In a Dale-spin: Thoughts on seasons 4-6 of Riverdale...with SPOILERS

Since I already shared my overall thoughts on why I love Riverdale (a.k.a. The Dale), I'm going to jump right in with sharing my thoughts on seasons 4-6. Yes, there will be lots of spoilers, so if you haven't seen these seasons yet, it's not too late to back out of reading this post....

Courtesy of Newsweek

There is sooooo much to process from these past three seasons. First of all, I forgot to mention in my previous post that the youth prison where Archie goes in season three is so much like Shawshank Redemption that I don't get why they didn't name that prison Shankshaw instead of the one in town. The warden's last name is Norton too. 

Anyway, season four is where Jughead goes to that fancy school so he can write a book. However, he comes up against Bret and Donna, who are both terrible. First of all, Bret only has one T in his name. That annoys me. And Donna is just a total b*tch. The headmaster guy was awful too. Jughead should have just left the moment he sensed something weird going on. Also, being stuck in that coffin overnight was just too horrifying. Then again, things weren't much better at Riverdale High with Principal Honey, a.k.a. Jack from Dawson's Creek. He was such a jerk the entire time. And it seemed like he was gaslighting everyone too. I really loved the Hedwig episode though. Kevin was so great in that costume! I like the music from Hedwig and the Angry Inch and I had just rewatched the movie recently, so it was fresh in my head. Also, Jughead has a great singing voice, so that adds to it. 

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The whole situation where Betty was tricked to think she killed Jughead but then she finds out what really happened and plays along to mess with Bret and Donna...that was just such a fun plot twist. I loved seeing Jughead alive again and knowing he masterminded everything to take those two entitled jerks down. However, I did NOT like that she and Archie kissed for real in the Hedwig episode. I was okay with it when it was a ruse to mislead everyone but not when it was the thing that would drive wedges between Varchie and Bughead. 

The Farm situation also bled into season four. No one will be able to forget Edgar Evernever's rocket...

Finally in season four, we say goodbye to Fred Andrews. That was at the beginning of the season, due to Luke Perry's death from a stroke. It was definitely a sad episode, even with Shannen Doherty making an appearance. I may have cried a couple of times.

Courtesy of USA Today

Onto season five! It picked up where they left off from season four and celebrated the end of school. However, there was something nefarious going on with weird videos that people were sharing with everyone in town. That also started in season four. We found out that Jellybean was behind the videos because she wanted to give Jughead something to do so that he wouldn't go to college. After she confessed, she and F.P. left town. That didn't work so well for F.P. and Alice rekindling their relationship though. Charles also confessed to some murders, from what I remember, and he went to prison. Betty finally told Jughead about kissing Archie and that was pretty much the downfall of Bughead. :( Archie went off to join the army. Cheryl and Toni broke up because of some family conflict. That was sad too.

Suddenly, it's seven years later and we see the Riverdale gang leading different lives. Betty is in the FBI and trying to catch the Trash Bag Killer, who kidnapped her for two weeks. Jughead is a struggling writer who owes a lot of money and is always drunk. Archie is back in Riverdale after an injury that forces him out of the army. Veronica is married to some rich guy and running a secret jewelry store. Cheryl is a recluse and Toni is a social worker. Riverdale is falling apart though, thanks to Hiram, of course. He wants to run the town into the ground, but thankfully Archie is back to stop that from happening. Polly gets herself into some situation where she ends up being killed. Oh, and there are aliens or something like that. They're called Mothmen and I think they're responsible for Polly's death. Some supernatural things happen too. There's a new girl working at Pop's....his granddaughter Tabitha. Of course, she's a romantic interest for Jughead. And why not? She's pretty and she can sing. (The actress, Erinn Westbrook, was on Glee even though I don't remember her at all from that show.)

Courtesy of TV Fanatic

They did a Next to Normal episode, which was pretty good overall. It was kind of surreal with Alice seeing dead people (namely Polly, since Charles is only in prison). I haven't seen Next to Normal, but this episode does fit well with the premise of that musical, based on what I've heard.

