LOST

LOST..........
This Sunday one of the best series on television will come to an end. I am concerned with how to best capture my obsession with LOST in this one blog. Let me begin by admitting to the following; this past March my family and I took a plane to an island for a vacation. As soon as I boarded the plane and was looking for my seat I started “casting” the show with the people on our plane. “He would be the perfect Hurley and so on …..” Unfortunately it was the easiest to cast Hurley a few times, there weren’t any Sawyers. During the vacation I even played LOST in the pool with my daughter and her barbies on the beautifully landscaped “island” that the pool was built around. We had a lot of fun even though my 5 year old had no idea what LOST was. The Ken doll was telling a “ghost” story around the campfire and it just happened to be about Jacob and the smoke monster. Then the smoke monster magically appeared on barbie island and tossed some barbies way into the pool. Too much time on my hands? You betcha!


I began watching LOST just as everyone else did; with a twisted fascination of what happens when a plane crashes. The pilot aired on September 22, 2004. My daughter was a little over three months old at the time. I suppose I’ll remember her first 5 years as the LOST years-probably not. The first two seasons went by uneventfully. As I look back at the season 1 and 2 episode lists on Lostpedia, yes an online encyclopedia devoted to LOST, I have to wonder why the writers wasted so much time on the superfluous characters that meant nothing to the recently revealed plot line. I just might have stopped watching by the end of season two if it wasn’t for the season two finale; Live Together, Die Alone. That finale also established Desmond as my favorite of all the characters. It must be the accent, brotha-



Season 3 officially began my obsession with the show. There were a lot of new characters introduced in season two that started to get more developed in season three. All of the flash backs and secrets, and hidden “Easter eggs”, were starting to confuse me though. My husband had officially given up watching with me. He couldn’t stand all the jumping around in the plotline. I couldn’t completely blame him. In my confusion I turned to the computer and found many LOST forums of people debating and theorizing what was going on in the show. Logging on and reading the forums after every episode was what saved the show for me. All of the poster’s theories excited me to continue watching the show to see which was right. The forums also gave me the confidence to know what was going on enough to explain it to someone. My three favorite episodes are all from season three. They were Desmond, Locke, and Ben, “centric;” “Flashes Before Your Eyes,” “The Man from Tallahassee,” and “The Man Behind the Curtain.”


“The Man Behind the Curtain” is what turned me into an obsessive fan. The Ben “Centric” episode chronicles Ben’s life on the island. Michael Emerson who plays Ben did a fabulous job turning his character from an innocent young man into an evil murderer by the climax of the episode. He is just phenomenal to watch. We are also introduced to Jacob; “Ben admits that, although Locke may think Ben is in charge, it is actually Jacob who is in charge of their group. Ben says that only he is allowed to see Jacob. Ben insists that Jacob only tells him what to do and only trusts him. Locke accuses Ben of being the "the man behind the curtain, the Wizard of Oz" and says Ben is a liar.” (Lostpedia) After this conversation which I abbreviated, Locke insists on meeting Jacob and he and Ben set out to go to Jacob’s Cabin. They get to the cabin and all kinds of weird things start to happen. Ben swears he’s hearing and talking to Jacob, but Locke doesn’t believe him. Locke doesn’t see anything but an empty chair, until……things start to shake and move and fly around. All of a sudden Locke hears someone ask for help and catches a glimpse of a man in the empty chair, all of which Ben does not hear or see nor does the viewing audience for the most part. Locke stumbles outside all confused. The episode ends with yet another big shocker that I don’t think I should spoil for some reason, but Michael Emerson makes everyone’s mouth drop wide open in shock.


After the episode I turn to the computer like usual and find out that the viewer COULD indeed get a glimpse of Jacob in that chair. I RAN upstairs to where we have not deleted the recorded episode yet screaming at my husband that; “we can see Jacob, we can see Jacob.” Of course it took some work to pause the show and forward it slowly to the point that was referenced, but boy was it worth it. Seeing Jacob was like opening that special Christmas present when as plain as the nose on my face a shadowy profile of a man appears on the screen for a split second. I was so excited it was ridiculous. I spent hours on the forums after that one.


The series finale airs this Sunday, May 23rd. At this point I have very mixed feelings. I don’t like things to end, but I am also concerned that the finale won’t live up to all the hype. There are still many questions that have gone unanswered. The biggest things that I want to hear more about might have been deemed unnecessary to revisit by the writers at this point. I want to know more about Dharma’s purpose on the island and why they had to be purged and who gave that order. I want to know more about the Egyptian references and the big statue of Taweret. Why are there all of the problems with fertility on the island? I also want to know who the “Others” are or were. They were supposed to be original inhabitants, but now we know different. Of course I want to know what happens to all the losties, but I know they’ll tell that story. And WHAT HAPPENED TO WALT? That boy was supposed to be sooooo special and we only saw him for the first two seasons and a glimpse in the fifth.

