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rachg82*taps microphone* ahem. I would like to make a brief announcement: I AM DONE WITH MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. Yes, that's right folks, I am all done, and only one day before Christmas Eve! Go team! *waves pom-poms*
In other news: now that the holidays are nigh (oooh, Fancy Words McGee over here), I think it's about time I started my traditional ~Holiday TV Funtimes Marathon~, a.k.a. "Rachael will take any excuse she can get to veg out on her couch next to a stack of DVDs and call it festive."
-"So Called Angels," My So-Called Life
-"How the Ghosts Stole Christmas," X-Files
-"Forgiveness and Stuff," Gilmore Girls
-"Amends," Buffy the Vampire Slayer
-and finally, because Bones is just so damn full of Xmas Win, it gets three episodes: "The Man in the Fallout Shelter," "The Santa in the Slush," & "The Goop on the Girl."
Just try & tell me that isn't a rockin' good list of episodes, I mean really. It's a good thing BSG never did any Christmas eps or my marathon would probably cause a rift in the time-space continuum with its utter awesomeness or something. Hee.
I will admit though that the Buffy pick isn't actually one of my fave episodes for that show, but it makes the list anyway because I simply can't resist Buffy inviting Faith over for Christmas and the look on Faith's face when Buffy opens the door. *hearts* (and yeah, in case it's not obvious already? I totally ship it. Of course bear in mind I'm a complete shipper-whore when it comes to Buffy, so if you were to ask me who I ship her more with--Angel or Faith--I'd probably just point at something shiny to distract you & then run away. Heh. Just keepin' it real.)
Anyway though, back to my point re: my Marathon o' Christmas Cheer. I already started it last night with My So-Called Life (hence the subject heading) and will be continuing it next with XF. If that doesn't put the "fun" in Funtimes, I don't know what does. First off, you've got My So-Called Life, which is basically already the bestest best show ever to begin with, and you factor in an incredibly moving storyline that makes me cry like a freaking baby everytime I see it, and you've got the reason it tops my list. God, I love it so much. The whole ending to that episode--from Rickie lighting the candle, to him and Patty embracing, to the whole family at the church? Just, seriously, I can't even take it. It doesn't matter how many times I see it, I ALWAYS CRY. It's just so fucking beautiful. Especially when you learn that the actor who plays Rickie was also kicked out of his house for being gay, and that after seeing the episode his dad picked up the phone & called him for the first time in a year. HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT?
(And for those of you who have never watched the show, I encourage you to take advantage of the wonders of Hulu and get on that shit post-haste. It's only one season long, it's free to watch, and it's good enough that I'm still raving about it more than fourteen years later. Trust me, you won't regret it: watch it, love it, and thank me later.)
And second-off, re: XF? Do I even need to say why it made the list? You've got your Lily Tomlin, your Ed Asner, your Mulder/Scully ghostbusting shenanigans, the best use of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" I've ever seen on television, and the opportunity to answer the age-old fanfic question, "What did Mulder & Scully give each other during their gift exchange at the end? Alien implant earrings, porn, the ever-elusive Truth? Superstars of the Superbowl Part Deux?" What more could you need?
As for the rest of the episodes that I'll be watching tomorrow: at this point I don't think I even need to say what I love about the Bones eps, because I've already raved about them in-depth lately. They're fabulous, that's really all you need to know. And Gilmore Girls? Two words: *Santa Burger*. 'Nuff said.
So, in summation: Christmas = good, TV = good, but Christmas + TV = THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. Haha. Okay, so no, not even remotely. But still, hella fun nonetheless! Feel free to join me in my marathon and let me know which episode on the list is your fave & why, or add your own episodes to the mix & spread the joy. You know you want to![/peer pressure]
Before I wrap this tv-talk up though, one more thing: while it didn't make my list, I still have to show some love to Big Bang Theory as well after seeing the xmas ep they re-aired this week. Dude. Sheldon & the Leonard Nimoy napkin? FUCKING FUNNIEST SHIT EVER OMG. I don't even know when the last time was that I laughed that hard, for real. "I could make my own Leonard Nimoy!" Heeee.