There's also the Dickinsons, which is a terrible family whom you don't want to cross. Darla is so evil and terrifying. Thankfully, Archie figured out a way to take them down. 

Speaking of taking down villains, everyone finally ganged up on Hiram and blackmailed him into getting out of town for good. However, Hiram left one last surprise in Archie's room, which leads us to the most bizarre season of all so far...season six.

I don't even know how to explain season six. It starts out as Rivervale. Some really strange stuff happens in Rivervale and people are being killed left and right, starting with Archie. However, Jughead finds some connection between Rivervale and Riverdale and opens some portal that allows multiple versions of him to show up. The best was when the first Reggie showed up to face off with the current Reggie. I'm all used to Charles Melton as Reggie, so it's weird to even remember that he wasn't the original in that role. Anyway, we're suddenly back in Riverdale after that and the surprise in Archie's room, which is a bomb, just went off. Thankfully, Betty received a call before it happened and was able to get them both out of Archie's room. (I forgot to mention that Betty and Archie are currently together. They were together after the seven year leap, but then Archie got back with Veronica and when that fell through, he went to Betty again. Consolation prize, anyone?)

Archie is now invulnerable and can't be hurt. Betty sees auras around dangerous people. And Jughead can read minds. Cheryl has lots of magical powers, like being able to throw fire from her body, also known as pyrokinesis. In the meantime, this British guy named Percival Pickens shows up out of nowhere and starts using his mind control powers to take over the town. Archie, Betty, Jughead, Tabitha, Toni, and Fangs can see through his trickery though. However, that doesn't stop him from being a completely horrible menace. He's even worse than Hiram and it actually makes me wish Hiram would come back. Oh wait, he can't because Veronica hired a hitman to kill him. Meanwhile, Zig from Degrassi shows up, but his name is Heraldo on this show. 

Anyway, back to Percival Pickens. There are very few people who make it to my ultimate hatred list, and he is one of them. Yes, he's a fictional character, but that's just how truly despicable he is. I HATE HIM SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! Everything that Archie and the gang try to do to take him down, he finds a way to one-up them. He even finds out about Archie's palladium weakness and uses it against him. Not surprising though. Percival is pretty much invincible. He does so much to mess with everyone's head and trick them into doing his bidding. And when he doesn't get his way, he casts all these spells. (If you ever wanted to know about the plagues in Egypt that are part of the Passover story, look no further than Percival and his band of evil emissaries...) He looks like Christian Bale and that has basically ruined Christian Bale for me. Ironically, they do an episode with songs from the American Psycho musical and Christian was originally in that movie. Hmmm.... 

Courtesy of Personality Database

I mean, look at him! Don't you just want to smack him?!? UGGGGGH!

Speaking of musicals, I wish they had done Spring Awakening. It is such a good one for them to perform on Riverdale. The only connection is that Duncan Sheik also did the music for American Psycho. However, Riverdale hasn't moved me to listen to the cast recording all the time like I do with Carrie. I liked the performance of "You Are What You Wear" and the song Betty performed because she sounded amazing. By the way, why did Veronica invite Drake to the bachelorette party if she was annoyed at her for hitting on Betty?

I love how Rivervale comes back into play and how it helps everyone get rid of Percival. It was genius how Jughead tricked him, especially after how he messed with Jughead's mind. I was furious when he did that!!! Not that I wasn't furious about anything else, but this was the last straw. I was glad when Kevin and Reggie finally saw through Percival's BS.

I also love Cheryl's witchy storyline this season and how she reunites with her girlfriend from middle school. Heather was really cool and reminded me of Lisa Loeb. I love how she helped Cheryl enhance her skills, like with becoming invisible. She also softened Cheryl's personality a lot. 

I'm glad Betty was able to kill TBK. I think he was some guy who maneuvered his way onto Archie's construction crew and tried to kill Archie, but they don't show his face again even after Betty kills him.

How is the mortician also the town doctor? Dr. Curdle gives me the creeps too.

Am I the only one who gets annoyed at Toni and Fangs calling their son "Baby Anthony"? We know he's a baby. BTW, he looks really good as an adult and I love his curls. I also love that he's gay in the sweet hereafter.

