a99kitten's Musings

Last night I finally started watching the new show NBC show “Merlin”. I had (the first) 2 episodes recorded from Sunday night. I love pretty much all stories Arthurian. But I also get offended when they go way off original story unless they do it well. It’s such a great, multi-faceted story so please don’t F it up is all I ask…

Now, ‘do it well’ to me means “Excalibur” (1981 movie), “Camelot” (broadway in 60s plus 1982 play broadcast on HBO w/Richard Harris – LOVED IT – I know all the words to all the songs!), Camelot 3000 (12-part comic series 1982-1985), “King Arthur” (2004 movie). I’ve read “Le Morte d’Arthur” by Sir Thomas Malory and “The Once and Future King” by T.H. White. I’ve seen or read most versions of this story, good, bad or just wacky (have you seen George Romero’s 1981 ‘Knightriders’ with Ed Harris? I have! And loved it :)), as I LOVE this story. In just about all forms. Although when I went to see “First Knight” with a friend and, within the first few minutes said out loud “THAT’S NOT TRUE!” (she curled up and pretended she didn’t know me,) I realized there are some versions that should not be made (no offense to either Sean Connery and Richard Gere who I normally love just not in this movie.) Oh, and the JFK stealing of the whole Camelot/”one brief shining moment” theme = vomit-inducing….

But back to Merlin…I have enjoyed this TV show so far. They have shown 2 episodes and I have watched both. They have totally F’ed with the “history” but that’s OK. Hard to keep re-telling the same story I guess. Movie & TV writers seem unable to come up with new concepts (a new 90210 and Melrose Place…really??) but if they can re-tell a classic in a new way, and maybe get new people (kids even!) interested in the old classics (maybe even read them!), I am all for that.

I read they are gearing this story to kids. With all the killing, that seems like a bizarre choice…but ok…I say just make the show and your audience will be created. Merlin and Arthur are young – late teens(ish)? Arthur has started off as a kind of a jerk (the QB) and Merlin is the good, nice guy (the geek). Guinevere is a lady-in-waiting servant (pretty girl who will get the guy) who seems to like Merlin so far but that’s probably just as a really good friend as it plays out more. And Uther is the jerk dad to Arthur. So, yeah…geared towards kids/teens. But then throw in some stabbing, jousting, killer snakes, scary killer witches and death and we have got ourselves a good show!

The characters and how they meet, interact, etc. are mostly completely wrong from ‘history’ but again, as long as it is enjoyable, I don’t mind. So far, they have Merlin, Arthur, Uther, Morgana (Morgan le Fey) and Guinevere. Lancelot has ALWAYS been my favorite character so a story without him seems very odd. But then, maybe they will incorporate him (and the other Knights of the Round Table.) Hard not to since he was an integral part of the legend. My love for that character and all of his strengths and faults is probably due it’s own posting sometime (after I re-watch & re-read all my favorites!) :)

I’ve been sucked into both eps shown so far. So I will definitely keep watching. The only recognizable actor (to me) is Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) Since the show is called Merlin, they are gearing this to the Merlin character so lots of magic, etc. They are clearly going after the Harry Potter crowd (there is a dragon voiced by John Hurt plus they showed an extended trailer for the next HP movie during the premier ep.) That’s OK – I like that story too. But the Arthur legend is so, so much more than a fantasy story for kids. So far, no might for right; undying loyalty for your brothers-in-arms, betrayals of those you still love so much, etc, In my opinion, the original story is too dark and convoluted for kids or TV but I’m sure the writers can play with it and make it work. And I will take what I can get on TV with Jack Bauer and Chuck Bass gone! So far they have had a decent amount of sword-play and jousting to keep me happy :) I go to the Renaissance Faire solely to watch the jousting!

So if you any affinity for King Arthur, Arthurian legend, Merlin or fantasy, I suggest checking this show out and seeing what you think. I’ll keep watching unless they really offend :) Fun TV for the summer. But really…if you like this legend and haven’t seen or read any of the above mentioned interpretations, you should check them out. And send me any that you have!

I *had* to swing by Stanford Shopping Center today so *had* to swing by Sprinkles since I had to walk right by it to get to my car…after I strategically parked in the first spot available closest to the Sprinkles door…

I purchased 2 cupcakes for me: a red velvet cupcake and a peanut butter chip cupcake. The red velvet I don’t even need to discuss as we all know they are DELICIOUS! If you have never been to a Sprinkles, but feel like going..get a red velvet. Don’t muck about with other flavors – just go straight to the heart :) Once you are hooked, you can be adventurous and add other flavors to your order.

