Caprica

Ok, I’m going to admit to a total nerd faux-pas, I’ve never seen Battlestar Galactica…I always meant to watch it, but my DVR was already so full.  I know, I know, it’s a pitiful excuse I will rectify the situation immediately.

I have to say though, I have totally and completely fallen head over heels in love with Caprica, the Syfy ”prequel” to BSG which chronicles the origins of the Cylons.  It’s visually stunning and the storyline is great.  I’m living, breathing proof that you don’t have to have seen BattlestarGalactica to appreicate this show.  It does however, make me want to drop the $250+ to pick up the complete Battlestar Galactica box set on BluRay.  So if anyone needs any gift ideas for me (although I realize that both my birthday and Christmas are very far away) that would be a good place to start.

And I wish someone would hurry up and invent a holoband already.

The series is available On Demand if your television provider offers such a service.

Here is the plot summary (via Battlestarwiki.org)

The Caprica pilot takes place 58 years before the Battlestar Galactica miniseries. It follows the lives of two families, the Graystonesand the Adamas^[4] (the family of William Adama). A startling development occurs by the end of the pilot — the creation of the first cybernetic life-form node or “Cylon“.  The Graystone family includes the father Daniel and mother Amanda, a computer scientist and surgeon respectively. When their daughter Zoe dies due to the religious fanaticism of her boyfriend, Ben Stark, her father manages to resurrect her — after a fashion. Already having acquired a digital clone of her personality developed by Zoe herself, he uses stolen technology to create a robotic version of his daughter, the first step towards creating the Cylon race.  The same terrorist attack claims the lives of Joseph Adama’s wife Shannon and daughter Tamara. Together with Daniel Graystone he initially works on bringing back their children, but is appalled at his partner’s methods and ethics. However, as a result of this tragedy, he grows closer to his eleven-year old son William.

What His Valentine’s Day Gift Means

Valentines Day is just around the corner, and while it is a Hallmark holiday, for those of us in relationships it’s a day to appreciate each other (although for some people its just a way to show affection through gifts hoping to spark some bedroom magic).  Here are some common gifts and their possible meanings.

The Traditional Gift

Chocolate and Flowers

What He Thinks It Means:  “I’m a sweet, traditional gentleman.  What girl doesn’t love chocolate and flowers.”

What It Means To You:  “He forgot Valentines Day AGAIN.  The only reason he got this at all was because he got a reminder email from 1800Flowers since he ordered me flowers from them for my birthday.  But at least he tried, that is kinda sweet.”

The “As Seen on TV” Gift

Pedi-Egg, As Seen on TV

What He Thinks it Means: “Wow she’s going to love this, I saw her watching the infomercial last week.  She’s going to love that I pay attention to her needs.  Plus this way she can pamper herself at home.”

What You Think: “Well this is a last-minute gift if I ever saw one.  I bet he bought it at checkout at CVS.  Does this mean he thinks my feet are gross?  Do I have ugly feet?  Worst…Valentines…EVER.”

The Jewelry That ISN’T An Engagement Ring Gift

The Non-Engagement Ring

What He Thinks it Means:  “Wow this is a nice gift!  I put a lot of thought into this, not like last year.  And this is like the ring she pointed out when I told her we could go look at engagement rings, except the stone in the middle is blue, just like her eyes…wait her eyes are green.  But she likes blue!  She’ll love it, look how excited she got when I pulled the box out of my pocket.  Who gets that excited over a little black box?”

What You Think it Means:  “Today has been really romantic, dinner at our favorite place, a walk in the park…wait did he just pull a jewelery box out of his pocket? OMG! OMG! I can’t believe its FINALLY happening!  It’s…its…not an engagement ring…its pretty, and its the style I like…Just smile, its pretty and its obvious he put a lot of thought into it.  Smile.  Smile.  Smile.  It will happen eventually.”

The Homemade Gift

The Mix Tape

What He Thinks it Means: “This is my best tape yet, it’s so deep.  It’s going to let her know how I really feel.  I’m a romantic guy like that.”

