"She is my Queen of choice!"

Am I the only person watching The White Queen? I find it incredibly interesting, but no one else seems to be talking about this summer mini-series. The show is based on The Cousins' War book series by Philippa Gregory and focuses on Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV, Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor, and Anne Neville, wife of Richard III.

The story begins in 1464 during the Wars of the Roses. The House of York and the House of Lancaster are at war over who is the rightful king of England. With the help of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, also known as "The Kingmaker," the Yorkist Edward IV has taken the throne and soon falls in love with and secretly marries a Lancastrian commoner named Elizabeth Woodville. Warwick feels betrayed by this marriage and threatened by Elizabeth's family and soon starts to make new plans to regain power. Part of this plan involves using his daughters Anne and Isabelle as bargaining chips. Still loyal to dethroned Lancastrian King Henry VI, Margaret Beaufort believes that her son is destined to one day be king and does everything in her power to keep him safe from the Yorkists who would seek to destroy Henry's line.

"Happiness isn't happiness without a violin playing goat."

I have been really lonely this past year and a half. 

Last February, I moved to a city where I knew about three people and it has been a lot harder than I anticipated to make friends. I spend a lot of time alone in my apartment watching TV (which is not a whole lot different than what I was doing before I moved, but now it's because I actually do not have anything else to do). I miss my friends and family in Philly, but I also do not feel like there is anything for me to go back to right now.

To be honest, I have felt pretty lost for a while now. I thought by moving to Texas I would find....something. Something that would make me happy. I guess I have just never really been a happy person. Actually, I think I was happy when I was younger, I just can't remember when or why I lost that feeling of looking forward with anticipation instead of dread. Before I moved, someone actually said to me that they could sense my unhappiness and felt like a light had gone out. 

The problem is, I am not really sure how to turn it back on.

The only bright spot I see is that I have this hobby (for lack of a better word) that I love. Unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me figure out how to turn it into something that will also support me financially.

I like movies and television because I can always find something to fit my mood...a world to get lost in. If I just need something to make me laugh, I can visit my friends the Huxtables or get some coffee at Central Perk. If I need a good cry, I will build a house with Kevin Kline or go on a road trip with Whoopi, Mary Louise and Drew. If I just feel like punching someone, I hop on my Harley and ride into Charming. If I just need to completely lose myself, I head into Westeros or Middle Earth. My "comfort food" is spending time in Stars Hollow or Neptune and, most recently, I have been shopping a lot at Buy More. Whatever I am feeling or whatever emotions I need justified, I can either find someone who feels the same or can make me feel better.

Don't get me wrong, I am SO thankful for everything that I have and the opportunities that have been given me, I guess I just always thought my life would be...less ordinary and I felt like I needed to vent a little.

Sometimes though, you just have to face reality...

I will never marry Bradley Cooper. 

The girl does not always get the boy...

or the dream job...

and she doesn't always save the world. 

xoxo
c
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"Nothing makes a smart man stupid like a quest for vengeance."

I cannot believe that it is almost September. I feel like this year is flying by and I am a little sad that summer is already over. The only good thing about the start of Fall is that it also means my TV shows are back! Here is my list of returning and new shows that I will be watching...

Returning Shows:

Arrow
Castle
Elementary 
Grey's Anatomy
Hart of Dixie
Homeland*
How I Met Your Mother
Nashville
New Girl
NCIS
Once Upon A Time
Parenthood
Raising Hope
Scandal
Sons of Anarchy
The Carrie Diaries
The Good Wife
The Vampire Diaries
The Voice
The Walking Dead
White Collar

New Shows:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Almost Human

The Black List

The Crazy Ones

Dracula

Enlisted
Hostages

Masters of Sex*

The Michael J. Fox Show
Mom

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland

The Originals

Reign

Sleepy Hollow

The Tomorrow People

Trophy Wife

I seem to add a ton of new shows to my schedule every year, but always manage to make it all work. Shows that I have dropped since last Fall include Blue Bloods, Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23, Happy Endings, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Revenge and Suburgatory. Several of those were canceled and the others just lost my interest, but I have plenty more to check out!

"I'd like to think there's more to a person than just one thing."

Last week, the Austin Film Society screened The Spectacular Now at the Marchesa Hall & Theatre followed by a Q&A with Director James Ponsoldt and I was lucky enough to attend.

Based on the book by Tim Tharp, this film is about a troubled, hard-partying high school senior named Sutter that gets dumped by his girlfriend and starts hanging out with Aimee, a quiet, "nice girl" from school. He keeps telling himself that she is just his rebound, but eventually they fall in love and she changes the way he looks at his life and his other relationships. 

While the relationship between Sutter and Aimee is the main focus of the story, it is really about a young man who is not happy and uses alcohol to block his pain. As someone who often projects a happier persona and uses movies and television, as opposed to alcohol, to distract me from my life, I definitely identified with Sutter. In one of my favorite scenes, Sutter is talking to his teacher and he says, "I don't see what's so great about being an adult. Are you happy?" and the teacher has no response. Sutter would rather live in the moment than have to think about his future. He pushes away the people that love him and care about him because he does not want them to see that he is miserable.

2013 Fall Movie Preview

Thanks to arrival of my Entertainment Weekly Fall Movie Preview, I now present you with the list of movies that I am most looking forward to seeing over the next few months. I have provided the trailers for each movie, when there has been one available, but a few have not yet been released.

September
20: RUSH (Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Natalie Dormer, Daniel Bruhl)


20: THANKS FOR SHARING (Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad)


27: DON JON (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Tony Danza, Julianne Moore)


Other September possibilities include SALINGER (9/6), ENOUGH SAID (9/20) and PARKLAND (9/20).

October
TBA: DIANA (Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews)


Other October possibilities include RUNNER RUNNER (10/4), 12 YEARS A SLAVE (10/18), THE FIFTH ESTATE (10/18)