wrapping it up part 3

and for the grand finale, the last part of my wrap-up is probably the longest, mostly because i watch a lot of tv. here's what i loved in 2010.



Parks and Recreation: affectionately referred to a p.rex around here, this underdog of a show is quirky and definitely an acquired taste. it got off to a rocky start in the first season, and i'll admit, i pretty much hated it. but i gave it a second chance and it was so great in 2010. amy poehler is a comedic genius in my opinion, and makes this show shine. the cast is all so great and so weird but it worked. favorite scene? the office hunting trip and leslie's excuses for accidentally shooting ron. they're back january 20th and you should watch for sure.



The Glades: probably nobody else watched this show, especially since it premiered during the summer of cop shows [rizzoli & isles, memphis beat, rookie blue, and southland, to name a few], but this was definitely my favorite. i loved the main character and his unusual approach to police work, the interesting storylines, and a great supporting cast. i watch a lot of crime/police procedurals and it was great to have a fun, different take on the genre.



LOST: whatever you thought of the ending, this was such a great show and one of the best things on last year. i loved the ride and am still thinking about those stories. i loved seeing everyone's paths meet towards the end and seeing old friends like boone (now on one of my new favorites, scroll down to see!), charlie, charlotte, and faraday, wondering if i could cry any harder watching charlie and claire reunited. i am so sad that it's done, but also really glad i can watch it over and over. also: daniel dae kim on hawaii 5-0 is a nice consolation.



Greek: last year was the first time i got to watch greek live on tv because i'd watched the first couple on dvd. what a great season. i love that the characters are getting older and dealing with things that come with growing up--relationships, careers, expectations, self-discovery--in a funny, heartwarming way. the final season just started and i can't wait to see how everyone's story ends.



Project Runway: i'm still fairly new to this show, but these guys made this season great tv. this is a reality show that i feel good about watching. proud of fellow portlander gretchen, she really needed that win, but mondo, in my book, you're a true winner.



Psych: i love everything that USA does but psych will always be my favorite. after 5 years, the writing is still funny, i love the characters more than ever, and shawn's finally growing up.



Modern Family: i don't know how they do it, but this might be the funniest show on tv. i have spent many episodes crying on the floor from laughing so hard and can't wait to see what they come up with next.



Hawaii 5-0: maybe my favorite new show of 2010. dynamic characters, interesting story lines, and beautiful scenery? winner.



law and order: svu: my first and favorite cop drama was excellent last year. how they are still coming up with new and interesting storylines, i do not know. they've started off this newest season with a bunch of great guest stars, including an amazing performance from jennifer love hewitt [which has redeemed her in my eyes from that horrible audrey hepburn biopic].

honorable mentions: the mentalist, criminal minds, csi:ny, and lie to me



Friday Night Lights: they just don't make tv shows like this very often. i always feel like i'm intruding on real people's lives when i watch FNL, but in a good way. the last season is airing on direct tv now and will be on nbc in the spring. i'm not sure what i'll do when this show is gone. i'll miss these guys.



Community: i didn't love this show at the beginning, but they really stepped it up in 2010. troy and abed can say anything and make it absurdly funny, and allison brie (of mad men!) is genius as uptight annie. favorite scene of the year? the quadruple-double-cross with the prop guns. watched that scene over and over until i couldn't breathe. love that.



Vampire Diaries: i know, i know. but seriously? this show is so good. drama, suspense, love triangles, flashbacks, vampires, and werewolves. not convinced yet? watch a bit of nina dobrev playing sweet, quiet elena and in the same scene, switch to the manipulative, lying, cruel, not-to-mention undead vampire katherine and then tell me you're not hooked. p.s. boone from lost!

what did you watch in 2010? what are you excited for in 2011?

wrapping it up part 2

didn't mean for part 2 to take so long, but it turns out you can't blog very well with no internet. here's my favorite books of 2010*, by month.



january: the salem witch trials are a fascinating subject for me, so naturally i gravitated towards this book. i loved the contrast of 1690s salem and modern times and getting a glimpse of what salem might have been like during the trials.



february: i'm not much for jumping on bandwagons, but i wanted to see why such a great book was being redone--and i'm glad i did. while nothing can take the place of austen's masterpiece, this is definitely a great companion piece. it managed to keep the heart of the original while infusing some silly fun. elizabeth bennet as a zombie hunter? yes please.



march: read this for book club and i was so moved by the stories of the people living in the leper colony on moloka'i in the 20th century. you'll fall in love with the characters and wish the book came with a airline ticket to see the beautiful scenery.



april: beautiful creatures was my attempt to find an alternative to twilight. this one is about a teenage boy who meets and falls in love with a girl with magical powers. i loved the southern setting, the civil war history and the fresh voice of ethan wate. the sequel, beautiful darkness, is next on my list.

i also read a thousand splendid suns for my book club and i'm glad i did, because it was not one i would have ordinarily chosen for myself. it was so interesting to read about another culture, especially one that is so different from my own. it was also a great way to learn about afghanistan history but also understand the human aspect of those events.



may: the nanny diaries is a favorite of mine so i was over-the-moon when i heard there was a sequel. nanny returns was just as great and earned itself a spot on my bookshelf for many rereads.



june: my second try at the millenium trilogy was better than the first. i just couldn't get into it last year and i don't know what was different this time around, but i was hooked. yes, the beginning was slow and i stumbled over the swedish names, but gosh i enjoyed this book. someone described it to me like an episode of law and order: special victims unit and since i love that show, i knew what to expect. it's definitely graphic in parts but the story and characters make it great. i'm now on the last book and taking my time so it lasts a while. also, is anyone else dying to go to sweden now?