What You Think it Means: “Wow, thats actually kinda sweet.  I don’t think anyone’s made me a mix tape since like 8th grade.  It has a lot of my favorite songs on it too, so that shows that he really knows and appreciates me.  Awwww…..But how do I tell him I haven’t owned a cassette player in like a decade?”

The Lavish Gift

Flat Panel TV

What He Thinks it Means: “Now she’ll see that I’m a baller.  Look at that sweet tv.  I would love a gift like that.”

What You Think it Means: “He got this as a present for him, not for me.  He’s just going to come over to watch all the games on it all the time.  He doesn’t know me at all.”

The Weekend Getaway

Weekend Getaway

What He Thinks it Means: “This is perfect.  Just the two of us.  Now she’ll see that I really am a sweet romantic guy.  And since we’re out in the middle of nowhere we can just spend the weekend in bed.  Win win situation.”

What You Think it Means: “This is perfect.  Just the two of us.  He really is a sweet romantic guy.  And since we’re out in the middle of nowhere we can just spend the weekend in bed.  Win win situation.”

Disclaimer:  This was just for fun.  I’m not being critical of anyone’s gifting ability, nor am I trying to claim that I’m a relationship expert and can help you get laid.  I was just bored and feeling goofy.  Valentine’s Day is about being with the person you love, not the gifts you get each other.  Just look into your heart and you will find the perfect way to spend your day.

Just testing the waters

I just downloaded the WordPress app for my Droid and I wanted to test it out. So far I really like the UI it’s very easy to use and allows me to monitor multiple accounts without having to log out and log back on. It is kinda limited though, as I have yet to find anything that would allow me to upload videos using the app. But hey, nothings perfect.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter….I’m so there

I’ve been hearing about the addition of of a Harry Potter themed area for awhile now, and I’ve been bugging my boyfriend to start booking a vacation package ever since.  The newest addition to Universal’s Island of Adventure in Orlando Florida looks spectacular.  Just check out the official web page for a full virtual tour here

You can also check out the commercial for the park below, which was supposed to debut at Sunday’s Superbowl.

The park is slated to open this spring, see you there.

My new obsession

I’m always on the hunt for a new healthy snack.  I mean seriously, I love fruit and veggies but I can only eat them so often before I need something else to munch on.  Well, on my most recent shopping trip I found the answer to my prayers.  Dry Roasted Edamame from Seapoint Farms.  It came in a few different flavors, but one immediately caught my eye:  Wasabi.

They taste great, nice and crunchy, with great flavor.

I love traditional edamame, but these are great to throw in your car or your purse as an on the go snack that travels well.  Definitely worth checking out if you’re into that sort of thing, and if you care, they pack 14g of protein per serving.

Yum

Dry Roasted Edamame, Wasabi Flavor

Discogram

Next Thursday I’ll be going in for an invasive procedure called a Discogram.  Its a test where they will be sticking large needles in my spine at three different levels, 2 in my damaged discs (my L4 and my L5) and the other needle will go a level above in a healthy disc as a reference point.  The doctor is then going to inject a dye mixture into the disc space to try to replicate my existing back pain.  If I feel pain in the damaged discs and not in the healthy one we will know that the root cause of my pain is the discs and not something else (i.e. nerve damage or scar tissue from my previous surgery putting pressure on the nerve root).  If this ends up being the case then my best option will be to go in for another surgery, however this one is far more invasive than my previous operation, and will require a lot more downtime.  This new surgery would have the surgeon go in and completely remove the damaged discs, then after taking a bone graft from my pelvis they would use that graft to replace the missing disc and using surgical screws and rods to hold it in place they would use it to fuse together the two vertebrae.  The operation will require a three day hospital stay and a minimum of three months downtime while I underwent physical therapy.

All of this sounds rather intimidating, however I spent quite a bit of time discussing everything with my doctor and we’ve explored literally every other option and conservative treatments have failed.

