Endings

It's been a busy week and I'm now finally able to discuss that Game of Thrones Ending.  Coach and I spent the weekend in Austin and were at an outdoor concert Sunday night so I was not able to watch the ending live.  I was wide awake when we got back to our hotel so I ended up catching it on HBO at 1 AM. 

All I'm going to say is that it was an ending.  It wasn't great.  It wasn't horrible.  It kinda went as expected and wrapped everything up in a neat little bow.  That's it.  I'm not going to over-analyze.

On to something else!

Coach and I started watching Dead to Me on Netflix last week.  It's good.  It's dark.  A little funny.  Christina Applegate is great and Linda Cardellini is good as her cooky/creepy new friend.  They met at grief counseling and things aren't what they seem.  We have two episodes left and hope there is a Season 2. 

What I'm Watching Wednesday

So now that the Stars season is over and I have nothing to look forward to until October, I've turned my attention back to TV shows.  Some good shows ending (I'm looking at you Game of Thrones), some good shows just starting (Spanish Princess for example) and a train wreck I can't help but slow down at take a look at (yeah, I'm referring to the hot mess that is Hannah B on The Bachelorette). 

Game of Thrones (HBO)
When this show first aired I really wanted to watch but remember thinking that I was already invested in several other shows and just didn't have the time.  Fast forward a couple of years and I'm recuperating from my hysterectomy.  Perfect time to start binge watching!  So, while I'm not an "original" GoT fan, I am a fan nonetheless. 

As we all know, this is the very last season of GoT and Sunday's episode is the very last.  This season has been had some highs and some lows for me:   

1. The Battle of Winterfell (episode 3 "The Long Night") -- the Battle of Winterfell was very dark and hard to see.  I couldn't tell what was happening half the time and it was frustrating. 
2. I hated that Theon had to die.  Understand why, I just hated it.  I love how he came full circle and redeemed himself.  It was very tragic and heroic. 
3. Jaime Lannister was consistently one of my favorite characters throughout the entire series.  I love that he "bedded" Brienne of Tarth and bedded her well.  I liked their relationship.  Felt bad for Tormund though. 
4. I really wanted Jaime to be the one to take Cersei out.  He could have easily snapped her neck or stuck a dagger in her while the Red Tower was falling down around them. 
5. Arya was a bad ass in episode 3, basically useless in episode 5 "The Bells."  She just ran around while Kings Landing is going to hell in a handbasket, she had no purpose and then just rode off on a white horse at the end.  I get it.  The devastation of Knight's Landing had to be told from someone's point of view and she can now get back to Winterfell and tell everyone what Dany did. 
6. I knew it was going to come down to the Hound vs. the Mountain.  Sad to see the Hound go. 

Unfortunately, Twitter was a buzz about spoilers and I did read a couple of them.  I've said all along I think Jon is going to have to kill Dany's crazy ass and Sansa is going to end up on the throne. 


The Spanish Princess (Starz)
I've been a HUGE fan of Phillipa Gregory's since forever https://www.philippagregory.com and The Spanish Princess is based on two of her novels.  I loved both The White Queen and The White Princess but I'm two episodes into The Spanish Princess and it's been a slow warm-up for me.  A couple of inaccuracies have bothered me (particularly the ages of Arthur, Catherine and Henry).  In reality, Arthur and Catherine were 15 when they married and she was a widow by the time she was 16.  She married Henry at 23, he was 18.  In the Starz series, they are portrayed differently.  Also didn't like the wedding night between Arthur and Catherine.  They definitely would have had someone, other than one of her ladies, to check the sheets in the morning to make sure the marriage had been consummated.  She was brought to England to do one thing and one thing only and that was to procreate and form a solid union between Spain and England.  Arthur would have known this was his duty and they definitely would have been expected to do the horizontal hula on their wedding night. 

What I'm looking forward to: 
Fear The Walking Dead (AMC)
Fear the Walking Dead returns on June 2.  I've been watching since day one and I love when Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead storylines collide.  I liked Morgan on TWD and like him even more on FTWD.  And now it seems we've got another TWD character cross-over to look forward to this season! 

Big Little Lies 2 (HBO)
Big Little Lies premieres June 9 on HBO with the addition of the one and only Meryl Streep as  Celeste's (Nicole Kidman) mother.  The drama continues with original cast members Reese Witherspoon (Madeline MacKenzie), Nicole Kidman (Celeste Wright), Shailene Woodley (Jane Chapman), Laura Dern (Renata Klein), Zoë Kravitz (Bonnie Carlson).  Adam Scott plays Madeline's husband Ed Mackenzie.  I am not an Adam Scott fan at all but thought he was wonderful in the first season! 