july: another great book club choice, although i didn't understand the secrecy surrounding the book. what was so spectacularly shocking that we couldn't talk to other people about? not sure. i did love this book, even if it made me so sad and wish that everyone could just live where they wanted and not be afraid. this was also one of a few books this year that i actually wrote in and highlighted parts that were just so beautifully written.



august: i listened to the first half of this on a road trip and read the rest. i highly recommend the audiobook because there are a lot of characters and hearing their voices really brings the story to life. i of course loved the WWII setting and the endearing characters. i was truly sad when the book was done and kind of wanted to start over again. that says a lot, yeah?



september: i continued on with the WWII theme with this book club pick and sobbed my way through it. i have read several holocaust-set books and even been to the holocaust memorial museum in washington, d.c. but the reality of the atrocities really hit me when reading this book. i think because it was told through the eyes of a child, the ignorance and hatred seemed even more shocking and horrible. i rented the movie and renewed it three times but i just could not watch it. i know i'm making this sound like a horrible experience, but it really is a beautiful little book that will make you think about life and how we treat each other.

october: busy in grad school and reading teacher education books and not much else.



november: my pick for book club since it had been sitting on my shelf for a year or two and i had never opened it. it was the perfect book for fall and i loved getting into this gothic literary mystery. it has great twists and turns and was so fun to try and figure out. the writing is also so poetic and i underlined the heck out of it.

december: making my way through five different books from the library, including another young adult supernatural romance, the last stieg larsson book, the hunger games [am i the last person on earth to read this? yes.] and my first read on my kindle (!), one day by david nicholls. come see what i thought of them and everything else i read this year and tell me what you read on goodreads.com

* read in 2010, not necessarily published in 2010

wrapping it up part 1

2010 was a great year--mostly since i finally made the decision to go back to school and grow up a little bit. i'm not good at documenting my life in pictures though, so i'll use my favorite medium to look back at the year--pop culture.

part 1? the music i loved in 2010.





i'm a huge fan of taylor because her songs are honest, earnest, and she's just so gosh darn likable. did any see her thanksgiving special? it was so fun--i loved getting a behind-the-scenes look. favorites: last kiss, enchanted, speak now, dear john


sara bareilles is easily my favorite musician. i went to her concert back in september--portland was her first stop on the kaleidoscope hear tour!--and was blown away at her amazing-ness. no one writes songs quite like this girl. if you haven't listened to this cd, please do so now. you won't regret it. favorites: hold my heart, basket case, gonna get over you, breathe again (really? i love every song.)

completing my trifecta of favorite female singer-songwriters, ingrid. her lyrics are so sharp and beautiful at the same time. i got this at the very beginning of 2010 and i'm still listening to it. favorites: sort of, are we there yet, everybody


can't leave out glee, right? "forget you" and "poker face" are all-time favorites, but i also love "don't rain on my parade," "take a bow," "i dreamed a dream" and "teenage dream." can't wait to see what they come up with next.

i just bought mumford & sons a month ago so i'm still getting into it, but i love it. it's different from what i normally listen to but the music is so stunning. i love their voices and the music helps my living-in-the-uk fantasy. favorites: awake my soul, after the storm, white blank page



broken bells. part of my goal to listen to different types of music, this album was a great find. i just love how it sounds, that's all. favorites: the high road, the ghost inside



totally an impulse buy, but i ended up loving rihanna's darker sound. this album was definitely all i listened to for a month. favorites: fire bomb, te amo, russian roulette, stupid in love



decided i'd see what all the fuss over paramore was about. i'm not much for screamy music but there's some pretty good stuff on here. that little hayley williams sure can rock. favorites: only exception, brick by boring brick


i just get a kick out of vampire weekend and this album especially. the music is great, but mostly it's just so fun to listen to and i always dance a little bit. which can be weird when i'm alone in the car, but oh well. favorites: white sky, run, holiday, cousins

2010 was a great year for music. what did you love? what are you listening to in 2011? i'm already working through my wishlist with my itunes giftcards. thank you, christmas.

we need a little christmas

all i want to do is relax in front of a few of these movies while i wrap my presents and make a treat or two.

the favorites:


little women


elf


the holiday--and don't you just love iris' little cottage? i'm dying to live in a little place like this




family stone



you've got mail


and these next two aren't technically Christmas movies, but they're magical and i love watching them at this time of the year.


enchanted


stardust


and some old classics i've always been meaning to watch:


holiday inn


meet me in st. louis


white christmas



just noticed that claire danes is in three of these movies. weird? maybe i should just invite her over for Christmas.

All I want for Christmas . . .

a cozy scarf like this one from secret pocket.




clogged boots like these from madewell. or the much more expensive swedish hasbeens.



a pretty, delicate gold necklace like this one from elephantine.



i'm in love with this vintage pajama set from j. crew



i checked this cookbook out from the library and while the recipes look delicious, i really want it for all of the food and health explanations.



i'm totally shocked that i'm saying this, but i think i want an eReader. i love the experience of reading a book, but when i have 10 books checked out from the library at one time, the thought of being able to carry them all in one is very appealing. i actually went in and played with some at borders and that helped win me over. i like the amazon kindle the best, although the touch-screen sonys were nice, too.



the 4th season of FNL, so that i can catch up before the 5th season starts




an itunes giftcard so i can buy some new music, like bruno mars, kings of leon, brandon flowers, and florence + the machine


what are you wishing for?