Ghost Hunters

I have a fascination with ghosts.  I've watched many ghost hunting shows but the only one that holds my attention is Ghost Hunters.  I've watched it practically from the start.  The cast is serious, when it comes to proving or disproving that a site is haunted.
I love the way the cast interacts with each other.  They have fun but get the job done.  The only thing I wish is that they would spend more than a few hours at a site.
 I've often thought it would be fun to go with them on location, but I'm not really sure if I could make it through an investigation without something truly humiliating happening to me and I'm not talking about screaming.  I would probably need a Depends.
I don't know where this ghost fascination came from because I'm one of the biggest chickens around.  I scare myself all of the time just thinking of scary scenarios.  I don't actually know if I want to see a ghost myself or just see some definite proof of one.  Would I even believe it if I did see one myself or think it was just a flash of light reflecting off of my glasses?
Getting back to the show Ghost Hunters, I think they've shown some proof of it in several of their episodes.  Spine tingling video footage or creepy voices or worse yet the screams or moans.  I shiver just thinking of them.  That episode at the lighthouse where the apparition looks down on them over the railing!  Or the one where a shadow figure seemed to dart back and forth behind a pool table...there's something about those fast moving shadows that really scares the heck outta me!  YIKES!!!
Yes, there are doubters who think that they fake those things to keep people interested in the show, BUT if they are faking why are there some really dull episodes where they don't even have many experiences at all?

I like the show because everyone works together.  There are no grand standers like Zak on Ghost Adventures.  I really like Nick and Aaron but Zak is a camera hog and I've stopped watching the show because of him.  That's too bad because I did get some laughs out of some of their antics, especially Aaron, but I can only stand so much of Zak and I think I've reached my limit.

That brings me to the show that started my love of ghost hunting.  Most Haunted was a British ghost hunting show.   I must say I looked forward to all of the episodes for a while but the repetition made me weary. Yvette Fielding would be screaming about something whispering in her ear.  Derek, one of the psychics they used, was always becoming possessed, complete with creepy or weird voices.  They had lots of seances with everyone getting chills or touched and the women sometimes getting hysterical.  So when Ghost Hunters started I eagerly latched onto it and have never been disappointed.
Even when they don't really find anything, that I would call substantial, the show is still entertaining.  The pairing up of Steve and Tango always makes me laugh!  When Grant left the show I was seriously worried that it wouldn't be the same, but it is just as good if not better, although I do miss Grant!  I like the format they have now and they seem to have more episodes and less downtime.

So, if I want to do some ghost hunting you'll find me in my comfy recliner watching an episode of Ghost Hunters.  I still get the chills and thrills without the humiliation.

 New episodes start Wednesday October 9th!  Yay!

http://www.syfy.com/ghosthunters/

I Love Netflix!

Several years ago, when my oldest daughter was in college, she joined Netflix.  Well, she joined and we footed the bill, as with most things while my kids were in college.  She really enjoyed it and it served it's purpose in keeping her entertained, as well as providing her with some hard to find movies she needed to view for a class.

When she came home for the summer her subscription came with her and we all enjoyed the benefits of Netflix, so much so that I joined in the fall when she went back to school.  Since that time my whole family has taken advantage of the many wonders of Netflix and I've saved a lot of money.

Now when a movie comes out in the theater, we think "Is that something I can't wait to see or can it wait until it comes out on Netflix?"  More and more we wait.  That saves me a lot of money in the long run, since a family trip to the theater anymore can cost me at least $40 -$50 between admission and snacks and that's during matinee pricing.  When we watch that movie at home and it's a dud, we end up saying "I'm glad I didn't pay to go to the theater for that!"  I feel even happier.

I don't buy nearly as many DVD's as I used to, saving space in my home and money.

I've watched many TV series that I didn't think I'd like when they were on TV and ended up watching every episode, in order and loved every minute of it!  Shows like Monk and Numbers  or a British detective series called New Tricks.

I've caught up on series that are still currently on TV that I didn't start watching, when they first came out for one reason or another.  Shows like Rizzoli and Isles, Hawaii 5-0, NCIS, The Mentalist and the list goes on.  I actually get a little obsessed with catching up on those series.  Sometimes watching 2 or 3 or 4 episodes in a day.  No wonder I could hardly get out of my recliner!

My husband direct streams his favorite TV episodes and watches strange movies that don't look very good to me but he enjoys, on his computer.

I enjoy sharing my favorite shows and movies with my Netflix watching friends and hearing what they've enjoyed, so I can add that to my queue for future entertainment.