I love the meta use of comic books this season, especially when Jughead was in someone's mind and using them to access their memories. 

Anyway, even with Percival gone, there was one last issue to contend with, as he put a spell on the town with the comet and the lockdown. I love how Cheryl and Veronica worked together to solve that problem though. However, it took Riverdale into a completely new direction....back to the 1950s. And Jughead is the only one who knows differently. It will be interesting to see what happens in season seven, now that there's a blank slate for all the characters. Will Hiram be returning even though Fred clearly can't? How will the time warp get reversed? There's so much to process and we might have to wait until early 2023 to find out. I just hope Bughead gets back together!

Courtesy of TV Fanatic. I couldn't share
this post without at least one Jughead pic!

I know I shared a lot of random Riverdale thoughts today, but so much has happened in these past three seasons and it's a lot of work to try to remember everything. I'm always glad to discuss Riverdale though!

What do you think of the past three seasons?

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One of a kind, no category...Thoughts on SIX

Courtesy of Six on Broadway

One of the things that kept me sane in 2020 was listening to the music from Six. My kids got me into it and I soon found myself listening all the time and eventually learning the words and singing along. The music is so catchy and addictive. I knew that when it came to DC, I had to see it. Lo and behold, I finally got the chance to this past weekend and it was AMAZING!

There's only so much information you can get from listening to the songs. When they're paired with context from the live performance, it enhances the listening experience so much. I loved seeing the wives interact on stage. There were quite a few mic drops too. I love how they add a modern flair to the songs, so that even though the women existed a long time ago, their stories still carry relevance in the 21st century. 

Courtesy of Broadway at the National

All six women had so much energy and their voices were really powerful. I can't believe they have to do the show twice on some days, as there is so much involved, even in a ninety minute performance. I have some favorite songs when I listen to the music and seeing them performed live confirmed that they are still my favorites. Those would be "Don't Lose Ur Head" (Anne Boleyn) and "Get Down" (Anna of Cleves.) However, all the songs are great and I love listening to them. Those two just stand out the most for me. 

The set and costumes were awesome. Both were very flashy, but a lot of fun to look at. One of the women took off their costume to reveal a really shiny costume underneath. I also loved their hairstyles and how they fit their personalities. The set lit up in various ways and added another element to the story. I love when they did something that resembled a game show to explain how Henry selected Anna of Cleves. The set contributed to that part in such a fun way. 

There were some things in the show that surprised me and I enjoyed that a lot. I didn't expect certain things and it was nice to be caught off guard in that way. 

If you live in DC, Six is here until September. Otherwise, I hope it will be coming to a city near you soon. It's definitely worth checking out! If I have the chance to see it again, I would, just to pick up on some lines I missed the first time around and to be immersed in the energy and excitement again. 

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So fetch!: My thoughts on Mean Girls the Musical

 

Courtesy of MEAN GIRLS on Broadway

Last month my family and I finally got to see Mean Girls. We only waited about four years to make this happen. We got the original cast recording in 2018 and couldn't stop listening to it. So when tickets went on sale this past year, I got on top of that right away! 

I'm sorry it took so long to share my thoughts on the musical. Right after we saw it, we had to start preparing for Passover. Then things were just busy around that time, and afterward I wasn't motivated to blog outside of Chick Lit Central. So thanks for your patience!

My first warning to anyone wanting to see Mean Girls: Do NOT listen to the cast recording. I know that sounds hypocritical coming from me, but I learned this the hard way. My kids and I had most of it memorized, so when they changed a bunch of lyrics right away or took lines out of songs, we noticed and it was a bit distracting. This was especially the case during "It Roars." They also took a section out of "Stupid With Love." They completely removed the first reprise of "Someone Gets Hurt." (The one that comes after "Fearless.") They also added a new part to "Fearless" and I couldn't hear the lines all that well. However, that is my main gripe with the show. The other smaller one was that it was sometimes hard to hear lines and I missed a couple of jokes. Otherwise, it was a lot of fun!

