Veronica Mars

This is something I've wanted to write about in here for quite a long time - one of my absolute favorite TV shows, Veronica Mars. Is this a review? An endorsement? A ridiculous ramble? Yes. Yes to all.

No doubt my rank of "favorite TV shows" has some serious competition. Sex and the City gives me the most pleasure. Queer as Folk gets me the most engrossed and draws the most tears. Twin Peaks is the most fascinating and stunningly constructed, Arrested Development makes me laugh the most, and House...well, my feelings about that show need a whole series of posts of their own. But this show unquestionably has my heart.

The show is about teen PI Veronica Mars, played to perfection by Kristen Bell. While the ensemble cast is, at least up until the third season, uniformly great, the entire show hinges on Veronica in a way I've only ever seen on House. All the humor, heartbreak, drama, thrills, heart, and soul - and there is a great deal of all - is tied up in Veronica. Veronica herself has been through hells that few teenagers, let alone the kinds TV shows are made about, can imagine. In the year before the show starts, her best friend was brutally murdered; her dad, the sheriff, accused her wealthy and powerful father of the murder, making Veronica into the social pariah to end all social pariahs and getting her father eventually kicked out of office. Her mother abandons the family, and after attending a party, Pretty in Pink style, "to show them they haven't broken me," Veronica is raped, to which the local law enforcement does nothing.

Here is Bell as Veronica.



The really fascinating thing about Veronica, though, is how little that previous paragraph actually sums up about her character. Veronica is bitter, whip-smart, savvy, sexy, and a perky, petite, blonde, straight-A student who dresses like a West Coast preppy girl. She has a cutting quip for every single situation and she will ruin your life if you cross her. She is intensely, fiercely loyal, hilarious, and utterly adorable.

Another interesting thing is how, over the course of the first two seasons, we see just how many allies Veronica does have, and how she brings other loners into her life. Her compassionate, protective dad with whom she is allied against the world; Wallace, the laid-back, basketball genius new kid, who quickly becomes her best friend; a hot-and-cold ex-boyfriend, Duncan, who would obviously still do anything in the world for her; Mac, a funky, deadpan computer geek and fellow outsider; Meg, one of the few popular rich girls who still treats Veronica like a human being; Leo, a sweet rookie cop who adores her; Eli "Weevil" Navarro, the motorcycle gang leader and juvenile delinquent who loves his grandma and has some of the funniest, wittiest lines of the show; and, increasingly, Logan Echolls, the troubled, destructive rich kid who lives and breathes for Veronica.

I have a great deal more to say about Logan (and the other characters, but Logan especially), but that'll have to wait. This is Veronica's moment.

Bell with Enrico Colantoni, who plays her father, Keith Mars:



(They're not always this sickeningly adorable together, but they often are.)

The kittens have officially been named: Duncan and Mabel. Huzzah! Not very exciting names - I do kinda still wish we'd ended up going with themed ones - but they seem to fit the little critters really well and I'm just glad we settled on SOMETHING, finally.

(Because I know y'all were totally wondering.)

The health stuff hasn't been great - I threw up at work yesterday - but all my tests were normal and nothing drastic or terrible has taken place, so I guess it's been pretty consistently not-bad. I don't even know what the hell the nausea is all about. My mom and I hypothesized lactose intolerance, maybe, since dairy has been making me queasy more and more for the past few years, but who the hell knows. My digestive system has never worked particularly well, and lately less than ever.

The weather has been fantastic, though - 70s and sunny, mostly, not too hot (a good thing for my delicate little flower constitution, right?) Wow, I'm actually writing about the weather on my blog. How boring is my life?

In other, happier news, I got the Sims 3. Huzzah! Those of you who know me well know what a simming addict I am - I've been playing it since the first one came out, when I was 10 or so - so this is an exciting prospect in my life. :) It's...kind of strange, and definitely different, but hey, it's a shiny new toy and I'm really enjoying being super-absorbed in something again. It's been a while.

Going to New York next week and I can't freaking wait. I'll get to see my brother since he's coming up for the weekend, which is always fabulous, AND I'll get to be there for Pride which will be SERIOUSLY F'ING FABULOUS. I've actually never been to a Pride parade before (what a bad hag am I), and New York City pride, of all the things, will be amazing, I'm sure. So that will be exciting, and something to blog about as well.

Till next time!

Well, it's Friday, and at the risk of sounding corny, thank God for that. This week wasn't nearly as disastrous health-wise as last week, but it was still LONG, what with the chest pain and fatigue and nausea that are still very much present. Had an MRI on Monday (which was confirmed to be fine - apparently I have no tumors, lesions, aneurysms or any other such things on my brain - hooray for that), and an echocardiogram, the results for which I am still waiting...along with the results from my heart monitor that I had on for 24 hours last week.

So, yeah. I'm tired. And a little bit cranky, to be perfectly honest. There is nothing I want more right now than to be curled up in my bed, asleep.