Overall I think that the years I've invested in Netflix, have really paid off.  Even when the price raised, I'm still saving money.  I receive, watch and return multiple DVD's during a week.  So for a little more than the price of one DVD my family and I have hours of entertainment each month.  I consider that a very good deal!

I Love Mysteries!

I've always loved mysteries.  It started when I was young and read mystery books like the Nancy Drew series or the Trixie Belden mystery books.  Those stories would really pull me in until I would finish the book.  Sometimes a book a day.  Come to think of it, I think that's when I started putting on weight.  All that sitting around reading!

In my teen years I started watching the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery TV shows.  Rockford Files and Magnum P.I. were other favorites along with many others that I've long forgotten.

I still love a good mystery show, movie or book.  I have favorite authors that I have to grab their books the moment they are available.
Authors like:
J.A. Jance.  I started with the J.P. Beaumont series, since it was set in Seattle, but also love her Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds series that are based in Arizona.
Jonathon Kellerman and his Alex Delaware series.
Rita Kellerman and her Peter Decker series.
Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum series.
And what mystery author list is complete without James Patterson?  That guy cranks out books by the dozen!  Love his Alex Cross books.  I also read a lot of his other mystery series books.

I used to read Patricia Cornwell, but her books got thicker and thicker and the personal relationships between the main characters got kind of weird, so I stopped reading her books.  They need to hold my attention.  Make me want to read just one more page, chapter and so on, until I'm done.  Her books became a chore, in my opinion.  Life is too short to read a tedious book.  There are so many more out there just waiting to be read!

If you read my post about my favorite TV shows you'll notice that most of those are mysteries as well.  Whether it's true crime mysteries or fiction, I love them all.

The problem is, with the fiction mystery shows and sometimes the true crime ones, I've seen so many of them that I can figure out "who done it", before the ending.  Sometimes this spoils it for anyone who might be watching the show with me, because I like to share my observations with anyone that's in the room.  My dogs don't really mind, but the humans usually do.  Of course, I'm wrong on occasion and then we are all pleasantly surprised. :o)

I Love My TV Shows!

I feel excitement in the air, as our favorite TV shows get ready to start up anew.  All of those cliffhangers will soon be resolved!  Of course, after I've waited for several months, I tend to forget what those cliffhangers even are.  

It used to be that our shows would end in June and then restart in early September.  There were no interesting summer series to watch.  You would take a nice break over the summer and watch one of those shows like America's Got Talent or something else boring like that when you had nothing else to do. 

Now they've introduced all of those series that are only on in the summer, like Perception and Longmire.  Unfortunately Longmire had an end of summer cliffhanger and I have to wait until next June for that to come back!!! 

 Another show I would watch in the summer, that I loved was The Closer.  But The Closer, closed and spawned a spin off called Major Crimes.  Now I love the characters in Major Crimes that were from the original show, but I really can not stand Captain Raydor's character.  She is about as interesting as a limp noodle...well actually I find a limp noodle more interesting.  Now, I've never seen any other shows that Mary McDonnell is in but I have a feeling that she's probably just as interesting in those too.  Another story line in the show I don't like is that boy Rusty!  I'm just tired of it.  I'm almost hoping that serial killer, or whomever is stalking him, will come and take him away, far, far away!  Now with those two characters gone I would really, really love the show.  Unfortunately, I don't write for them, so I'm sure they will remain on the show and I will have to decide whether I want to keep watching or not but I have until next summer to determine that.

As you may have guessed, from the shows I've listed, I like crime solving shows and have since I was a kid. My favorites now are Bones, which restarted last Monday!  Yay!  The Mentalist, (yum Simon Baker!)

NCIS (Mark Harmon is my older guy crush  *sigh*)  Criminal Minds, Rizzoli and Isles and Hawaii 5-0.  You can add to that all of the real life investigative, crime solving shows I like to watch like Dateline, 48 hours, 20/20 and pretty much anything on the Investigation Discovery channel.  Don't you just love those titles on the I.D. channel like "Evil Twins", "I Killed My Best Friend", "Evil Kin",  "Wicked Attraction" and so on.  No, I don't watch all of those  shows on I.D. Just a select few.

Now after you see the list of blood and gore I watch, you probably think I like the Walking Dead show, but no thanks!  I've seen that once or twice, with my daughter, who absolutely loves it and it gave me nightmares!  I do not enjoy seeing people lop off the heads of zombies.  *shudder*

Now I do like to laugh, so one of my favorite shows is Modern Family.  That show does make me laugh! Too funny! Great characters, although Clare is a pain.   I'll be looking forward to the start of that show next week.