The background for the set is the coolest. It's all digital with video footage to establish scene changes and other things going on during songs. I love how it made things more versatile for the performance vs. having to physically change backgrounds between songs all the time. There was a better flow. My husband and I both loved how they transitioned from the high school to the mall so easily with these digital backgrounds. 

The stage before the show.

The cast did a great job overall. I really liked Gretchen, Karen, Damian, and Janis the most. They all sang really well and added a lot of personality into the show. I enjoyed watching them the entire time. I loved seeing certain songs play out, like "Where Do You Belong?", "Revenge Party," and "Stop." Those are some of the songs I always liked on the cast recording and I'm glad they didn't mess with too many of the lines. "Sexy" (the Halloween song) and "Apex Predator" were done really well too. It was cool to get some context behind the songs that I didn't get just from listening to them. 

Costume display at the Kennedy Center

I had a great time seeing Mean Girls, but I don't know that I'd go to see it again. Maybe when they make the musical into a movie. While there were a lot of funny moments, I felt like I didn't laugh as much as I did from the movie. One of my favorite funny moments involved the North Shore Lions mascot during "Revenge Party" and I'm just so glad that part went over my daughter's head. As far as movie to musical adaptations go, it's good, especially in terms of the songs and how well they follow the story from the movie. (Although I wish Gretchen had yelled "You can't sit with us!") There was good energy throughout, as well. However, it falls short of the standard that Legally Blonde set for me when it became a musical. (Heathers is one of the few that lives up to this standard.) This is more along the lines of Waitress for me. 

It's definitely fun for a family outing, a girls' night, or even a date. However, if you see it on Wednesday, you must wear pink! (I saw it on a Sunday and I was probably one of the few women who didn't wear pink anyway.)

Here are some pictures of my family and me at the show. (My younger son didn't want to be in any of the theater pictures.)

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Hanging in "The Dale": Thoughts on seasons 1-3 of Riverdale

Courtesy of Screenrant

I made it a 2022 goal to watch Riverdale and I am already done with the first three seasons! I wanted to share my thoughts so far. The first half of the post will be general and then there will be spoilers later on. (You will have time to back out before seeing those.) I've been calling it "The Dale" because my husband gave it that nickname and it just stuck. :)

General thoughts:

Riverdale is a combination of many different shows: Beverly Hills 90210 (Luke Perry is even in it), Desperate Housewives, Scooby Doo, Glee, Stranger Things, Dawson's Creek, Degrassi: The Next Generation, etc. If we want to talk books, there are some Sweet Valley High aspects. It also uses elements from some well-known movies. 

I read Archie comics as a teenager and I will never be able to do so again after watching this show. The characters have a dark side that you don't see in the comic books. 

I will also never be able to watch Big Daddy after this because after seeing Cole Sprouse as Jughead, I can't even imagine watching him as a little kid again. Also the fact that Jughead is my main crush from the show makes me feel like a cougar and this was when he was in his twenties. Either that, or I just pretend his twin brother was playing Julian the whole time, as well as Ben on Friends. 

Courtesy of New American Jackets

It is so easy to hate some characters one moment and love them the next. Cheryl Blossom is the biggest example of this. It also extends to Alice Cooper (I still laugh about that name). Then there are others I will always hate, like Hiram Lodge. 

I like that the casting is more diverse and that there are LGBTQ characters. 

I love the musical theater element. Not only have they already done two musical episodes using songs from the musicals they were featuring, but they also sang "Out Tonight" from Rent in one of the episodes. There have been some Cabaret and Anything Goes songs too. I haven't seen the musical version of Carrie, but now I can't stop listening to the cast recording. Of course, I'm picturing the characters from Riverdale each time. I've seen the Heathers episode before, but this time it made more sense in the context of season three and I actually cried from "Seventeen." I can't wait to see future musical episodes! 

They include a lot of pop culture in the show too. There was an episode where they went to see Love, Simon. They make other pop culture name drops, as well. 

