F is for The Facts of Life and Friends

Ok, so with "F" came another conundrum. However, this one was easy to deal with after my realization from "D" that I would mention 2. So, on with the post about 2 awesome TV shows, both with iconic theme songs. Which are you singing now?

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have: The Facts of Life. There, if you weren't singing it before, hopefully you are now.  How can you not love this show?  It was hilarious. It dealt with many hard-hitting teen life topics. They went on goofy vacations to far away places.  A group of friends that stuck together through school, jobs, relationships, etc. Who wouldn't want a group of friends like this?  Sure, as the series grew long in the tooth the plot lines weren't as great as they were before, but it was still good. Yet again I find myself wishing that this were available on Netflix. Maybe some day?  I know that I'm not the only fan of this show since there was a reunion episode, also awesome, that occurred in 2001, over a decade after the series ended.  So, who was your favorite?  Tootie?  Jo?  Blair?  Natalie?  Mrs. Garrett?  Too hard to choose huh?  

So no one told you life was gonna be this way (clap clap clap clap clap). There.  If you didn't have the first theme song stuck in your head, maybe now you have this one. Or maybe this one will take its place. Another iconic TV series, again about a group of friends that go through life's ups and downs together and always remain close. It's hard to believe but this year marks 10 years since the show went off the air and 20 since it premiered. 20?!  Seriously?!  Am I that old?  Anywho, Friends is by far one of the best TV shows ever, both in my opinion and in that of many others. How many quotes do you still use in your daily life?  "Pivot!"  "How you doin'?"  Do you find yourself mentioning the love-life of lobsters when referring to true love?  Do you know the words to Smelly Cat?  I'm sure you know at least several of these and many more. If not, then you seriously need to invest in all 10 seasons on DVD and enter into a marathon. We have several seasons on DVD but it would be great to have them all. I don't think they're on Netflix though, I'll have to check. Luckily there is always some channel playing an episode of Friends at some point during the day.  Hopefully that will always be the case!

So, have I gotten one or both songs stuck in your head?  I hope so, they're firmly implanted in mine!  If you're not a fan of both of these shows, hopefully that will change soon!

All is well, 6/26 down, in Drosche Land. 

E is for Ellen

No dilemma over choosing a topic for today's "E" post. At least not that I can't think of. I watch a lot of TV so you never know. Anyway, on with the post. 

I'm not talking about her current successful talk show and I'm not talking about her fantastic job hosting the Oscars this year (I retweeted!). Nope. I'm talking about the show that started it all. Her first sitcom. 

Originally it was titled These Friends of Mine but that was changed after the first season.  Thank goodness for that because I already had a show for "T".  In this show she played the owner of a small book store and the show focused on her, her life, and her wacky assortment of friends. It was funny, hilarious at times. Ellen herself is an amazing comedienne and I have always loved her. I even remember reading her first book, My Point … and I Do Have One back when her show was on. Hilarious. I highly recommend it. 

It's been over a decade since this show was on,and the thought that it began 20 years ago makes me feel ancient, and I haven't seen it available on Netflix, Hulu, or anywhere else. Therefore my memories of it are somewhat foggy. However, I remember thinking how great Ellen was and that she would be big. Now look at her, who knew I was so prophetic?  

Anywho, you know the story. At the height of the show's popularity she came out and then it was cancelled after the following season and a decline in viewers. But she went on to bigger and better things. Many may remember the controversy of huge show or the "groundbreaking" status of it. Me, I choose to remember it for the introduction to a hilarious actor. 

So, remember this show?  What do you think or remember about it?

All is well, 5/26 down, in Drosche Land.

D is for Downton Duck

So the topics for the first 3 post were simple. I knew right away what show is I wanted to blog about. But the letter "D" brought me my first conundrum. Which show to choose?  I went back and forth before finally realizing that there was no rule against posting about 2 things. Problem solved!  Here goes!

Downton Abbey and Duck Dynasty. The two shows couldn't be any different but I love them both so much. But that's me. I like to think I have an eclectic taste when it comes to TV, and music for that matter. There isn't much I won't watch at least once and there are many things I love. 

Downton Abbey. I love a good period piece. Something about the costumes, the language, the idea that you can "travel" back in time for an hour and get lost in another world. Amy loves historical fiction in literature and I have often told her that she would thoroughly enjoy Downton Abbey. Who knows?  Maybe this summer is the time I get her hooked!  I'm a little behind but thanks to Netflix, Amazon, and On Demand I am never hurting for an episode. Aside from all of the fun of a period story, I'm a sucker for a good drama and fun accents!

Duck Dynasty. I've posted before about my love for this show. It's just fun. I have an affinity for reality television and this is just one of the many I enjoy. The Robertson clan seems like such a genuine set of people. I just want to travel to West Monroe and stop in for a visit. I know they'd welcome me in right?  I also enjoy the fact that they are such great witnesses of their faith. An awesome global platform to state their religious beliefs. Plus, Si is just hilarious. An episode never fails to make me laugh and entertain me. 

So, there you have it. A tie for "D". Which do you prefer or are you torn as well?  Is there another show beginning with a D you love?  Darn!  I just thought of two more. Dallas (the original) and Dynasty!  Two fun guilty pleasures from the 80s that I grew up loving. Well, this post is long enough, maybe I'll share my love of hyphen later!

All is well, 4/26 down, in Drosche Land. 

C is for Charlie's Angels

Day 3 already?  Time is flying by!  Here we go!