(Also? WHY HELLO THERE SAM ANDERS. NICE TRY PRETENDING TO BE ANOTHER CHARACTER, I STILL SEE YOU THERE.)
Moving on from the tv-talk, I also wanted to give you guys a status update on the family sitch. Short answer? She took him back. Are we surprised? No. Long answer? She says he called his HR at work to find out what counseling would be covered for both of them and that he did this before they spoke. She also says she enrolled in a medical assistant program so that regardless of what happens between them she can be financially independent (she's currently not working & never actually got her GED or finished high school. This will take care of both). Now, much like I said when she was supposedly "leaving" him, I'll believe the counseling thing when I see it, i.e. I'll believe they're going to follow through on it when they've actually done it for more than, say, two sessions. They went to a counselor extremely briefly many years ago, and have been saying they'd go to one again off and on ever since. So, yeah.
That being said though, of course I hope they actually commit to getting help this time, and hope he can prove me wrong that men like him can be rehabilitated. But as I told her tonight, I've seen this general pattern between them repeat for far too long now & I need to just check myself out of the situation emotionally for my own peace of mind. Regardless of whether she's leaving him or staying, I'm done. I mean, I care to know the facts of what's happening, but I'm not gonna involve myself anymore by hearing all the details or trying to give advice or be her shoulder to cry on. Not gonna let myself get all upset & invested in the rollercoaster of "you won't believe what he's done; this time it's REALLY OVER. . .whoops nevermind!" anymore. I still have a sense of guilt for that, but at the same time I also know it's absolutely the right decision. And the only reason I haven't come to it sooner is frankly a lifetime of feeling responsible for my mother's mental well-being and thinking I could somehow fix other people's problems if I just tried hard enough. And if I didn't, whatever went wrong would be my fault. I've learned over time that's not true with my mom, but I think it took me longer to learn it with my sister. To learn that setting down boundaries in a dysfunctional situation doesn't mean you don't love that person; it simply means you're acknowledging you've done all you can, and that to do any more would not only not help them, but it would actually hurt you.
That doesn't mean it was easy to have this conversation though. I was actually physically shaking afterward, embarassingly enough. I knew the discussion needed to be had, but I wasn't looking forward to her response. Fortunately though all the rehearsing I did in my head all day long must've helped, because aside from her initial defensive reaction, she did accept it & said we were okay by the end. Which makes me feel good on another level too, because as close as my sister and I are, we tend to communicate very differently in conflicts, and usually when a topic like that comes up & I can tell she's feeling hurt/on the defense, it turns into a big fight & only diffuses itself much later. This time we were able to talk it out & move on before it hardly escalated at all. So I think that's great. I also think the fact that she's going back to school is fantastic, assuming she sticks with it. It means that if things do get worse between them, she would not have "how will I pay the bills? He makes all the money" as one of her excuses to stay. That's a big deal.
Anyway, that's really all I had to say about it, but I wanted to also thank those of you who commented to my last entry as I really appreciate the support. *hugs all of you*
And now, I'll wish you all a good night & a Merry Christmas if you celebrate it (and a "Merry Day Off of Work" if you don't), in case I don't post again before this weekend. As always, we'll end this entry with a Vid of the Day, but in honor of the "End of the Year/Decade Vidfest" I mentioned in my last post, we'll go with TWO vids today. Don't you feel lucky? (P.S. sorry for the "decade" thing,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
auroura76, hee. Just pretend it's 2010 right now)
For my first pick, I'm gonna rock an X-Files vid (by kate22uk) to go with the TV Funtimes above. It's not a holiday vid, but it IS a Mulder/Scully vid (which more than makes up for it, don't you think?). It's also silly & cute and makes me want to squish them. Like a lot. Like THEY ARE SO FUCKING CUTE SOMETIMES THAT I JUST. . .I CAN'T. . .*collapses*
And for our second Vid of the Day (by pennyfeline), we're gonna continue the Ode to BSG that I promised would be coming in my last entry. This time I'm focusing on my favorite character of the show--a certain Madam President Laura Roslin, she of the awesome legs & epic win. This video is a tribute to her containing moments & quotes from all four seasons, and it's seriously so beautiful I almost can't even deal with it. Prepare the tissues, people.
