Feb 14, 2012
I spent the weekend catching up on episodes of ABC Network’s “Once Upon A Time” and I’m so glad I did!
Airing on Sunday nights on ABC, “Once Upon A Time” is a great mix of storytelling.
Emma Swan is a bounty hunter. On the night of her 28th birthday, 10-year-old Henry arrives at her apartment, announcing that he is the son she gave up for adoption. Further, he tells her, she is the only one to save them.
Everyone who lives there has forgotten their origins. They are all characters from Fairytale World, but due to the Evil Queen’s curse, they have been transported to Storybrook, Maine. Anyone who tries to leave ends up hurt.
Henry is the adopted son of Storybrook’s Mayor, Regina Mills. She will do whatever it takes to rule over all. Of course, she needs the help of Mr. Gold, who owns the entire town. Henry’s teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard, befriends Emma and the two of them work together to discover the truth.
Just as soon as you get sucked into the modern drama, the show transports the viewers back to Fairytale World and shows the characters in ways previously unthought of.
There’s the town psychiatrist, Archie Hopper, who represents Jiminy Cricket.
Mr. Gold is fashioned after Rumplestiltskin.
The Mayor is, of course, the Evil Queen.
Mary Margaret is Snow White and Emma is her daughter who, as a baby, was magically transported to the Real World.
Many other people correlate to fairytale characters. Some appear just for an episode or two. Some are recurring background. Granny’s is the local diner everyone eats at.
Did you ever wonder about the characters outside of the few stories we’re familiar with? How, exactly, did Rumplestiltskin become so wicked? What happened to Gepetto? Who were the parents of the Princes and Princesses?
This show is full of wonderful dialogue, excellent scenery and stunning costumes. The characters are more in-depth than those portrayed in children’s stories. There are entire backstories to every legend, and this show brings them together with rich history and descriptive events.
It is not as simple as Good vs. Evil; there are choices being made constantly to protect loved ones, ways of life, and life itself.
While the main story is about breaking the curse, the subplots are just as enjoyably detailed. The great acting leaves no doubt that Henry is absolutely Emma’s son, that James is Prince Charming and Mary Margaret is Snow White. The struggle between Emma and Regina to each be Henry’s mother is a constant battle that uses manipulation, spilled secrets, and in some cases just good detective work.
This show has been a must-watch in my household since the first episode. It’s one of the very few that takes our attention away from all distractions, that beckons us to unplugged for sixty minutes and be enthralled.
If you haven’t watched “Once Upon A Time”, I strongly urge you to do so. No matter what your favorite fairytale, you’re bound to discover a whole new perspective… maybe even a whole new world.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 13, 2012
Five minutes of typing whatever. Why? Because today I woke up sick. sick.
Stuffy nose. Very sore throat. Headache. Body aches.
In other words, I’m utterly miserable. *Insert sad face sympathy here*
It could be the “bug” that’s going around, or it could be allergies, or it could be both. All I know is I’ve done zero writing today… but my Castleville kingdom has been extremely productive.
So Dot and I have spent the day catching up on weeks’ worth of DVR’d television shows: NCIS, Once Upon a Time, Grey’s Anatomy. At one point I told her to take the remote so I wouldn’t have to. She asked, “Are you going to take a nap?” I profusely shook my head adamantly. The next thing I know it was over 90 minutes later. So, yeah… I took a nap.
I’ve had a Pinterest account for about a month now, but just the last few days I really started paying attention to it. I didn’t get what it was all about; look at pictures and click “like”. What’s the big deal? Until… I started to collect pins. Until I created Boards like “My favorite TV shows”, “My Dream Home”, and “If I Could, I Would…” Until I started realizing how many wonderfully creative ideas my friends have, and now someone else thinks they’re my ideas.
I haven’t read for three days and I’m going crazy. First it was all the great warm weather that allowed me to do yard work and birdwatch, and now it’s because my brain doesn’t want to. I only have 45 pages left to finish a book I borrowed from my mom. She’s a speed reader. She can read two or three books a week if she sets her mind to it. I can’t. Even if the only thing I’m doing is reading, it still takes me too long to read. But I have my reading list for 2012 which allows for one book a week, three books a month. That gives me one week to either catch up or read something unplanned. Since I’ve read 6 of the 7 Narnia stories already, I have room on the reading schedule to read two extras before the end of the month. I’ve decided to finish the Narnia series and this one from my mom.
The next set I’m going to read will be Anne Rice’s Song of the Seraphim series. The plot is connected to the Mission Inn in Riverside, one of my favorite places ever. When I win the lottery, I’m going to stay there often. And write best sellers. And have a suite named after me. There’s only two in the series, which means I have room on the schedule for two more in March.
Dot and I spring-cleaned the Narnia room yesterday. We threw out old stuff, donated stuff we no longer want, and cleaned everything we’re keeping. It didn’t take that long, because I keep that room really clean. It’s my favorite room in the house but I don’t spend much time in it. I should. Maybe I will. Starting tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, who’s doing what for Valentine’s day? I was going to take Dot and my mom to see An Affair to Remember at the local theater. But that’s prob’ly not going to work out so instead we’re planning to just get a nice pizza dinner and watch it at home.
I don’t do much for Valentine’s day. I always forget to decorate for it. Because I’ve just undecorated the Christmas stuff. So I forget that a few weeks later it’s time to get into storage bins again. And I don’t have much to decorate with. Except I think I might at least put out a few candle holders that I like. I should do that soon, yeah? Like, maybe, today? Now? Hmmm….
I wish all my fellow bloggers knew how much they mean to me. Just reading other blogs really inspire me. There’s Andrea, Jenn, Ann, another Andrea, Megan, Dani, Brittany, Chelsea… I always feel really bad when I don’t have time to comment on every single post. Because I know the effort I put into each and every post, so I know they do the same. And they deserve to be appreciated.
And now my time’s up.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 12, 2012
Trust your gut and get out of your own way.
“Impossible” just means it hasn’t happened yet.
I believe. Therefore, I achieve.
You may not know what lies ahead. That’s okay. He does.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