My love affair with

Cruising (sorry for the tease)

My love affair with cruising started in 1996. My best friend from high school, Jen, asked me if I wanted to come along on a Carnival cruise with some mutual friends. There were fourteen of us going. I lived the college experience vicariously through Jen. She went to UCONN. I chose to stay close to home and commute to college. As an adult I wish I had made a different decision, but at the time it was right for me. So I took my weekend trips to see my friend. I ended up having the best of both worlds-thanks Jen.
This cruise would be the last vacation I would take without my future husband, Keith. Keith and I were dating for eighteen months when I left on the cruise. We were serious, but I had bought my ticket the year prior to meeting him. I think everyone needs to take that one college, spring break, kind of trip. It was the best time of my life at that point.
We set sail on the Carnival Imagination in March of 1996. Our stops were along the Western Caribbean; Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios Jamaica. My best friend Jen’s birthday was during our evening on shore in Cozumel. Can anyone say, Carlos n’Charlie’s? The only memories I have are what I see in the pictures. I got my hair wrapped and danced with some palm leaves. I’m just amazed we made it back to the ship in one piece. It was the best night. My next favorite memory was in Dunns River Falls in Jamaica. The falls were beautiful and we got to get our picture taken right under the falls. Our tour bus driver’s name was Sexy. I loved him.
The whole experience was just something I have never been able to recreate. A once in a life time trip.
I thought I would be friends with those fourteen people forever. Their camaraderie was invaluable to me. I had a very hard time acclimating to being home again. I am an only child so the constant companionship of fourteen friends was hard to come by. I wanted to live on a cruise ship. I wanted to be Julie McCoy. I had my college degree in education by that point. My plan was to get a job in the child care camps they have on the ships. I sent resumes and everything. I was completely driven to make a cruise ship my home. Then there was my burgeoning relationship with Keith. As it turned out with further investigation a job on a cruise ship would have had me sailing for 6 months of the year with the other 6 months off. It did not thrill me to think of spending that time away from Keith and my family. It was not meant to be.

The next time I would cruise it would be with Keith on our Honeymoon in June of 2000 It was a completely different experience. We took the short three day Disney cruise after spending four days at the parks. I had never been to Disney World before and Keith had never been on a cruise. Although I love cruising, I would have much rather spent our whole seven days at the parks. Taking a three day cruise anywhere is not worth all the aggravation of Embarkation and Disembarkation. Waiting on all the lines and dealing with the paperwork and customs makes the first and last days of a three day cruise very exasperating. A cruise should be ALL fun, no worries and NO lines. Lesson learned. The best part of that cruise was our adorable cabin, and everything that makes Disney magical. One day was not enough.

“Ol’ man river……..”
I got the urge to cruise again in June of 2002 for our second anniversary. So much for my determination to live on a cruise ship, life has a funny way of taking over. It was also hard to convince Keith to go again after the Disney cruise. We decided on a seven day Carnival cruise on the Sensation. The itinerary was similar to my cruise in ’96; Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and New Orleans. New Orleans was by far our favorite part of the cruise. The Spanish style architecture with wrought iron balconies and central courtyards was so unique and quaint. I didn’t realize what a lover of architecture I was until our visit to New Orleans. The courtyards were like hidden treasures. We strolled down Royal Street in the French Quarter. Royal Street had all of the jewelry and antique stores. It also had quite a few historically significant buildings; The Cabildo was the site of Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase. The ship arrived in New Orleans around noon after sailing down the Mississippi River. We had until ten o’clock that night to explore. With a carriage ride around the city and a wonderful dinner in one of the hidden courtyards cruising had finally redeemed itself.