There is a lot of horror involved, but I'm enjoying it anyway. There's always a murder mystery to solve and teenagers are the ones to do it (hence the Scooby Doo comment). This video says it all. With the horror, there are a lot of conspiracies and other wild situations that could only happen in the town of Riverdale.

There's a V.C. Andrews element to the story that gets introduced in season one. And it's not what you think either... Also, Cheryl's grandma looks like she's straight out of a V.C. Andrews novel.

There are a lot of 80s and 90s actors on the show: Luke Perry, Molly Ringwald, Skeet Ulrich, Lochlyn Munro, Mädchen Amick, Anthony Michael Hall (in one episode), Robin Givens, and Gina Gershon....just to name a few.

Have I enticed you to watch yet? If not, check out this trailer. I'll be sharing my thoughts with spoilers below, so don't go any further than that if you're new to all things Riverdale.

Thoughts on seasons 1-3 with SPOILERS:

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I still find it weird that Hal revealed himself to be the Black Hood killer when the guy had green eyes and Hal clearly did not. Was he wearing colored contacts to disguise himself? 

There seems to be a black hole for some characters, like they just disappear and no one seems to think about them anymore. The two Pussycats and Chuck definitely ended up there. I thought Ethel did too, but she's back now. 

I thought Cheryl's closeness with Jason was going to be the V.C. Andrews element, but it turns out that Jason and Polly were cousins. I also found out (from starting on season four), that Archie's grandma's name is Virginia Andrews. That is V.C.'s first name. Hmmm...

If Betty's half-brother is supposedly dead, how did he end up being an FBI agent? Unless the death story was a cover up? And if that was the case, why did Chic even bother coming into their lives? Did he know the Coopers were looking for him? 

Is Gryphons and Gargoyles connected to The Farm in any way, or are they two separate problems in a really intense and twisted season? Both talk about ascension though. Speaking of that, where did the farmers go when they left Kevin behind? That seems so bizarre. 

Hiram Lodge is the absolute worst! I hate him so much! He's never going to stop being a complete piece of sh*t, even from prison. Who doesn't he have doing his bidding at this point? 

Other characters I hate right now: Penny Peabody, Elio (the guy arranging the boxing matches), Penelope Blossom, Edgar and Evelyn Evernever. I'm also really mad at Kevin and Fangs right now for not listening to Betty and Cheryl and I hope at least Kevin will be able to redeem himself, if Fangs has truly ascended with the farmers. 

Characters I love besides the main four: Josie, Toni, F.P. Jones, Fred Andrews, Pops, and I'm still on the fence with Cheryl as she did come through for the main four at the end of season three. I'm also on the fence with Reggie. He does have a lot of good moments, even though he can be a bully sometimes.

I love Betty and Jughead together. They make such a sweet couple. I also am glad Veronica and Archie are still endgame for now...

If you're a Riverdale fan, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the first three seasons!

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Extra-Ordinary Joe

Courtesy of IMDb

The first season of Ordinary Joe just ended. Thirteen episodes is not enough though, and I hope it returns for another season. It's a really well-written show with a strong cast! I feel like I currently have only one friend with whom I can discuss this show. So if anyone else here is watching, speak up!

Funny side note: I told one of my friends I was watching Ordinary Joe and she thought it was a reality show, like Joe Millionaire. I hope I can convince her to watch this show though.

Here's the basic premise: Joe Kimbreau has a decision to make at college graduation. Depending on what he decides, his life plays out based on that decision. Since he has three directions in which he can go, we get to see all three decisions play out while he lives parallel lives in a Sliding Doors way. 

In one life, he is a nurse, married to Jenny, his college sweetheart, and raising their son together. That's what would have happened if he went to the lake house with Jenny. Those scenes are in green lighting. He wears glasses and has bangs.

Another life shows Joe as a cop, single and living with his mom at his childhood home. He runs into Amy, the girl he met at graduation, and starts to take interest in her. Those scenes are in blue lighting. He had a standard, clean-cut look.

The third life shows Joe as a rock star (although he has a country vibe at times), married to Amy. Those scenes are in red lighting. He has long hair and the makings of a beard.