Clearly by the image above you can tell that I'm not talking about the recent 2011 reboot of this show. Nope. I didn't even watch it. Not one of the measly 7 aired episodes. Why mess with a classic?  But enough about that inferior copy. On with the original. 

Come on. How can you not love Charlie's Angels?  3 beautiful women who also just happen to possess ridiculously amazing crime-fighting skills and wits?  Rescued by an unseen benefactor?  Trained to do what law enforcement can't: solve crimes while maintaining glamorously coiffed hair. I don't get why anyone wouldn't be a fan. 

Sure it was was a little campy with often far-fetched plot lines. That's the beauty of it. As the years went on some angels came and went and the final seasons are nowhere near as good as the first. The girls just don't have that same magical make up that the first 3 did, but it was great nonetheless.   I totally plan on exposing the kids to Charlie's Angels when they're older. Who knows?  I could see Stella as an angel, she definitely has the personality.  

So, are you a fan?  Love it?  Hate it?  Regardless, it is a timeless classic and I now have the theme music stuck in my head. Plus, you can't tell me you and a couple of friends never struck that famous pose while sporting some finger guns?

All is well, 3/26 down, in Drosche Land. 

B is for Breaking Bad

Time for Day 2. Here goes!

Confession. I've only seen the first episode!  Gasp!  Shock and awe!  I know. But, I fully intend on watching them all. I promise. I don't know why I never got into this show while it was on the air. Probably a mixture of no cable and no time. However, with all of the recent hooplah over the series finale I decided to finally give it a shot. Thanks to Netflix I was able to. 

Like the addicts in this show, I was hooked.  Well, on the show, not the actual meth. I love a good drama and even more so when the storyline and plot are something so out there and foreign to me; which meth labs obviously are. Throw in media hype and I'm in.

So, it's been a few weeks since I watched the first episode. With life and The Walking Dead going on I just haven't had the time to devote to it. Plus I just didn't want to get invested in a new show yet. But I fully plan on binging via Netflix this summer. I figure that by the time I make it through the first 4 seasons the fifth, and final one, will be available!  Score!

So, what do you think?  Are you a Breaking Bad fan?  Newbie?  Completely oblivious to the series and have no clue what I'm talking about. If you're a fan, no spoilers. Newbies, join me in a new TV adventure.  Never heard of it?  Try it out, you won't be sorry. 

All is well, 2/26 down, in Drosche Land. 

A is for A.L.F

It's April!  Time to kick off another A to Z Challenge. So, without further do, here we go. 

Now, I realize that I may be dating myself with this first TV show but hey, the 80's was a great decade and A.L.F. is just one of the many things it brought to us. Surely you've seen this wonderful show?!  If not then you must do so as soon as you finish reading this post!

What was there not to love about A.L.F.?  It had everything. A funny family. Wacky neighbors. A refugee alien life form turned pet, turned family member.  I know I wasn't the only one who wished that an alien would crash into my house and befriend me. Then we could have silly adventures as he acclimated himself to life on Earth while staying hidden in my house so as not to alert the government. Isn't that every child's dream?  Well, so long as the aforementioned alien is furry, funny, and friendly (unless you're a cat). Not the adbucting and probing kind of course.  But alas stuffed A.L.F. toys were as close as I would come.   For 4 seasons in the late 80's though, I could imagine.  There was an animated cartoon version, but I'm a purist and prefer the original.   

I know you can purchase the seasons on DVD or via iTunes or Amazon and I think they were available on Hulu Plus although we no longer subscribe to that.  Sadly though they are not available via Netflix or Amazon Prime or I would be introducing this lovable alien to my children with fingers crossed that they would enjoy him as much as I did. Who knows though, maybe some day.  Until then I have my memories. 

All is well, 1/26, in Drosche Land.  

Home Study - Part 1

So Saturday was the day. Finally.  After two reschedulings we completed our first Home Study visit this past Saturday!

There was a lot of vacuuming, mowing, and tidying that went on that morning prior to the arrival of our caseworker but we got it all finished. All in all it went very well, not really worth all of the worry and anxiety we'd worked ourselves into.  She was here for about 4 hours total. In that time she observed us giving the kids lunch, talked us through the process, administered the individual interviews to Amy and myself, and took a tour of the house. 

We've been prepping for so long that there weren't really many suggestions for things that we needed to do before the next visit. Since we are straight adoption and not foster or foster-to-adopt there are some questions concerning procedures but she will be finding out the answers to those and then we can work on them if needed after our next visit. 

The kids were very good too while she was here. Stella was her usual self and our caseworker even commented on how much personality she has!  Ha!  No kidding. The boys pretty much stayed upstairs, as usual, occupying themselves with TV  and toys. I was even able to get Stella down for her nap so that was great. 

After the visit was finished we were left with a huge stack of paperwork to go through, fill out, and sign before our next visit. Being ourselsves though, we finished it last night. We are currently awaiting a response to see when our next visit will be. Either this Sunday afternoon or next. The sooner, then better so I hope it is this weekend even though we are super busy with taking the camper out for her inaugural run. 

The next visit should just be more talking. The boys will have their individual interviews and I am sure Amy and I will hear more about the process and what to expect next as well. But we shall see. One more Home Study visit and then we wait some more. Wait for the writing of our caseworker's report. Waiting for the approval of our Home Study. Waiting to be sent into matching and begin that process. We all know how well I do with waiting so I hope I find a measure of patience in the next few weeks and am able to stay calm. Until then we just pray and wait, wait and pray. You know, the usual. 

All is well, one step closer, in Drosche Land.