“June is busting out all over……”
Our next cruise will be this June 2010. Keith and I will be celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary. I’m glad deciding not to live on a cruise ship worked out so nicely. We’re booked on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas for nine nights. This will be another whole new cruising experience because we’re bringing Lindsey who will celebrate her 6th birthday in June as well. Yes, we like the month of June. I am so excited that we don’t have to fly to get to the Embarkation port. Sailing out of New Jersey will be a pleasure. I am also excited about this Voyager class RCI ship. The Explorer has a rock-climbing wall, in-line skating, a shopping promenade (not just an old gift shop), Johnny Rockets, a mini-golf course, an ice-skating rink, and some boring pools-LOL. How can you not be excited about those highlights? Our itinerary is Kings Wharf Bermuda, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and San Juan PR. I think steering clear of Mexico this time is a good idea. Of course I am most thrilled to watch Lindsey experience her first cruise. I hope she falls in love with cruising like I did.
Please post some tips on the best sights to see at these ports of call. Thanks for sharing

Journaling

Journaling has always been cathartic for me. I usually pick up the journal in times of emotional crisis as a form of therapy. I have four that I’ve written in. They span from the early nineties to last night. I only manage to write on a quarter to half of the pages though. It has always bothered me that I’ve never been able to finish a whole journal. I was re-reading my most recent journal last night. I came to the realization as I difficultly read about two of the most traumatic times of my life. Once these events are survived I want to put them away and not confront them anymore. It was very hard to read about them last night, but there were some fun moments too. My intention has always been to finish a journal once I started one, so interspersed between my cathartic ramblings I tried to include some happy memories and five things I’m thankful for entries. My enthusiasm for journaling waxes and wanes like the moon, I’ve gone YEARS in between entries. The largest gap has been 6 years…..How old is my daughter? Almost 6. How could I not journal about her? I did, in her baby books, scrapbooks and now a school journal and boxes full of her memories from the year. I even just bought her first journal. So far I haven’t seen a budding Shakespeare emerge; as a matter of fact I think the journal is under the seat in our car!
Since I use journaling as a form of therapy, the gaps in entries can only mean I have been pretty happy and secure in my life. That’s a good thing!
As I’m wondering why someone like me, with no writing background decided to write a blog, all I have to do is look around at all of the baby books, journals, Christmas memory journal, vacation photo journals and scrapbooks with journaling all throughout. I am a WRITER! At very least writing and recording memories has always been a passion and something that brings me joy. Lest I forget my college degree was earned by writing a lot of papers on various works of literature and educational theories.
The reason journaling became my first real blog is because I wanted to write about our upcoming cruise on May 27. In my tour through my purple journal last night I reminisced about 3 previous cruises I went on. I just got carried away with my history of journaling.
I absolutely love cruising. Cruising will be my next blog.

What I am Grateful for Today

5/13/10

Always my daughter & husband

My friend's sense of humor. She always makes me laugh.
The beautiful blue sky and 70 degree temperature
That I had the energy to exercise this morning
That dusty wasn't too sick when I brought her to the vet today
That I have my books to read
For this new blog adventure

The Vampire Diaries

The Vampire Diaries is actually a good show. I've read The Vampire Diaries series of books by L. J. Smith.
We're only in the first season of the television show and it is overwhelmingly better than the books....sorry L.J. The shows writers have kept to the bare minimum of the book's plot lines. That usually bothers me, but in this case they greatly improved on the original. I initially started watching for purely aesthetic reasons; Paul Wesley, & LOST alum, Ian Somerhalder.



They are two of the most strikingly beautiful men on television. Funny how I didn't even notice Ian's LOST character, Boone, in the very short time he was on that show.


His portrayal of Damon is the best part of Vampire Diaries. Although it began with the two of them I am now invested in the whole show.
In tonight's season finale, they are about to have the Founder's Day parade. Of course all hell breaks lose as the Vampire hunters lead an attack on the Vampires of Mystic Falls (Fell's Church in the books). We also got a glimpse into a future plot line that will include Werewolves (Tyler Lockwood). Very True Blood of them.

OMG Damon just kissed Elena and I am melting inside. Oh who will she choose? WoW-that was a twist. Hello Katherine! Oh well, Elena won't have to choose, after all that wasn't her kissing Damon.

Me and My Girl

I have a lot to write about my Lindsey. Be prepared for many posts about her. I started my affair with computer social networks because of Lindsey. She was a few months old when I started posting to Babycenter's June 2004 birthclub boards. I posted a picture of baby Lindsey doing something cute and got a ton of compliments about her. I was hooked. No better way to stroke the ego of someone who likes to get "gold stars" for her accomplishments than by getting compliments from complete strangers via the computer. I moved through the networking fads right along with all my mommy cyber-friends. Myspace, photobucket, one true media, the DISboards, facebook, and now blogging. I never got into twitter though and I don't think I will.

Watching Nightline on ABC

Nightline tonight has somethings I would like to write more about later....the worst movie made....Troll 2.....and people made famous on YouTube. I want to become famous with youtube. What kind of video should I post?