All three lives have their share of uplifting moments and complications. The supporting characters show up in each life in different ways, but a lot of things mirror each other (in a funhouse mirror kind of way). 

For Jenny:

She is married to Joe in the nurse life, and is a paralegal, as she never got to go all the way with becoming a lawyer, due to raising a child so soon after graduating college. 

She is married to another man and has two daughters in the rock star life, but her path crosses with Joe's at their reunion and she tells him something that changes both their lives.

In the cop life, she is married to a guy she was friends with in college, who swooped in when Joe didn't show up at the lake house. She has a son with this guy, as well, and is a lawyer. 

For Amy:

In the nurse life, she is married to Joe's best friend Eric and they help with Joe's son a lot. 

In the cop life, she is coming out of an affair with the politician she's helping campaign for and trying to see where things go with Joe.

In the rock star life, she is married to Joe and campaigning to become a politician herself, after suffering a miscarriage. 

Both Eric and Joe's uncle Frank have different roles in each of his lives, as well. That's all I will say for now, so you can see how things play out. There are other things I don't want to mention as to not spoil the show. I will share a few more thoughts after the trailer, for those who have watched the entire first season already.

James Wolk is fabulous as Joe in all three scenarios. I really enjoy watching him. Two actors from You have big supporting roles: Jenny is played by Elizabeth Lail, who was Beck in season one. Eric is played by Charlie Barnett who was Gabe in season two (I remember him more from Russian Doll though.) I've never seen Natalie Martinez in anything before, but she's great as Amy. Anne Ramsay from Mad About You plays Joe's mother. I like her a lot in this role too. John Gluck plays Nurse Joe's son Chris, and he is an amazing kid with a beautiful singing voice. He has physical disabilities, which are addressed on the show and handled in a sensitive and thoughtful way. 

If I haven't convinced you to watch this yet, then the trailer will do it:

SPOILERS AHEAD

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The only time I had trouble keeping the three stories straight is when they showed how everything first started for Joe. I had to keep looking for little details to figure out which life he was in. Otherwise, it was easy to follow for me, but difficult to explain sometimes!

The whole situation with Joe not knowing about his son in the rock star and cop lives is so heart-wrenching. Especially since that choice was taken away from him in the first place and now he just wants to know his son but is still kept at arm's length. Going on those two scenarios, I'd want the nurse life to be the real deal for him. 

I love how everything parallels and how stories weave in and out between the three lives. It shows that Joe can't really escape certain situations, and neither can the supporting characters. Addiction also plays into the show, either in the form of Joe's uncle or even from Joe, himself, in the rock star life. 

I also love how they show what things are like from the supporting characters' perspectives. We don't always just see Joe on the screen. Jenny's law school experience in Atlanta reminded me of Legally Blonde in some ways, like how she started off awkward and suddenly became the star lawyer for the case she was working on, even though she was still a law student. I feel bad for Amy in the rock star life. She made a careless mistake based on an assumption because Joe was hiding things from her. Suddenly she's the pariah. (I had a feeling she'd end up getting pregnant from her one time affair with Bobby in that life.) I liked seeing Eric in his different relationships, especially with another guy, although I haven't seen Sai around much lately. 

Overall, this is such a great series that I am going to miss until it returns. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've made it this far.

 

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Best of 2021

Courtesy of Sammiches and Psych Meds

2021 was almost a repeat of 2020, which explains the abundance of TV shows on this list...

New (to me) TV shows that I enjoyed in 2021 (in no particular order):

1. One Day at a Time

2. Being Erica

3. Workin' Moms

4. Cruel Summer: Such an interesting and well-done teen mystery thriller. I loved the 90s throwbacks and the Cold Case feel.

Courtesy of Deadline

5. Schmigadoon

6. Shtisel: I really hope they'll bring it back for a fourth season. There's still so much they could do with this series and I definitely miss the characters. 

7. Ted Lasso: My latest obsession!!!

8. Ordinary Joe: There's still more to go with this first season, but it's really creative and I love seeing what will happen next. 