Ballers (HBO)
Season 5's premiere date has not been released but like previous seasons, I'm guessing it will air sometime this summer.  I love this show.  First off, Hello.  The Rock????  Second, the show evolves.  It started off as a show about Spencer Strasmore (played by the always lovable Dwayne Johnson), a former Miami Dolphins star turned financial manager.  But then Spencer decided to expand and diversify (the new Vegas expansion team and extreme sports for example).   

Last season had Spencer, who helps athletes cash in on their dreams with his right-hand man Joe (scene-stealing Rob Corddry), facing a showdown with the NCAA. John David Washington (yes!  Denzel's boy!) will be returning to his role as Ricky Jerret, a top-rated NFL athlete who has a lot of baby mama drama.  We can also expect to see more from Charles (Omar Miller), Vernon (Donovan W. Carter), and Reggie (London Brown). Probably no more Russell Brand though—his Lance was left in the dust.


And now on to the hot mess express: 
The Bachelorette (ABC)
Colton's season was the first time  I had ever watched any of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise and that was only because my oldest daughter knew one of the contestants from Alabama.  My original impression of Hannah B from Tuscaloosa was that she was very very pretty and very sweet.  That impression eventually changed and I really think she's kinda psycho.  And last night was a total shit show.  I don't find her to be authentic and I am going to struggle through the season.  She comes across as one of those girls that's always "on" and requires a lot of attention.  A lot.  Truckloads.  https://www.theringer.com/tv/2019/5/13/18618368/the-bachelorette-season-15-premiere-recap-hannah

There were a couple of interesting contestant's on the Monday night's show:

1. I liked the box guy from Chicago.  I thought he was funny and liked that he had a great big Italian family.  I would have kept him around for giggles.  I love a funny guy. 
2. Mike from Dallas (maybe San Antonio?  IDK) had a KILLER smile and seemed genuine.
3. The golf pro from Birmingham is very good looking.  Hope he's a nice guy.
4. The guy who showed up with a hot dog and condiments.  No.  Just no.
5. Matt Donald.  Unfortunately Matt showed up singing a rendition of Ol' MacDonald that didn't go over too well.  
6. Scott felt like a plant.  The whole thing was forced and contrived and a colossal waste of time.  99.9% of the people on this franchise have a past.  That's why they're on the show.  They've had crappy luck finding a life partner and are hoping to find love on TV (dumb, but whatever).  I was in the minority last night thinking that Scott (if that even is his real name), was kinda right when Hannah Bannanahs confronted him about an alleged girlfriend.  He said it was no different than Hannah Bannanahs claiming to be in love with Colton just a few short months ago.  Well played Scott.  Spoiler:  he was sent packing in a very dramatic fashion.  And that's exactly why I think he was a plant.  The producers know Hannah was not a great choice as the Bachelorette and needed a way for women to get behind her.  And nothing garners the support of other chicks like kicking out a lying cheating bastard.  Girl power and all that. 
7. The dueling pilots.
8. The dancing general contractor. 
9. Demi's back.  She should have been the Bachelorette in my opinion. 
10. Math teacher.  Where was this guy when I was failing Algebra???
11. Luke P.  I mean, God SPOKE to him while he was in the shower.  In.  The.  Shower.  I think we're going to be seeing a LOT more of Luke in the upcoming season.  Like, a LOT more.  He looks like he's never passed up an opportunity to take his shirt off. 
12. Fence jumping guy. 
13. Campus looked nice.  And Bryant-Denny Stadium stole the show.  #RollTide

May(be Baby)

I'm a little late with the "It's Gonna Be May" and "May the Fourth Be With You" (and also with you!  hahaha!  a little Catholic humor thrown in for giggles.  I can't resist!) memes.  And I'm also a day late for Cinco de Mayo (or Cinco de Drinko as I like to call it). 

However, I am posting on the day Meghan Markle finally gave birth to a bouncing baby boy!  Yay!  Is it just me or does it seem like she was pregnant forever?  I asked Coach the other day to weigh in on the rumors that she secretly already had the baby.  And he looked me dead in the eyes and said, "I have no idea who that is."  What?  In?  The?  Holy?  Hell????  We have a Harry and Megan wedding tea towel for God's sake!!!  Who is this man????

We had some crazy storms for a couple of days which is normal in North Texas this time of year but the weather in Dallas this past weekend was pretty close to perfect.  We had to cut down our big beautiful tree (see previous post) but this weekend we did a little project and installed a sun shade/sail over our patio area to provide some relief from the sun.  It's perfect and with the curtains blowing, the sun shade catching a breeze, all my candles and pillows, flowers . . . it's very intimate, relaxed and very boho!  We love sitting out there and it's easily one of our favorite spots! 