The kittens are still awesomely kitteny and kitteningly awesome. We still haven't named them definitively, although it looks like the girl will be named Mabel (the frontrunning name from Day 1), and we're leaning towards Duncan for the boy at the moment. It was harder to get a handle on what he should be named...the girl just seemed like a Mabel from the very beginning. Boy kitty (Duncan?) is the neediest, most affection-desperate little critter I've ever seen, and we have a history of VERY codependent animals at my home. He sometimes runs after me screaming as though his little cat heart has been broken, holding up his arms to be picked up - and then immediately starts nuzzling my face and licking my nose once I do. Mabel is very needy as well, although not as bad as her brother.

They are also RAVENOUS EATERS and will eat everything in sight. Here is what they have stolen off my plate so far:
Chicken
Whole grain pasta
Red beans
Ranch dressing
Cheese
Onions
Spinach
Apples
Milk, half & half, etc.
Apple juice
Popcorn

FREAKING RIDICULOUS. What kind of cats go crazy over eating FRUITS AND VEGETABLES? They are CRAZY.

My mother and I have also discovered that we seriously need a hobby. I can't work out until my chest inflammation business gets better - even walking up stairs can be really painful right now - so that's out. We don't do crafts or make stuff, and reading can get tiresome and antisocial if we do it all the time. So we kind of don't know what to do with ourselves for awhile. As for writing...yeah, well, my muse has flown the coop the past few months. She's off in the distance laughing at me somewhere.

Suggestions of hobbies for non-crafty, somewhat inactive people?

KITTIES!

Now with MOAR PICSHURS. Taken with photobooth on the computer. (Please ignore me in these pictures, as I look positively HEINOUS in them.)

The kitty known, for now, only as "boy kitty":





He was squirming away from the computer at this point:



"Girl kitty":





They're as adorable and crazy and needy as ever. Love them.

More pictures to come, I'm sure! (Oh, and new blog title! It was my senior quote, heh.)

Oh, health.

Oh, my health.

What a piece of crap my body is.

I had a seizure at work the other day, which was awful, of course, although that's kind of only the start of all this business. My blood pressure was absurdly low when they first took it: 90/45, although it went up again soon after. Was in the hospital for about 4 hours (bloodwork and so forth) and got a CT since I haven't had one in 4 years and the clinic I'm going to in July is asking for as up-to-date information as possible. They didn't find anything (of course) except for a seemingly completely random UTI, for which I am now on antibiotics. Antibiotics that make me so nauseated that almost any movement leaves me nearly vomiting up my lunch.

I had a doctor's appointment today just so that my doctor could order and schedule another MRI, but while my mom and I were there, we got a lot of other stuff taken care of. Had a neurological workup, which was fine (of course) and discovered that I have inflammation in the wall of my chest, which is accounting for the chest pain I've been having the past few months. They also found a heart murmur. (Awesome.) Did an EKG, which was normal, but put me on a 24-hour heart monitor, currently hooked up to my chest.

If only I had House. HE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THE CONNECTIONS. And on top of all this, the ol' piece-of-crap knee has been killing me the past few days.

Still, though, I am handling this with my usual brand of stoicism and self-deprecating humor because, y'know, I'm just used to this crap by now. It's just the way it goes with me.

The kittens are fantastic, albeit unbelievably needy. My mom and I still can't decide what to name them - right now they're going by "boy kitty" and "girl kitty," and/or whatever name we feel like calling them that moment. But yeah, the kittens and I get a whole lot of quality time together. It's awesome.

Well, I finished up the week, and my mom and I have been bouncing around a fair amount these last couple of days (for us, anyway.) Yesterday I left work early - I was supposed to be working from 8:30-4, but I was feeling really queasy and achy and generally weird, so I left at noon instead - and went home and slept till 4. We went to go and get a mattress, which took far longer and ended up being far more complicated than it needed to be. Today I got a haircut (thrilling, I know.) Nothing dramatic - I'm still trying to grow it out, but it had reached an awkward mullet-y length that needed to be remedied IMMEDIATELY. I never should have cut it so damned short in the first place, but it was a spur-of-the-moment thing - much like the red hair last year, although that worked out much better.

I also discovered, when trying on a fabulous retro yellow dress with black polka dots in this bizarre middle-of-nowhere vintage-y boutique run by a straight, heavily pierced & tattooed guy with a PASSION FOR FASHION, that I have an awkwardly long waist. I knew it before, but it continues to be an annoyance. I'm not a particularly tall person, just very long-limbed.

Yeah, I know all of this is terribly exciting. So I'm going to put up some pictures of pretty ladies, because that's how I roll.

Natalie Portman, a perennial favorite:



Natalia Vodianova. I once read someone describe her as "poetry in pictures":



Lauren Bacall, back in the day:



Linda Evangelista, who I believe is in the dictionary under "fierce," no?



Promoting unreasonable standards of beauty? Sure, why not!