Courtesy of TV Insider

9. Maid

10. Only Murders in the Building

11. Hacks: Really funny and well done. A Devil Wears Prada for the comedy circuit. I can see why Jean Smart got the Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

12. Little Voice: I'm sad that this only got one season. It's a great show created by Sara Bareilles. I love all the Broadway references, courtesy of Louie. It was nice to see one of the actors in the Dear Evan Hansen movie though.

Courtesy of Deadline

Shows I watched that didn't make it to the list (but I'll still watch anyway):

The Morning Show: It's such a train wreck, but has a fabulous cast. Just too much yelling, fighting, and really long conversations.

Kevin Can F--k Himself: I mainly watch this for Annie Murphy as Kevin is a real life Peter Griffin and I can see why he made her snap!

Courtesy of CNET

Ginny and Georgia

And Just Like That: It leans toward the cringey side, but that could change next year...

Saved by the Bell reboot: It's funny in regards to nostalgia from the original series (and some great meta stuff) but some aspects tend to be annoying.

Courtesy of Vox

Top 5 favorite movies from 2021:

1. In the Heights

2. Free Guy: So funny, creative, interesting, suspenseful, and entertaining. Highly recommended!

Courtesy of TechRadar

3. Tick Tick Boom

4. Cruella: Really well done. More Disney villain movies need to be done this way. Ursula needs to be next!

5. The Hating Game: Just watched this recently. Great adaptation of Sally Thorne's romcom novel. I actually like it better than the book!

Courtesy of Decider

Books:

See my top five picks at Chick Lit Central, as well! I read so many amazing books this year (go to my Goodreads page and see all the five-star books) and am sad to have to narrow it down at all. Links are to reviews (or Bookstagram posts)

1. The People We Keep by Allison Larkin (leaned more toward YA and New Adult, but was definitely one of the best books I read this year)

2. The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

3. With Love from London by Sarah Jio (This was going to go on my list at CLC, but it publishes in 2022)

4. 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

5. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

6. The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

7. The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

8. Half Life by Jillian Cantor

9. The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz

10. The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

Musical treat this year:

Being able to watch Come From Away on Apple +. It was a really good musical and I can't listen to the songs without getting teary-eyed. 

Famous people I want to meet:

*Brett Goldstein. He plays Roy Kent on Ted Lasso and he's everything! Of course, I would be happy to meet anyone from this wonderful show.

Courtesy of TV Insider

The rest is mostly the same from last year, but bears repeating:

*Dan Levy because, like, obviously! ;) (I also wouldn't mind meeting the cast of Schitt's Creek though!)

*Michael Judson Berry: He's so funny with his Schitt's Creek impressions and videos and he seems like he's so down-to-earth and friendly too. 

*Randy Rainbow: When have I NOT wanted to meet Randy Rainbow?!? He's saved my sanity since 2016. 

Highlights from 2021:

*My family getting the Covid vaccine. We are all now fully vaccinated and my husband and I are boosted. Our oldest will be boosted soon.

*My sister got married and we got to attend her wedding in Chicago and finally meet my new brother-in-law in person. They are perfectly matched and I'm really happy for them both!

*Getting to see my best friend and her husband when we were in Chicago. (My family and I didn't have time to make plans with a lot of people, but we couldn't be in the same city and NOT meet up!)

*Getting to see "Will" again after five long years. He officiated my sister's wedding too.

*My younger son's Bar Mitzvah

*I got a new job!!! And it's in a field that actually interests me and is something I want to grow into even more: Book publicity!

* Having Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws. It was so nice to be back together in person again. I hope we can make things work for Passover, as long as omicron gets under control!

*My kids going back to school in person. It's been good for them, even if it means I get up at 5:45 am!

*Some mini-vacations: Staying at a cabin in the woods, going to Virginia Beach (and spending an entire day at the beach itself), staying at a cozy house for a little winter retreat. 

*I made a couple of new friends, which is a challenge in this day and age. Both live nearby and I've already connected with one in person a couple of times. I have lots in common with both of them, as well. 

*Getting to see my friend who moved to Florida a few years ago. She was in town for a week and we hung out a couple of times.