In other news: now that the holidays are nigh (oooh, Fancy Words McGee over here), I think it's about time I started my traditional ~Holiday TV Funtimes Marathon~, a.k.a. "Rachael will take any excuse she can get to veg out on her couch next to a stack of DVDs and call it festive."
-"So Called Angels," My So-Called Life
-"How the Ghosts Stole Christmas," X-Files
-"Forgiveness and Stuff," Gilmore Girls
-"Amends," Buffy the Vampire Slayer
-and finally, because Bones is just so damn full of Xmas Win, it gets three episodes: "The Man in the Fallout Shelter," "The Santa in the Slush," & "The Goop on the Girl."
Just try & tell me that isn't a rockin' good list of episodes, I mean really. It's a good thing BSG never did any Christmas eps or my marathon would probably cause a rift in the time-space continuum with its utter awesomeness or something. Hee.
I will admit though that the Buffy pick isn't actually one of my fave episodes for that show, but it makes the list anyway because I simply can't resist Buffy inviting Faith over for Christmas and the look on Faith's face when Buffy opens the door. *hearts* (and yeah, in case it's not obvious already? I totally ship it. Of course bear in mind I'm a complete shipper-whore when it comes to Buffy, so if you were to ask me who I ship her more with--Angel or Faith--I'd probably just point at something shiny to distract you & then run away. Heh. Just keepin' it real.)
Anyway though, back to my point re: my Marathon o' Christmas Cheer. I already started it last night with My So-Called Life (hence the subject heading) and will be continuing it next with XF. If that doesn't put the "fun" in Funtimes, I don't know what does. First off, you've got My So-Called Life, which is basically already the bestest best show ever to begin with, and you factor in an incredibly moving storyline that makes me cry like a freaking baby everytime I see it, and you've got the reason it tops my list. God, I love it so much. The whole ending to that episode--from Rickie lighting the candle, to him and Patty embracing, to the whole family at the church? Just, seriously, I can't even take it. It doesn't matter how many times I see it, I ALWAYS CRY. It's just so fucking beautiful. Especially when you learn that the actor who plays Rickie was also kicked out of his house for being gay, and that after seeing the episode his dad picked up the phone & called him for the first time in a year. HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT?
(And for those of you who have never watched the show, I encourage you to take advantage of the wonders of Hulu and get on that shit post-haste. It's only one season long, it's free to watch, and it's good enough that I'm still raving about it more than fourteen years later. Trust me, you won't regret it: watch it, love it, and thank me later.)
And second-off, re: XF? Do I even need to say why it made the list? You've got your Lily Tomlin, your Ed Asner, your Mulder/Scully ghostbusting shenanigans, the best use of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" I've ever seen on television, and the opportunity to answer the age-old fanfic question, "What did Mulder & Scully give each other during their gift exchange at the end? Alien implant earrings, porn, the ever-elusive Truth? Superstars of the Superbowl Part Deux?" What more could you need?
As for the rest of the episodes that I'll be watching tomorrow: at this point I don't think I even need to say what I love about the Bones eps, because I've already raved about them in-depth lately. They're fabulous, that's really all you need to know. And Gilmore Girls? Two words: *Santa Burger*. 'Nuff said.
So, in summation: Christmas = good, TV = good, but Christmas + TV = THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. Haha. Okay, so no, not even remotely. But still, hella fun nonetheless! Feel free to join me in my marathon and let me know which episode on the list is your fave & why, or add your own episodes to the mix & spread the joy. You know you want to![/peer pressure]
Before I wrap this tv-talk up though, one more thing: while it didn't make my list, I still have to show some love to Big Bang Theory as well after seeing the xmas ep they re-aired this week. Dude. Sheldon & the Leonard Nimoy napkin? FUCKING FUNNIEST SHIT EVER OMG. I don't even know when the last time was that I laughed that hard, for real. "I could make my own Leonard Nimoy!" Heeee.
(Also? WHY HELLO THERE SAM ANDERS. NICE TRY PRETENDING TO BE ANOTHER CHARACTER, I STILL SEE YOU THERE.)