Nonetheless, it's fun and I just love looking at pretty. Pretty people, pretty clothes, pretty anything. I'm feeling particularly shallow today, I think. Maybe I'll do an entry with mens next time, although I find women more aesthetically interesting.

At work, taking surveys...

Stole this one from Bella's blog.

ABOUT YOU:
001. Real name – CASSANDRA.
002. Nickname(s)-- Cassie, casserole, Cassie-cat...others, probably
004. Male or female -- I'm a grrrrrl.
005. Elementary – Uh, Little Falls.
006. Middle School -- HCS!
007. High School -- HCS!
008. Hair color -- very dark brown
009. Short or long -- Um, it's short. I want it to be longer, though.
010. Loud or Quiet -- Quiet, most of the time.
011. Sweats or Jeans -- Jeans!
012. Phone or Camera -- Both?
013. Health freak – Kind of. Does being a hypochondriac count?
014. Drink or Smoke? – only occasionally, and no.
015. Do you have a crush on someone? - HAHAHA always.
016. Eat or Drink -- Both, I guess.
017. Piercing -- None. :(
018. Tattoos – Also none.

HAVE YOU EVER:
019. Been in an airplane -- Yes
020. Been in a relationship -- ...Sort of
021. Been in a car accident -- No
022. Been in a fist fight -- ...Sort of

FIRSTS:
023. First piercing -- Earlobes
024. First best friend – Um...my brother, I guess.
025. First award – I have no idea.
026. First crush – Frankie Allman. Kindergarten.
028. First big vacation – Prince Edward Island at five, I guess? That's the first one I remember, anyway.

LASTS:
029. Last person you talked to -- Denise.
030. Last person you texted -- Lisa
031. Last person you watched a movie with – My mamma
032. Last food you ate – Triscuits
033. Last movie you watched – Gimme Shelter, the Rolling Stones documentary
034. Last song you listened to – No idea.
035. Last thing you bought – Er...apple juice?
036. Last person you hugged – My mamma

FAVES:
037. Food – Enh.
038. Drinks – Apple juice, coke
039. Clothing – Lots and lots of things.
040. Flower – Enh, flowers.
042. Colors – Black, red, deep blue, purple
043. Movies – Pulp Fiction! Also, Annie Hall, Donnie Darko, lots and lots of others.
044. Subjects – English, American Studies (my majors!), art history

In 2008, I...:
046. [x] celebrated Halloween
047. [x] had your heart broken
048. [x] went over the minutes/texts on your cell phone
049. [x] someone questioned your sexual orientation
050. [x} came out of the closet
051. [ ] gotten pregnant
052. [ ] had an abortion
053. [x] done something you've regretted
054. [x] broke a promise
055. [x] hid a secret
056. [x] pretended to be happy
057. [x] met someone who changed your life )
058. [x] pretended to be sick
059. [x] left the country
060. [x] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it
061. [x] cried over the silliest thing
062. [ ] ran a mile
063. [ ] went to the beach with your friend(s)
064. [x] got into an argument with your friends
065. [x] hated someone
066. [x] stayed single the whole year

CURRENTLY:
067. Eating – Nothing
068. Drinking – Nothing
069. I'm about to – Enh.
070. Listening to -- Nothing
071. Plans for today – Eats, finish work, maybe chat with Jenny over her lunch break?
072. Waiting for -- 4:00 so I can leave this freezing cold office.

YOUR FUTURE:
073. Want kids? -- Maaaaaybe.
074. Want to get married? – Enh. If it happens, it happens.
075. Careers in mind – Writer, artist, curator, archivist, fashion merchandising, music or film reviewer...anything in music, art, fashion, literature, or film, basically.

WHICH IS BETTER WITH A GIRL/GUY:
076. Lips or eyes -- Both.
077. Shorter or taller?-- Taller, or same height.
078. Romantic or spontaneous -- Don't those two usually go together pretty well?
079. Nice stomach or nice arms -- Well both, hopefully.
080. Sensitive or loud -- Both.
081. Hook-up or relationship -- Both.
082. Trouble-maker or hesitant – Both. (Boy, I sure do demand a lot.)

HAVE YOU EVER:
083. Lost glasses/contacts -- Yes.
084. Snuck out of your house -- Um...maybe.
085. Held a gun/knife for self defense -- No. Well, sort of, but not really necessarily, more because I am crazy.
086. Killed somebody -- Noooo.
087. Broken someone's heart -- I hope not.
088. Been arrested -- No. Almost.
089. Cried when someone died -- Yes.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
090. Yourself -- Sometimes
091. Miracles -- Not really
092. Love at first sight -- Enh. Not really.
093. Heaven – Don't think so.
094. Santa Clause -- Um, no.
095. Sex on the first date -- No. Not that I particularly care if other people do it.
096. Kiss on the first date -- Sure, why not.

TRUTHFULLY:
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now? -- Always.
098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life? – Not particularly. It's not bad, though.