*The Chinese food car picnic my husband and I had for our anniversary. 

That's a wrap for 2021! Here's hoping there will be an end to this pandemic in 2022. 

Got this from a friend's Facebook post

Also got this from a friend's Facebook post

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A Festivus for the Rest of Us!

Today is Festivus, so I felt it was an appropriate time to air my grievances. Keep in mind that most of these are first world problems, but it's still enough to get my goat, so to speak. Feel free to share your grievances in the comments. (Keep in mind that I monitor them to avoid spam, so don't worry if it doesn't show up right away.)

*The Amazon situation that I hope to never experience again. Long story short, they would NOT make it easy for my son to access his account, and he would have lost his gift card balance as a result. Somehow my husband was able to get them to let him back in, but this was after I made 20 zillion calls.

*USPS delaying mail for a month and a half and then delivering a damaged item. It looks like they spilled coffee all over it.

*Covid coming back in full force and somehow this new strain is vaccine resistant. I really hope we can get it under control this time. I don't think my kids can deal with going virtual again. 

*Extracurriculars being cancelled but not athletics, even though the athletes are the ones taking off their masks during practice....

*Rent getting cancelled. My oldest and I were supposed to see it at a local professional theater. I hope they'll extend its run when things get better. 

*People driving really bad. Now that my oldest has his permit, I'm even more hyperaware of all the bad drivers he'll have to contend with. I've been cut off a couple of times and I'm glad I was the one behind the wheel during those instances. 

*The sun being too bright in the kitchen. My husband got something to help with this, but apparently we need a handyperson to install them. And since anyone my husband has called has either not called back or came to check things out and never gave a quote, who knows when this will happen? I currently put paper grocery bags on my kitchen table to block the sun from getting directly into my eyes. 

*The bus depot accusing me of lying. A few weeks ago, my younger son's bus was running late. I called the depot and they said that the driver had already been there and no one was waiting for it. We had been there since 7:00 and the bus had not been there or we would have seen it. It's hard to miss.

*Being forced to purchase a month of Peacock Premium to be able to watch Annie Live. At least we got Saved by the Bell out of that. Still, there are so many streaming services and all come at a price. If the show was on a network station, their website should be streaming it without requiring a cable account. If someone has cable, they don't need to stream the show from the website when they can watch it on their TV. 

*CVS not accepting conditioner as a beauty product for the free beauty product deal. It makes my hair silky and smooth, so I consider that to be a beauty product. 

*How annoying it is to schedule a booster vaccine for people. (And even just the regular vaccine for kids.) And it's even more annoying to find out that it's very hard to get a Covid test and that places are charging a large amount of money for one. Is that legal? Some places in our state are giving out free Covid test kits, but they are totally out of the way. 

*All the spam entries I had to clean out from a giveaway I did at my blog. I'm glad someone alerted me to this, but what a pain!

*Not getting certain books in advance even though I've been blogging for 10 years and some other people have already got these books, so I know they're available. 

*My older son's job situation: Why does he need to do THREE interviews for a pizza place when most places are lucky if someone wants to work for them right now and would hire them on the spot? When he had his "audition" meeting, they had him cleaning toilets. They also keep putting off his offer meeting. 

*The holiday eves are on Shabbat. It's hard to stay up until midnight to ring in the new year when that's the case. I also can't do my Rent post on Facebook, unless I change something around that day. 

*I got on the Philadelphia cream cheese website at noon the other day for a chance to get $20 toward another dessert item and the site was backed up and not working. There was another chance to do it, but of course it was on Shabbat. :P

*My hands are so dry all the time even though I use tons of Aquaphor and gloves every night. I go through so many bandages and look like Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors.

*Getting notifications of deals on certain websites, but they're only good for that same day. Why even bother? 

*Special K Vanilla Almond always being out of stock at my local CVS.

*Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent) not being included in the sexiest men issue of People magazine. GRRRRR....

Tedlassogifs Ted Lasso GIFfrom Tedlassogifs GIFs

Tell me your grievances! Don't be shy.

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