Now, since I am a Sprinkles veteran (what? why are you looking at me like that?) I added a peanut butter chip to my order. If you don’t like peanut butter that much – just pass this one by. HOWEVER, if you are like me and love peanut butter – GET THIS! OHMYGOSH – so peanut-buttery!!! This thing was delish – highly recommended for peanut butter fans. Each bite was a like eating a spoon full of peanut butter but mixed in with cakey goodness. Nomnomnom!

Of course, no visit to Sprinkes is complete without pupcakes for my boys. If you get these for your doggies…ummm…remember to take the paper cup off first…luckily I got it back form Angelus and got the paper off :)

Pupcake for Angelus!

Pupcake for Storm!

I’m fairly certain there no cuter dogs in the entire universe :) They thoroughly enjoyed their treats…and asked where the rest of the dozen were :)

This weekend I watched 3 movies!!! 4 if you count Thursday night! This is UNHEARD OF for me! Mostly because I never sit still long enough for this many movies. I love movies though. I used to love going to the movies until it became kind of a chore (live far from theater, pricey!, obnoxious movie-goers, prefer my couch!) I used to take my little brother about 2x per week. That was fun :)

On Thursday, I saw Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with a (girl) friend which I already spoke of in an earlier post. I don’t see too many guys volunteering to sit down and watch this, even with Blake Lively’s awesome hair…

On Saturday night, I watched The Duchess with Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley. I really liked this movie. It was very well done, well acted, gorgeous costumes and based on real life people which I now have to read all about! It was sad though – in a frowny-face, melancholy kind of way though, not tears. It was a tale of marriage to the “right” guy or be with the right guy. I won’t give away anything that happens but I will have to say I love RF in anything (I first loved him as a psychotic Nazi so really…there you go) and Keira Knightley is really proving to be a great actress. Although I still think my favorite role of hers so far is from Love Actually. I can see men watching and enjoying this movie. Maybe not choosing it as their first choice, but enjoying it once on.

On Sunday morning, while I was doing my cardio, I started watching Baby Mama. To say that I went past my normal 45 minutes easily because I was enjoying the movie is saying a lot :) I love comedies. I love being made to laugh. I’m really not the arty-farty movie-watching girl (unless a British period piece.) Tina Fey was good in this. But I think she played the role she always plays, which I like but it’s the same. Amy Poehler was hysterical. Her wisecracks had me laughing every time :) Cute movie, predictable = sure. But I don’t mind that if I’m laughing :) And Sigourney Weaver as the “old” owner of the Surrogacy Center – excellent! Almost as good as watching her in Working Girl. She can be funny and not just kill aliens!

Sunday night was “He’s Just Not That Into You”. I really enjoyed this movie. Very cute. Lots of things for both guys and girls to laugh at. Sure, aimed more at girls. But I KNOW there are plenty of things for the guys to chuckle at. My husband actually enjoyed it, so it couldn’t have been *too* man-hating and girl-centric! Great cast. Very attractive cast :) And I like movies where all of the stories/characters are connected somehow (Love Actually, Pulp Fiction, Crash) Makes it fun to try and figure out how it all plays together. I want to read this book now too! Although my husband and I have various theories on the characters…and the discussions might not be good for us ;-)

So this weekend was great – I actually got my money’s worth out of my Netflix membership (2) and HBO subscription (2). They both usually make quite a lot of money off of us. Taking a week off next week and I *intend* to watch a movie per night up in Tahoe! We’ll see how that goes :) I have FanBoys (new), Taken (watch again!), animated Wonder Woman (new) and Twilight (3rd time – shut up!) to watch on DVD also!!

As Siskel & Ebert used to say “We’ll see you at the movies!” (or on the sofa watching the movies!)

p.s. (re: he’s just not that into you) and we are still *discussing* the various characters and who cheated on whom, and who was a giant douche and why, etc, etc, etc…. You should totally see it :)

Ok, this is dang funny!

So I bought some of the spaghetti Shirataki tofu noodles and wanted to try to make a yum and quick spaghetti for lunch. I LOVE spaghetti!!!

I made up this “recipe” on my own :) Ok, ummm…a 3 year-old could have as well :)

Spaghetti Ingredients = 3!

I used the entire package of noodles for me. They are low cal and I am hungry :) You just need to drain them. At home – easy as I have a colander. Here at work, I just cut a tiny hole in the corner of the package and squirted the water out, using a paper towel to cover the hole so as not to lose any noodles (hey – I said I am hungry!!)

Then I microwaved them in a tupperware bowl for 1 minute. Then drain again and pat try (the back of the package says we are doing this to “reduce the authentic aroma”. Hmmm…reducing aromas from food…ok (???)

