic “lets destroy national landmarks” movie laid waste to audiences everywhere. Even though it was a critical disaster, when it comes to big explosions, getting slapped around doesn’t really matter.

2. Girlfriends Across America Are Not Happy

The one-two punch of Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 has sent normal dudes everywhere into a state of excited shock. Symptoms inclue a refusal to leave the couch, inability to urinate, hearing loss (from the screams of their angry girlfriends) and an increased appetite for Doritos and Taco Bell. There is no known cure.

1. Lady Gaga Keeps up Her High Standards of Freakishness

If you didn’t see this coming, you’re not reading hard enough. Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” video may seem like the same old stuff compared to her, but for anyone who still knows what normal music videos are like, then this will be as weird as…well…watching a Lady Gaga music video. Enjoy.

See you all next week at the breakfast table!

Level 1: Awesome

To achieve this level, one must do awesome things. To be Level One Awesome, one must do three awesome things for the holder of an Awesome Pass (see bottom), or do five awesome things of a non-carrier of an Awesome Pass. They must be things that you arent trying to be awesome by and must come naturally. These things can only be judged awesome by Mr. T. Rivers and Miss. T Harris. The ultimate task to achieve Level One is when one gets sad, one must stop being sad and be awesome instead. Once achieved this, one is on the road to Awesome.

Level 2: Awesomdary.

To achieve this level of Awesome, one must do something both awesome and legendary that will be remembered by people in years to come. Like Level One, this must come naturally and can only be judged as Awesomdary by  Mr. T. Rivers and Miss. T Harris (other Awesome Pass holders may contribute to the decision but only T&T have final say). Once classed as Awesomdary, one will receive an Awesome Pass and will therefore have privileges non-awesome people do not have.

Level 3: Awesolegensomedary.

One must carry the Awesome Pass and be constantly awesome and legendary to others.  This means being awesome and legendary, without being rude or hateful to others (unless the people in question are anti-awesome). One must also be agreed upon by all those who are at all three levels of awesome and have held an Awesome Pass for at least 3 months.

Awesome Pass:

Awesome Pass is a special pass that gives you the license to be Awesome. To hold an awesome pass, one must pass Level Two. Once one has received an Awesome Pass, one has special privileges that the anti-awesome do not have, and never will. These special privileges include:

• The ability to get away with things that are annoying and also stupid and/or sad.
• The right to flaunt your awesomeness to everyone you meet
• The right to use the word ‘Awesomdary’ and ‘Awesolegensomedary’
• The right to refer to those at Level Two or Three as “Elders of the Tribe of Awesome”

Former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler to appear on the 100th episode of “How I Met Your Mother” as Cindy, a student of Ted’s.

Oh.  My.  God.  The incomparable Neil Patrick Harris (NPH, Doogie Howser, Barney Stinson, sperm donor for my future spawn) has just joined Twitter.  I am following his feed, because, in my delusional world, being an NPH follower means that he’s actually my friend.  At some point, NPH will tweet that he’s having coffee, or reading the newspaper.  When that happens, I too will enjoy a cup of coffee, or read a newspaper (or news equivalent like US Weekly), so that I can share in a daily activity with my new best friend.

I need a nickname for my new best friend.  I’m going to call him Mr. Awesome (with a wink).

Today was a strange day – I didn’t have much to do!  Well, okay.  In theory, I did.  I have a few projects that I’ve been putting on the back burner that I *should* be working on.  But there’s time later in the week for those, right?  *grumble, grumble*

So, let’s rephrase that – I didn’t have a lot of homework today!  And, I didn’t have to work until swim club.  There – that’s more truthful, right?

Breakfast was a first for me – oat bran!  I’ve wanted to try it for awhile but never did.  I picked some up at Trader Joe’s.  The verdict?  LOVED IT!

Breakfast!

It was 1/3 cup oat bran, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 banana and a little bit of brown sugar.  It tasted like banana bread.  It was ooey-gooey and delicious.  It was nice a filling.  I think I’ll have to try some milk instead of water.  I’ve also seen a few recipes on the blogosphere that add pumpkin.

I took the pup out for nice walk after heading to the grocery store.  It is getting cold out there!  :)  I still haven’t made it to 10,000 steps.  I’m only up to 7,000 steps today.  Argh!  It is pretty frustrating.  I am working at it.  I guess I’ll just start doing the 5K walks everyday!  It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow – when I have class.  Maybe it will help?

Lunch was yummy – a turkey roll up with some applesauce and peanut butter filled pretzels from World Market.  Mmmmm….

After some more homework and some daytime television, it was off to swim club where  I got a little upset.  The new coach was there.  I started getting a little teary eyed – I’m not sure why.  I’m starting to think that it might mean that I’m actually going to go through with making my exit from the swim club.  Maybe not right away – maybe at the end of the season (March).  I’m taking orders from someone who has been coaching for 3 months – I’ve been coaching for 6 years.  My time at meets has been non-existent and now I’m reduced to 1.5 hours a day.  I’m not sure if that’s worth it, you know?  After I’m finished posting, I’m going to email a coach from another local club – the only club I would work for in the area (it’s small).  We’ll see what happens.  Maybe I’ll get over this?  Maybe the new coach with quit?  Maybe they’ll suddenly realize my worth and put me in charge of a group?  Hmmmm…

I came back to make some Avgolemono (Greek Egg-Lemon) soup for the hubby.  It’s one of his favorites – and one of mine as well.  :)  We paired it with a side spinach salad.  It was very yummy.  :)

MMmmm...

Avgolemono Soup:

(I’m sure there are lots of Yia-Yias out there that will tell me this is wrong, but this is how I make it and I happen to like it this way!)  :)

1 quart of chicken broth/stock

1 cup rice (choose whatever you’d like – it just might change the cooking time.  I prefer a starchier rice because it thickens it up a bit)

2-3 eggs (I usually just use just yolks, but you can use whole egg, you just might get some funky texture – it doesn’t taste bad, it’s just not as smooth.)  :)

Juice and Zest of 1 lemon (Not necessary – you can just use lemon juice, but the zest gives more lemony flavor.  It depends on how “lemony” you like it)

1 t pepper (more or less to taste)

Salt – if necessary.  It depends on how salty the broth is.

Boil the chicken broth in a large soup pot.  When it is boiling turn down the heat and add the rice.  The liquid should be at a simmer.  Cook the rice according to the package directions.

When the rice is almost cooked, beat eggs and lemon juice together in a bowl.

When the rice is finished cooking, take a ladle-ful of broth (it’s okay if rice is included) and while stirring the eggs and lemon mixture, slowly add the ladle-ful of broth to the eggs and lemon.  This is tempering the eggs so they don’t turn into scrambled eggs.

Add the eggs and lemon mixture back into the soup pot.  Don’t let the soup come back to a boil, but cook for approximately 5 minutes.

Before serving, allow the soup to cool a little bit – maybe 10 minutes.  (It stays hot for awhile)  This will help it thicken a little bit more.

Enjoy!

Well, now I’m off to watch Monday night TV with the hubs and my “Figure Friendly” shake.  We LOVE “How I Met Your Mother” and “Big Bang Theory”.

G’night everyone!  :)