Moving on from the tv-talk, I also wanted to give you guys a status update on the family sitch. Short answer? She took him back. Are we surprised? No. Long answer? She says he called his HR at work to find out what counseling would be covered for both of them and that he did this before they spoke. She also says she enrolled in a medical assistant program so that regardless of what happens between them she can be financially independent (she's currently not working & never actually got her GED or finished high school. This will take care of both). Now, much like I said when she was supposedly "leaving" him, I'll believe the counseling thing when I see it, i.e. I'll believe they're going to follow through on it when they've actually done it for more than, say, two sessions. They went to a counselor extremely briefly many years ago, and have been saying they'd go to one again off and on ever since. So, yeah.
That being said though, of course I hope they actually commit to getting help this time, and hope he can prove me wrong that men like him can be rehabilitated. But as I told her tonight, I've seen this general pattern between them repeat for far too long now & I need to just check myself out of the situation emotionally for my own peace of mind. Regardless of whether she's leaving him or staying, I'm done. I mean, I care to know the facts of what's happening, but I'm not gonna involve myself anymore by hearing all the details or trying to give advice or be her shoulder to cry on. Not gonna let myself get all upset & invested in the rollercoaster of "you won't believe what he's done; this time it's REALLY OVER. . .whoops nevermind!" anymore. I still have a sense of guilt for that, but at the same time I also know it's absolutely the right decision. And the only reason I haven't come to it sooner is frankly a lifetime of feeling responsible for my mother's mental well-being and thinking I could somehow fix other people's problems if I just tried hard enough. And if I didn't, whatever went wrong would be my fault. I've learned over time that's not true with my mom, but I think it took me longer to learn it with my sister. To learn that setting down boundaries in a dysfunctional situation doesn't mean you don't love that person; it simply means you're acknowledging you've done all you can, and that to do any more would not only not help them, but it would actually hurt you.
That doesn't mean it was easy to have this conversation though. I was actually physically shaking afterward, embarassingly enough. I knew the discussion needed to be had, but I wasn't looking forward to her response. Fortunately though all the rehearsing I did in my head all day long must've helped, because aside from her initial defensive reaction, she did accept it & said we were okay by the end. Which makes me feel good on another level too, because as close as my sister and I are, we tend to communicate very differently in conflicts, and usually when a topic like that comes up & I can tell she's feeling hurt/on the defense, it turns into a big fight & only diffuses itself much later. This time we were able to talk it out & move on before it hardly escalated at all. So I think that's great. I also think the fact that she's going back to school is fantastic, assuming she sticks with it. It means that if things do get worse between them, she would not have "how will I pay the bills? He makes all the money" as one of her excuses to stay. That's a big deal.
Anyway, that's really all I had to say about it, but I wanted to also thank those of you who commented to my last entry as I really appreciate the support. *hugs all of you*
And now, I'll wish you all a good night & a Merry Christmas if you celebrate it (and a "Merry Day Off of Work" if you don't), in case I don't post again before this weekend. As always, we'll end this entry with a Vid of the Day, but in honor of the "End of the Year/Decade Vidfest" I mentioned in my last post, we'll go with TWO vids today. Don't you feel lucky? (P.S. sorry for the "decade" thing,
auroura76, hee. Just pretend it's 2010 right now) For my first pick, I'm gonna rock an X-Files vid (by kate22uk) to go with the TV Funtimes above. It's not a holiday vid, but it IS a Mulder/Scully vid (which more than makes up for it, don't you think?). It's also silly & cute and makes me want to squish them. Like a lot. Like THEY ARE SO FUCKING CUTE SOMETIMES THAT I JUST. . .I CAN'T. . .*collapses*
And for our second Vid of the Day (by pennyfeline), we're gonna continue the Ode to BSG that I promised would be coming in my last entry. This time I'm focusing on my favorite character of the show--a certain Madam President Laura Roslin, she of the awesome legs & epic win. This video is a tribute to her containing moments & quotes from all four seasons, and it's seriously so beautiful I almost can't even deal with it. Prepare the tissues, people.