Then I added 1 serving (1/2 cup) of the Prego Heart Smart sauce and 1/2 a serving (1/8 cup) of the shredded Parmesan cheese (I couldn’t find the reduced fat one so just bought normal fat type.) Mix well and then microwave again for 1 minute and voila:

Yummy, fast, cheap and healthy lunch!

This lunch is EASY! And I just tried it and it is YUMMY! The noodles were 40 cals (6 grams of carbs, 1g of fat); sauce was 90 cals and cheese 55 cals! = 185 calories for a yummy lunch!! I’m SOLD!! I am so, so, so sold on these Shirataki tofu noodles.

Now the biggest challenge will not be spilling red sauce on my cute Banana Republic dress…green and WHITE dress…

But I am SO making this for lunch on a regular basis! Would I like a piece of buttery and cheesy garlic bread to soak up the leftover saice – of course I would! But this is bikini season people :)

I saw this headline and had to watch the video! The Skunk Whisperer (hehehe) was called by a woman at an apartment complex (in Tulsa, OK) and he came out to rescue 2 baby raccoons who were stuck in a Pepsi vending machine. OHMYGOSH they are so cute!

Now, they are little savages too (they are *wild* animals) so I’m glad this woman was smart enough to call a professional to do this.  I know they can be little beasties because several months I went out to our backyard to investigate a weird noise and came face-to-face with a baby raccoon who charged me! I think he was making this weird noise (the same noise the baby raccoon makes in this video!!) calling his Mom.  The raccoons, cats and skunks in the neighborhood use a small hole under our house to move around from our street to the one behind us. I consider it their very own Underground Railroad..the scents in the yard drive the huskies CRAZY! And this also means I always have to check the yard before letting them out so they don’t surprise any critters (or get surprised by the skunks!)

So anyway, it was like 7am,  I went outside to investigate this noise. I walk down the stairs from our deck to the backyard and all of a sudden I hear the noise right behind me. This teeny, tiny little raccoon is screeching and comes running at me! I start laughing because the thing is SO dang cute but it is charging at me and I know they aren’t quite as sweet & cuddly to people as my huskies so I start yelling to wake up my husband to help me.

But I literally cannot stop laughing either because this little guy keeps charging at me (blocking the stairs so I can’t go back up to the deck.) So between the laughing and screaming (which of course does not wake up my husband – good thing not a serial killer!) I’m thinking what if the Mom comes back too with me out here?

Now, in reality, I could have kicked the little thing if I was really worried. But if you know anything about me, you know I would never do that unless the thing was actually threatening my dogs (who were inside by the way.) So it’s not like I was worried about my safety too much. More just not sure what to do because I did NOT want to hurt the little guy but he was very snarly and kept charging me and keeping me away from the stairs. But…I simply cannot stop giggling and thinking it looks like one of those battery-operated stuffed animals :)

So finally I make a move to my right so he charges that way and then I run up the stairs to the left and he FOLLOWS ME! I slam the gate shut so he can’t come up on the deck and he is at the gate sticking his little head through the slats! Brave little bastard :) But I was giggling for minutes at that!!

But yay! I outsmarted him…the little baby raccoon…umm…OK….so here is this cute (it’s short – watch it!) video of the racoon pepsi machine rescue :)

Received the news letter from Gentle Giant, Ltd. last night. 2 new Star Wars products available for pre-order and I want them BOTH!

The Trash Compactor book-ends look very cool! And I missed out on the Han/Greedo bookends (which annoys me!) so these are calling my name..

Gentle Giant bookends

And then the Hoth Leia mini-bust. I really should order this as I already pre-ordered the Hoth Han mini-bust and they really belong together :)

Gentle Giant Hoth Leia mini-bust

But THEN they also announced their Comic Con exclusives. I am missing it this year (boo!) but a friend said he could pick something up for me if they let him.  I am still waiting to hear back from them if they would…but really…a pink Darth Vader mini-bust! I love Star Wars, I love pink – go me :) And to support breast cancer (doesn’t Darth Vader scream philanthropy??)

Darth supporting ta-tas

But at Star Wars Celebration 4 in LA a couple years ago, they had a full exhibit of artists renderings of Darth’s helmet. And one of them looked similar (there were SO many cool ones)…

Star Wars Celebration IV - Darth Vader helmet exhibition

Must start figuring out how to get these GG items!!! :) They really make my favorite Star Wars collectibles. Sideshow does a good job with the Premium format but Gentle Giant’s got a lot of different lines and they are just so cool!

I’ll post pics of my GG collection soon!!

Heh! This is worth watching for the awesome 70s-ness of it all :) Donny and Marie as Luke & Leia (they KNEW they were brother & sister before we did!)  :)

Donny & Marie do Star Wars :)

I took the boys in to get groomed today. They were scheduled to go in last week but then Angelus got hurt so I re-scheduled for today. So I let them get extra sandy and wet at the beach yesterday and today :)

I took them to a new place for us. Normally, a friend of ours has been doing it (she does it for a living up in SF) but she can only do it on Sundays and it’s just been super-tough to schedule a Sunday afternoon for the both of us.