May

May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days.

May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of November in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa. Late May typically marks the start of the summer vacation season in the United States and Canada and ends on Labor Day, the first Monday of September.

The month of May (in Latin, Maius) was named for the Greek Goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. Conversely, the Roman poet Ovid provides a second etymology, in which he says that the month of May is named for the maiores, Latin for "elders," and that the following month (June) is named for the iuniores, or "young people" (Fasti VI.88).

 

Special devotions to the Virgin Mary take place in May.  I remember as a child, our elderly priest (whose name escapes me at this moment but he had snow white hair) always said prayers to honor Mary during his mass.  I don't remember another priest ever doing that and it always stuck out in my mind. 

Mayovka, in the context of the late Russian Empire, was a picnic in the countryside or in a park in the early days of May, hence the name. Eventually, "mayovka" (specifically, "proletarian mayovka") came to mean an illegal celebration of May 1 by revolutionary public, typically presented as an innocent picnic.

Eta Aquariids meteor shower appears in May. It is visible from about April 21 to about May 20 each year with peak activity on or around May 6. The Arietids shower from May 22 – July 2, and peaks on June 7. The Virginids also shower at various dates in May.

May's birthstone is the emerald which is emblematic of love and success.

The May birth flowers are the Lily of the Valley and the Crataegus monogyna.  Both are native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe, and in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States, but have been naturalized throughout the temperate climactic world.

The "Mayflower" Epigaea repens is a North American harbinger of May, and the floral emblem of both Nova Scotia and Massachusetts. Its native range extends from Newfoundland south to Florida, west to Kentucky in the southern range, and to Northwest Territories in the north.

The zodiac signs for the month of May are Taurus (until May 20) and Gemini (May 21 onwards).

In Catholic tradition, May is the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Celiac Awareness Month

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness month

International Mediterranean Diet Month

Better Hearing and Speech Month

National Electrical Safety Month (United States)

Garden for Wildlife month

New Zealand Music Month (New Zealand)

Skin Cancer Awareness Month

National Smile Month (United Kingdom)

South Asian Heritage Month (International)

World Trade Month

Huntington's Disease Awareness Month (International)

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

National ALS Awareness Month

Bicycle Month (United States)

National Brain Tumor Awareness Month

National Burger Month

Community Action Awareness Month (North Dakota, United States)

National Foster Care Month (United States)

National Golf Month

Jewish American Heritage Month

Haitian Heritage Month

Hepatitis Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

National Military Appreciation Month

National Moving Month

Older Americans Month

National Osteoporosis Month

National Stroke Awareness Month

National Water Safety Month

National Corps Member Appreciation Month

 

Summer Shows

When I was a kid, summer was for re-runs.  There was never anything good on TV which was fine because we were usually outside playing until quite late at night (we played kickball and dodge ball until the street lights came on and then played flashlight tag until our moms yelled for us to come in -- we must have gone through hundreds of D batteries a summer!). 

Nowadays, most networks have summer replacement shows or start their viewing season a little later in the year so that it carries over to the summer.  For example, Walking Dead season 3 premiered in February, Game of Thrones aired March 31, Long Island Medium aired last night and Breaking Bad Season 5 airs mid-July.  True Blood season 6 starts in June and I also think a Bachelorette is starting soon.  A couple of my favorite shows will be starting back up this summer and I can't wait! Necessary Roughness (USA Network) airs on June 12 with John Stamos joining the cast (whoop! whoop! that Uncle Jesse sure is cute!) http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/05/02/necessary-roughness-john-stamos/.  Falling Skies (TNT) has a big 2-hour season premier on June 9 http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/05/04/falling-skies-capetown-film-festival/
and HBO's Newsroom returns July 14.  My favorite neurotic house flipper returns on July 9 on Bravo (Interior Therapy With Jeff Lewis).  USA is also airing a new show called Graceland on June 6 (it has nothing to do with Elvis); looks pretty good and I'll probably set the DVR. And finally, my husband's favorite show, Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) season 4 premieres June 11 (just kidding!  One night he walked in the door and asked if the girls and I were watching "Pretty Little Housewives Say Yes to the Dress"). 

The summer is also a great time to catch up on shows or episodes you might have missed (via Hulu or Netflix, something like that).  Summer is actually when I started watching Lost.  I had really wanted to watch when it first aired but missed a couple of shows and thought I'd be too far behind.  ABC re-ran the show, in order, over the summer and we were hooked.