Eureka's back! And I am happy!

Season 4 part 1 of Eureka was a disappointment. I wanted to like it, but after a strong time-travel opening, they muffed it. The plots were not particularly scientific and the characters mostly lost their minds and became, I don't know, cardboard sitcom people. With annoying robots, love triangles, and ridiculous conspiracies to do... something. The first couple episodes of season 4 part two were not significantly better. "Liftoff" was kind of funny because Zane and Fargo accidentally went into space (whoops), and "Reprise" was when Holly accidentally made everyone act on their music-playlist-inspired impulses. The only real plot element there was when Archnemesis Beverley injected bio-spies into Allison's brain. At that point, Hulu held all remaining episodes until they'd completely finished airing on SyFy, so Jonathan and I kind of forgot about them and almost decided not to watch the rest because they weren't any fun anymore. Also, we randomly watched "Clash of the Titans" out of order and it didn't do it any good. Then we missed Glimpse because it came down before we got to it.

But now the rest of them are up, and to my surprise, they're good again! They have an overarching plot arc; each episode has a plot; the characters are themselves and do fun things with funny lines; and the writers even seem to have watched previous episodes and know the characters' history. Astonishing, I know.

So in the last  few days, we've watched "Up in the Air" (Jack investigates a bank robbery... as in, the bank is missing), "Omega Girls" (Zoe and Jo have to stop squabbling over Zane long enough to rescue the town from Beverley, again), "Of Mites and Men" (somehow haven't watched this one yet), "Clash of the Titans" (Vizzini tries to tell Jack and Allison to break up, and meanwhile Jo is in crazy wedding planner mode), "This One Time at Space Camp" (Vizzini gets zapped with Jack's memories and decides Jack and Allison can stay together after all) and "One Small Step" (in which Deputy Andy accidentally goes to Titan). That also leaves "One Giant Leap" for tomorrow night.

Plot has happened. Relationships actually progress. It's so nice to have Eureka back.

WWAT?

Do you ever wonder what an archaeologist digging up your stuff would make of you? I was thinking that tonight. I wonder if an archaeologist would notice I arranged my dishes by color order within type. I worked really hard on it. They certainly won't know the stories behind our things, that Jonathan's friend painted that and we bought those on our honeymoon. And what if I got an intern archaeologist for my shoes, who took the lazy way out and only took plaster casts of my feet from one pair and thus didn't notice that my shoes are actually two sizes, pre-Meggie and post-Meggie? How dare he miss something like that??

About at that point in my mental processes, I decided that hopefully there won't be an archaeologist for this apartment, because I mean to move out before I die. Or get, I don't know, covered by a volcano. Which is of course a form of dying.

It's probably just as well my legacy is with God. He even notices stray hairs. I apparently can't trust academia to do the thing right.

Knock, knock

This evening Jonathan was hammering to hang a shelf in the bedroom, and Meg was watching him. "Knock, knock!" she said.

"That's right!" I agreed. We watched him work some more.

Jonathan set down the hammer, and Meg picked it up. She swung it at the wall just like Daddy and actually connected. "Knock, knock!" she said, very pleased, before Mommy confiscated it.  Knock knock, indeed.

Centerpiece

The bouquet is a bunch of grocery store sage, and the rose was made out of fallen leaves arranged and taped together. I would have made more roses, but it rained before I collected the leaves. But one is just about right for this arrangement.

Oh no! Not the aspidistra!

I'm vaguely considering improving my aim. Usually I can chuck something across the room and get it more or less in the trash can, but that's twice now in two days I've royally missed (with an audience). Yesterday it was an apple core, which should have gone in the scraps bowl but actually hit the floorboards, and just now a taco wrapper, which landed in Nellie the schefflera. To which Jonathan said in a voice of doom: "You've blasphemed the aspidistra."

Dun-dun-DUN!

Speaking of phasers...

This one is wonderful.

The emerald tunic

My sister has the best hand-me-downs. She's got a great eye for clothes and I just love it when she cleans out her closet, because she shares. She dropped by yesterday en route to a wedding, and had a whole bag of happiness for me. There were tunic-dresses in black and emerald green, and a brown patterned shirt and a brown embellished skirt, and a rainbow flowered flowy top. I've been really, really wanting something emerald - a couch, or a dress, or possibly a hat - so the tunic made me ridiculously happy. 

So today I was all excited about the emerald tunic. I wore it over gray tights and a white button-up, but mysteriously, before the end of Bible study I had a brown spot on the sleeve and my feet were cold. This happens. So I came home and swapped the flats and button-up for socks, boots and a gray stripy t-shirt.

Then I noticed I looked exactly like I was setting out to hunt Emperor Zurg. While that's kind of why I like tights and tunics, I prefer not to admit it. Hmm... and I wasn't on the way to Comic Con or anything. I explained to Jonathan the outfit wasn't quite right because I don't have a phaser. I wonder if Zurg is vulnerable to rubber bands?

Quote of the day

Meg discovered the fairy wings and matching tutu. We had much cuteness this evening.  Until...

Me: "No wings in time out, either!"

Getting rid of stuff

Right now, it's kind of trendy to get rid of stuff and live minimally and be horrified by hoarders. And I know. You can't keep everything, especially if you're moving a lot between small apartments. But I really hate it when I get rid of something and then I want it again later. For instance: I used to have a shirt like this and a skirt in black and white similar to this, and I loved them. I would like to wear them this fall. WHY did I get rid of them? When will I stop trying to be practical??

Apparently, the trick is to figure out what you're going to want again. Tell me if anybody figures this out.

Our new furry friend

We went to the big semi-annual children's clothing sale, and picked up a few good things. We also came home with a rather large Elmo. Meg has a new best friend. He looks rather apprehensive about it, doesn't he?

But he's a good Elmo. And will be a better one after a bath, which is coming as soon as I switch out this load of laundry.

A bath? Oh no!

 Meg psyched herself out this morning. As soon as I got her out of the crib, she grabbed her blanket, lay down on the floor with it, and said, "Nap." Then she started to cry.

Update: When Meg heard Elmo needed a bath, she quite sensibly put him in the bathtub and waited for me to run water. :-) Personally, I thought he should go in the washing machine. But I looked into it and came to the conclusion that was probably not a good idea. He has internal stiffeners; his polyurethane foam filling is possibly not washable at all; and also he's just big, and wouldn't fit in any of my pillowcases and certainly would take a long time to dry. Instead I went after him in two stages, the first with brushes and a lint roller, and then with a washcloth and oxy-clean solution. Elmo is now resting comfortably.