The place I found is close to work so I can drop them off in the morning and just run over and grab them when done. Seemed simple! They also sell my impossibly hard to find dog food, Eagle Pack. So double bonus!

I Yelped the place so that I could see what has been said about their grooming (they also offer doggie daycare.) Or, if they hadn’t been reviewed yet, I could be the first one (dork!!) hehehe…but they did have reviews. And the reviews about the services were fine, but there seemed to be a couple issues with communication about pricing, timing, etc. So when I called to ask what they charged, I asked specifically what they did for that charge. Also how long it would take. The girl I spoke to said the charge was $68.00 and that would be for a bath, blow out, brush out, nails clipped, ears cleaned, teeth checked and a “hygiene clean” if needed (the huskies would not have appreciated that!! She said it would take about 6 hours. She asked me when they were bathed/groomed last and I told her. She asked if they were up-to-date on their shots and told me that I needed to bring in their vaccination certificate. It all seemed very organized.

Now, I have paid $45-$50 per dog in the past. But that didn’t include ears or teeth plus this place was very convenient so I thought the premium was acceptable.

When I dropped them off today, I went over the check-in with the girl at the front desk and explained Storm hates being brushed so make sure they weren’t too rough or impatient with him. I asked what time I could pick them up and she said would call me but expect about 6 hours. And then I left (and boy was I sad…it was like it must be for new parents leaving their kids at daycare!)

So 6 hours later at 3:30 I called as I had not heard from them. They told me to come around 4:00-4:15pm. I showed up at 4:15 and got some dog food and went to the counter to pay. The groomer’s assistant was the one helping us at the counter. The groomer walked by with another dog and asked if we were sure they were huskies and not malamutes. I said yes, they are pure huskies. She seemed shocked and said they were so big and fluffy. She was eastern European or something with an accent that made her tone seem very clipped so not sure if that was a joke?

Then the assistant told me my total and it was almost double what I was quoted! WHAT? The groomer then interjected how she had to spend a lot of hours on them as they had very thick and matted fur and I said yes, I know that, which is why they were here. She then said well maybe if I brushed them regularly, it might not be as bad. Or if they got groomed more regularly. I told her they get groomed twice a year and huskies don’t typically ever get more than that. And that I DO brush them (Angelus more than Storm) but obviously a good bath is what gets the fur up and able to come out better.

I added it was hardly fair to to just charge me an extra $60 per dog without asking me first and that this was not how to run a business. She said well, she had to miss another appointment to spend so much time on them. I said I specifically asked the cost, what is covered and how long and was quoted $68 for a full wash, blow out and brush out in the 6 hours – which was basically how long they were there. And if they knew it was going to cost more than that, they needed to call & ask and not just assume someone can afford a double charge like that. She said well, just see them and see how nice they look. I said I had no doubt they will look nice but they looked great when they got groomed for $50 too. She said well maybe I should take them there next time. Then she added that she should have taken her other appointment instead.

To say I was shocked at how this woman was treating a customer is an understatement. Clearly this woman was not an owner and she didn’t care if I ever came back.

At this point I turned around to pay and the the assistant looked mortified. She was on the phone trying to get a hold of the manager. She did and got the extra “de-shedding” charges waived. She then kept apologizing for the groomer’s rudeness. She was obviously embarrassed. She was being very helpful and polite. I paid the original quoted fees (plus for the dogfood) and I gave her a cash tip and told her it was for her. No tip left for the groomer.

Later this evening, the manager called me. She said she had heard everything that happened today when I picked up my dogs and how the groomer had been to me. She said she wanted to apologize for everything and let me know that she was leaving a gift certificate for me to use there anytime I wanted. I told her that was very nice but unnecessary as the grooming assistant had taken the charge off and apologized. She insisted I use it and said that she really wanted to make sure I was happy with the service and to let me know that she had sat her staff down and went over this situation as it had come up before and it was not acceptable. I told her I was happy with the dogs and appreciated the call. I hung up thinking that was really a good way to handle a customer.

So folks, note to business owners and managers – customer service is key. I walked out of there this afternoon thinking I would likely not go back if I had to deal with that groomer again but now I would consider it. And the buddies do look and feel great :) The grooming assistant said Storm did howl & talk quite a bit (I did warn them) but she said quite normal and even on the “quiet-ish” side compared to other huskies! And Angelus was a perfect gentleman the entire time…what a buddy :)

Angelus all clean!

Stormy all clean!