A few shows I like that are just on whenever are: 

Ghosthunters!  Love this show and have watched it since it started several years back.  Ghosts fascinate me but I don't know if I ever really want to see one, in person.  I would probably pee myself.  Not a good thing!

 Amazing Race!  I have only missed one season of that show, since it started.  I truly love to watch it.  They travel to such fantastic places.

Dr. Pol a great veterinarian show.

Cake Boss, although that family is a little loud but I so want to find out what happens with Mama who was diagnosed with ALS.  It breaks your heart.  Poor Mama!  

The other show is on MTV and it's called Catfish.  It's about people that meet online and have an online relationship, even sometimes becoming engaged but have never met and for some reason or another one of the two doesn't want to meet.  Usually it's because they are not whom they claim to be.  I always find it amazing  that the one person doesn't think it's odd that the other person never wants to get together in real life if they're really in love.  Some of these poor souls even send money to the other person!  I guess they're just so desperately looking for love that they will believe anything.  It's really kind of heartbreaking.

Now for the guilty pleasure shows, that I watch.  I'm not proud of it, but they are entertaining as only a scripted, reality show can be.  The first one is Kendra on Top.  After watching the first episode of this season, I'm not sure if I'll continue much longer, because it's always the same old story.  She parties too hard, swears too much and doesn't want another baby yet because it might ruin her career.  Actually it's her adorable son and handsome husband that make the show interesting.

My 2nd guilty pleasure show is Sister Wives.  I like this show because it's interesting to see how this polygamist family works.  Sadly, it is also seems to be in a rut.  Money problems: well I would have money problems too if I was paying for four big, beautiful, brand new houses and starting multiple businesses and feeding 17 children.  Everyone picks on us:  Well it was their choice to come out as a polygamist family on TV.  They say it was to show the world that not all polygamists are like the Warren Jeffs family.  I really think their decision was based on "Let's make a TV show, so we can get more money to take care of our large family and so the husband/father Cody, doesn't have to work, except on his hair."  

Well I think that rounds up all of my favorite shows, although I'm sure I've missed a few and will think of them later on.  Thank God for DVR's because I would be sunk without ours, since so many shows are on at once.  I just record them all and watch them at my leisure, which is frequently because I'm all about leisure.

Happy Television Watching!  Feel free to comment.  We can have some TV discussions. :o)

My shopping addiction!

Over the last year, I have acquired a new addiction.  QVC!  I used to watch it about 20 years or so ago and found out that those hosts could talk you into most anything.  I ended up with a few pieces of very nice, but not expensive jewelry.  The trouble is, I don't really wear much jewelry.  I decided my hard earned dollars needed to go elsewhere and so I gave up watching QVC.  Fast forward to last fall.  I just happened to be flipping through the channels and low and behold there on QVC was the portable heater I had been admiring that my Mom had.  Better yet, it was Today's Special Value (TSV)!   Since that fateful day I have bought many more items.  I'm not interested in the jewelry, so I can easily pass up those shows.  I like watching the clothing, but because of my super sized body I don't really think most of the items would fit.  I did happen to buy a couple pairs of Quacker Factory dream jeans and they do fit, but they'd fit much better if I lost about 20 pounds.  When I first tried them on and showed them to my daughter, she assured me that they looked good and made my butt look smaller.  A couple days later, when I showed her again before we went out shopping, she looked at me and shook her head.  I looked at her and said "what???"  She said she was sorry but she hadn't been wearing her glasses when she looked before.  *rolls eyes*
My downfall, when it comes to QVC, is kitchen gadgets and bakeware.  My cupboards are now overflowing with beautiful Temp-tations bakeware.  I have the Kitchen Aid stand mixer I've always dreamed of.  The George Foreman grill, with removable grill plates adorns my counter, because my small kitchen has no place to store it and the Ninja 3-in-1 cooker is on the way, as I speak.  Speaking of Ninja, their little Ninja storm mixer works great at whipping up those smoothies. Also a TSV.
I've also, thanks to my sister-in-law, become a fan of Philosophy body washes and just recently purchased my first WEN hair care products.
Oh and bought my first pair of shoes online, Clarks and they weren't even TSV, but they are very comfortable!
My husband, gem that he is, has not complained about all of the empty QVC boxes piling up around the house, after all they were TSV!  He has also enjoyed the Kansas City steaks and burgers and Cheryl's cookies.
I know that sometime, in the not too distant future, I will be retiring (I hope) and then the days of QVC shopping will come to an end because my income will be limited.  So I had better stock up on all of those wonderful TSVs now while I can!