A Sunday Review

TV this week: Numb3rs: "Black Swan" (waffles for dinner!), Classic Doctor Who: "Image of the Fendahl" Parts 1 & 2 (a Doctor Who classic story I haven't seen!), Iron Chef America: "Cora vs Oringer" (I can honestly say I wouldn't want to try ANY of those dishes, or even smell them), Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: "A World of Flavors" (yay, more places I want to eat at!), Chefography: "Julia Child" (I never paid much attention to her, but now that I'm cooking more I find her life fascinating), Star Trek New Voyages/Phase II: "Come What May" (iconic characters with new actors, sometimes works, sometimes doesn't... but then, everyone who plays Hamlet isn't great), Verity Lambert: Drama Queen (A great tribute to a great woman who changed TV in her time), Destination Truth: "Giant Anaconda" (I think they were pretty lucky to get out of the Amazon unscathed), Ghost Hunters: "Haunted Air Force Base" (well, I'd like to love it, but they are getting more like other ghost shows... less scientific, more emotion and crap), Supernanny: "Citarella Family" (stop laughing, start disciplining), Chefography: "Mario Batali" (a local boy!), Chefography: "Duff Goldman" (I want to be that happy in my work), and Doctor Who: "The Fires of Pompeii" (Donna is a fangirl, and asks all the questions that fans have been asking for years!).

Comics this week: Countdown 3 was more of the same. Justice Society of America #14 was just a lead up to a big fight... then a big fight. Green Lantern Corps #23 was slightly promising. Wonder Woman #19 made me wonder what Aquaman villain got caught. Titans #1 made me wonder if Tempest was also attacked.

Tiny Titans #3 was just too cute for words. I loved it. Find Fluffy! Doctor Who Classics #5 was just as I recalled the story, only I can't remember how it ends. This issue ended on a good cliff-hanger, unlike some of the others. Serenity: Better Days #2 started out incredibly amusing, then went a bit downhill from there. I liked it, but it could've been better. And lastly, Castle Waiting #11 continued on like it always does. It's a happy sort of read, every time. I feel like I'm cuddled in warm blankets drinking hot cocoa when I'm reading this book. Even though the plot doesn't seem to be moving forward. Which is no doubt a problem for other readers.

This week's library movie was Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer. It was considerably better than I was led to believe it would be by the fanboi complaints. Great effects on the Silver Surfer. So-so plot, but fun overall. There were a few breath-taking moments. I found their version of Galactus to be MUCH more appealing and frightening than the purple giant in the comic books. Stan Lee's cameo was hilarious.

My library book this week was Jack of Fables - The (Nearly) Great Escape. I checked it out because I heard there were Oz characters in it, and I wanted to confirm them for hubby-Eric. I enjoyed this, and remembered why I read the original Fables collections. I probably should pick up where I left off and read more Fables. But this was good, and it had Oz characters. Heck, Toto gets nommed. This was about what you'd expect from Fables, but it might be a bit of a jump if you haven't read any of the original series that this spun off from.

Arriving this week: Fortean Times #235. Of interest in this issue was the article on Infectious Insanity, which seems like it would work well as a comic book story. There was also a Wizard of Oz sand sculpture that I had to show hubby-Eric. Another article I liked was the Brittany witches article, particularly for the fantastic photos. The Home on the Range article proposed tracking UFO and paranormal experiences in a scientific manner to locate "window areas", but I think it would be worth tracking just to encourage reporting so we can figure out what such events actually are. Why can't we apply the scientific method to the paranormal? I think close-minded "skeptics" are just as bad as true believers... they are the opposite sides of the same coin. Charles Fort was against throwing away data because it didn't fit, but skeptics toss out anything they can't explain. Too many people experience the paranormal for it to be nothing at all... so why isn't science willing to investigate it to find out what it is?

I visited Whole Foods to pick up some dark chocolate, which I eat in moderation to satisfy my sweet tooth. I also picked up a small tub of Venezualan Cocoa Nibs, raw cocoa beans. I've been chomping on them as a snack food. Just a little goes a LONG way. They taste a bit like dark chocolate walnuts, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. I'm surprised... I like it a lot, and probably will enjoy munching until I get through the tub. Unless I think of something else to do with the raw nibs.

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