So, Graham and I returned from our 10-day whirlwind vacation (which involved flying Seattle --> Denver --> Tucson --> Dallas --> Rochester --> Chicago --> Seattle) sick sick sick. Like, we were both out of work for an entire week and had to fight over which one of us was going to get out of bed to buy more Kleenex and orange juice sick. Luckily, Graham had the first five episodes of Veronica Mars from Netflix to keep us entertained in between our numerous naps and trips to the doctor.
My childhood friend Tania, who (bless her heart) introduced me to the X-files many years ago, had been urging us to watch the adventures of Neptune High's finest girl detective for a couple of years, but we had just never gotten around to it.
Until two weeks ago, that is. Sick in bed, with nothing better to do, we started watching. We were hooked by the end of the second episode (as often seems to happen when you start a series at the beginning) and proceeded to watch the entire first season over the course of the next week. Then we watched the entire second season last week. Did I mention that we are now almost half way through Season Three? Hell, if it weren't for the fact that my husband just inadvertently blew up our server, erasing all of our photos, documents, movies, music, and VMars eps in the process, that's probably what we would be doing right now.
In case there is any doubt as to the gravity of our VMars obsession:
We both keep walking around the house singing, "A long time ago, we used to be friends ... Haven't thought of you lately at all," as if it's the most normal thing in the world.
Also, I had trouble sleeping this past week, which usually only happens when I'm trying to work out some real-world issue in my life. This time, though, I was stressing over what was going to happen to my beloved Wallace after he was caught cheating on his MechE exam, worrying about what was going to happen to my adorable little Weevil if Veronica didn't clear him of the Venetian robbery, and wishing that V and Logan would cut each other some slack and work it out already, so I could sleep happy.
Then, on Thursday, I ran into a colleague in the hallway at work and honestly thought for a minute that she was Veronica. No joke.
Oh, and I also had to fight back tears a few moments ago when I read on a fan site that the show had been canceled. Graham and I only have 12 more episodes to go. Ever.
I am fully aware that this level of immersion in a television show is both ridiculous and unhealthy. But I don't care. I just really love the show:
I love that watching it reminds me of reading Nancy Drew Files as a kid and dreaming of becoming a girl detective some day.
I love that Veronica is smart, independent, snarky and remarkably flawed ... but still totally down-to-earth and lovable.
I love the copious pop culture references and no-holds barred social commentary.
I love that they made us think the entire show revolved around Lilly Kane's murder, but then had Veronica solve it in the final episode of Season One.
I love that, despite it's rocky and at times annoying start, Season Two proved every bit as compelling and obsess-able as Season One.
I love the theme song (although slightly less so after its "updated for college" version took over in Season Three).
I love that Veronica has the kind of dad every girl dreams about.
And I really, really love all the supporting characters, especially Wallace, Weevil, Logan, Mac and, of course, Keith.
So, to sum up, I think it's a pretty good show. OKay, I'm done now.
Some day I'll actually get around to posting some photos, but for now here are a few verbal highlights to whet your appetite:
My husband turned 30! We had a perfect surprise party for him at our favorite neighborhood bar, complete with 35 of his favorite people (including one of his closest friends, his mom, and his aunt, uncle and two cousins, all of whom came from out of town) special pirate grog, custom-made "robot pirate monkey" buttons and yummy cupcakes.
We had 24-straight days of house guests (eight in total) followed by 10 days of travel (we're five days in so far).
The BABES DVD of Positive Dreams ~ Weaving Stories of Our Sisterhood arrived, and we had our first public screening (for all the women who were a part of the show and therefore hadn't seen the show!). Copies are available for $10ea and come highly recommended ... by me.
Melissa and I did the Danskin triathlon (along with 5,120 other women) and, despite a Rochester-like downpour, her aching knees and my two weeks of virus-induced fatigue followed by bizarre low-back pain, we both finished!
Allison and I took Maya on her first-ever camping trip. In addition to inventing the perfect, rain-inspired "tent-house" game, "sock-er ball," my two-and-a-half-year-old niece also hiked three miles in one day!
Speaking of Maya, she also peed on the potty for the first time ... in the men's room at Red Hook, of course! In keeping with her tradition of doing all of her "firsts" for someone other than her mother, she picked Tio Graham as her chaperone for this particular milestone.
G and I went to a wedding at a ranch in Tucson. In addition to good friends, we also saw more kinds of cacti than I knew existed, more kinds of insects than I wish I knew existed, a spotted toad and a tarantula. Did I mention it was 100+ degrees the whole time; that we heard coyotes (and a mariachi band); or that we ate the best salsa I've ever had at the oldest continually operated restaurant in the country, El Charro? (Yes, dl004d, I bought you a jar. You just have to come to Seattle to get it ... ;)
After Tucson we flew to Rochester to visit G's parents and some old friends for a few days. So far we've found a new favorite Indian restaurant, eaten Abbot's chocolate almond custard twice, gotten coffee at Women's Coffee Connection, driven around our old neighborhoods and taken Slurpee and Timoteo on a tour of cool area playgrounds.
On tap for the rest of the week: more visiting with family and friends, lunch at DiBella's, dinner at MacGregor's (not the real one, sniffsniff, but MacGregor's nonetheless), and a jaunt to Allegany State Park for a wedding-type, camp-out celebration this weekend, followed by a trip to the Kents' cabin near Naples.
And four days after we get back? More visitors, of course!
