Marvelous Happy Things

I started this list last fall, when I watched High School Musical (HSM) and HSM 2. Then I recently watched HSM again with my parents, which was funny, because my dad watched it with me originally, probably in 2008. Here are some quotes and funny observations, in no particular order. I tried to list the references as appropriate. HSM 2: "Did you ever get on a ride and wanna get off?"- Bet On It This happens to me often when I ride rollercoasters, but I wouldn't put it in a song. HSM 2: How did Sharpay's parents get so rich? This isn't addressed. Normally people who own country clubs work at them as well, and the Evans family hangs out like it's a second house. HSM 2: "No more waking up at 6 a.m." - What Time Is It If I woke up at 6 for high school on a day with no club meetings, I would be very early. My high school started at 7:35. HSM 2: Chad and Ryan switching clothes after the I Don't Dance sequence. No one addresses this. The fans have...

I decided to combine two episodes for this post. The plot is getting nuts! Spoilers are in the following sections. Season 4 Episode 13 Betty broke in to the "sanctum sanctorum." No Baxter Brothers contract for Jughead unless he writes a great novel by Friday. This is every writer's nightmare. Archie could close one of his businesses. This wasn't surprising to me, because he has a lot going on while being a high school senior. Veronica is struggling to come to terms with her father's illness. She decides to anger him to keep his mental strength up by competing with the rum business. I couldn't help but laugh at this line from Hiram: "You've awoken the dragon. Prepare to be eaten." Brett from Stonewall does have a tape of Jughead and Betty in their dorm room. Is he the one who was taping all of Riverdale? Our main four decide to go to a Stonewall Prep party after Jughead has been thrown out from the school for plagiarism, with sketchy evide...

After watching a few videos in which other fans did the same, I used tiermaker.com to rank every One Direction song. It has been long enough since the release of Made in the A.M. for my opinion to be somewhat objective. Enjoy! 1) THE Songs (love them, listen every time): Perfect, If Could Fly, Love You Goodbye, 18 2) Amazing (mean something to me or the band): What Makes You Beautiful, Little Things, Moments, Drag Me Down, Infinity, History, You & I 3) Good: One Thing, C'mon C'mon, Heart Attack, Story of My Life, Where Do Broken Hearts Go?, Fool's Gold, Night Changes, Fireproof, Spaces, Never Enough, I Want to Write You a Song, Home 4) Had Good Potential: Gotta Be You, More Than This, Live While We're Young, Kiss You, Last First Kiss, Over Again, Nobody Compares, Right Now, Little Black Dress, Though the Dark, Steal My Girl, Ready to Run, Girl Almighty, No Control, Better than Words, Clouds, Illusion, Once in a Lifetime, End of the Day, Wolves, Walking in th...

The following section contains spoilers. Season 4 Episode 12 I haven't been as compelled lately to review Riverdale episodes. But this one was interesting, and I think it sets up a lot for Episode 13 and even further this season. Is Brett a killer? I think he could be, but I'm pleased that he may not be Jughead's villain. I think that Brett is obviously obnoxious, which would make him a boring antagonist. It is fun to see Cole's angry side. It reminded me of his role as Cody Martin for some reason. I'm usually able to separate him from that role since it's been so long, but not this time. I thought it was ridiculous that they were fist fighting in a school, as an approved activity. I was impressed that Jughead won the fistfight. I thought it was fun that they played chess, and that  Betty and Jughead practiced in an offhand way. Every new adult character is murderous. I don't trust them. That random assassin scared me! Jughead gives up the chess matc...

Here are the facts: I am currently the only woman on my team of three at work. I have never to my knowledge experienced discrimination   because of my gender. My boss' boss is a woman. I have conversations with many older men (35 and above) in my company. I am a small woman, under 5 feet tall. I have a higher voice than some of the women in my company. My feelings:  Sometimes I suspect that they (not my managers, but other men) think I can't handle physical tasks. "Do you need help with that box?" Sometimes I do need help, but then I wonder if they respect me or not for needing help. My managers rarely show strong emotions, such as sadness or stress-induced anger. Therefore, I feel that I am not able to show many emotions in front of them, for fear of being perceived as weak or pitied. Sometimes I feel pressure to push through my tasks so that I stay under their radar and in good favor with them. I wonder if they see me as a potential leader or only being ...

If you haven't seen this new clip celebrating Hanukkah and boy bands, you should watch it before continuing to read. (Search for Boyz II Menorah and the Late Late Show, as I'm currently unable to link the video.) All of the actors featured are either practicing Jews or grew up in Jewish culture . I like boy bands, Josh Peck, and the Late Late Show as much as anyone, but I'm not Jewish. I started thinking, is it okay to celebrate another religion by listening to popular music? (Yes, I've seen Fiddler on the Roof .) I would expect the writers of this song to want to expose people unfamilar with Hanukkah to its traditions. Listening to that song gives me more of an affinity for Jewish culture. I choose whether or not to listen to that song. The artists can't make me act one way or another. No one is "forcing this music down my throat." As an American Christian, I see Judaism as a safe, sister religion. I don't know any Jews personally, but if I did, ...

Season 4 Episode 9 The following post contains spoilers. The plot moved extremely quickly during this episode. It was difficult to keep up. The writers are dropping clues about Jughead's book and the overall storyline of the show. Will any of the fan theories be right in the end? Only time will tell. In the beginning of this episode, Jughead's story mentions a boy in the river. Could that be Jason Blossom from season 1 (the original plot)? At first, I thought that Polly Cooper was crazy. Then, I thought that Chick was hypnotizing her. Actually, Edgar Evernever's wife was triggering her to attack "Betty", using the word tangerine. Weird! Veronica is not playing games in her ongoing fight with her father. I wish we would have seen more in the scenes between Hiram and his mother. She disapproves, but does she truly care about him? I was glad that Cheryl was not actually trying to take her own life. Though this show has been dark at points, that would be extre...