He made a very valid point that I’m young, and other than this hiccup, healthy.  Therefore, if we don’t take steps to fix this now it will only get worse over time, especially if I were to put additional strains on my body in the future (i.e. pregnancy).

Thankfully I have a very supportive network of family and friends to help see me through whatever happens.  My parents and my boyfriend will be with me on Thursday for the procedure and just like before I know they will be with me if surgery is my only option.  I’m scared, but knowing that I have people who love and care about me helps.  I’m very grateful to have them.

The 2010 Grammy Awards…the Drinking Game

I know that I’ll be watching the Grammys tonight while my boyfriend is in the other room watching the Pro Bowl.  Lady Gaga is opening with Elton John (that alone is worth tuning in to see) and there is going to be a musical tribute to Michael Jackson in 3D.  While doing my daily blog catch up I came across this gem from CollegeCandy.com and while I don’t know if I could pull this off (I’ll probably just sip on a nice Pinot Noir) I still thought it was fun and witty so I’m putting it out there for others to enjoy.

So here you go, a drinking game for the 2010 Grammy Awards

This Sunday, January 31st, the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS. And you must know what we’re thinking: it’s the perfect excuse to drink on a Sunday! (Until the Super Bowl, that is.)

Nothing goes better with good music than an ice cold beer (or 12), so we at CollegeCandy have come up with the perfect drinking game to accompany the big night. So go brush your teeth with a bottle of Jack, put on your Poker Face and see who takes home the big awards… and which of your friends will make it to the end of the show.

I gotta feeling…that Sunday night’s gonna be a good (good) night…

Take a shot:

(Of Hennessy) every time someone makes a Kanye West joke.

Each time of Lady Gaga changes her wardrobe. Take a double if it involves a mask, a cone, or fake blood.

(Of Jack Daniel’s) and some Oxycontin (just kidding) if Britney wins for Womanizer.  Then go shave your head and make a Starbucks run.

Every time a performer does something sexually inappropriate. Make it a double if it involves a head in a crotch. Triple if it’s guy on guy.

Take a sip:

Every time Gaga dedicates an award to the gays or her “little monsters.”

Every time the camera flashes to Jay-Z and Beyonce (inevitably seated in the front row).

Every time Taylor Swift wins an award (might wanna keep a barf bag nearby…)

(Out of a chalice) for every person wearing sunglasses inside.

(Of wine) every time someone thanks Jesus.

Drink It Up:

Drink “plenty of beer” when Ke$ha goes on stage to present.

Drink (big) whiskey each time you swoon over Dave Matthews. (What? Just me?)

Drink double every time you see Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers or Justin Beiber (since they can’t do it themselves).

Chug:

(A glass of milk) if Mariah’s boobs are hanging out.

(A beer/whiskey/anything, really) every time she opens her mouth and slurs her words.

If Snooki shows up. Chug another if she’s rockin’ the pouf.

If your vote (on CBS.com) for Bon Jovi’s performance wins.

If your favorite for Record of the Year (Beyonce – Halo, Lady Gaga – Poker Face, Kings of Leon – Use Somebody, Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling, Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me) takes home the award.

And, of course, bong a beer if Kanye West comes on stage and steals a microphone.

Its All About the Music

Twilight has become a global phenomenon.  Twi-hards flock to bookstores and theaters for midnight releases and even in this economy they are making Hollywood a lot of money, enough money to make New Moon stud Taylor Lautner the highest earning teen star in Hollywood.  And when the films are bringing in that kind of bank the studio can afford to spend a bit more to get a top quality composer involved in the project.  Howard Shore, most recently famous for composing the music for the Lord of the Rings trilogy (for which he won 3 Academy Awards), has signed on to compose the music for the third upcoming installation of the franchise (out this June).

Eclipse was personally my favorite out of the series, its very emotional and action packed and I have no doubt in my mind that Shore will be able to convey the powerful emotions that need to be expressed in the third film.

I did a happy dance when I heard this by the way, and yes I’m a nerd.

Early Morning Cuteness

Woke up ridiculously early due to back pain and couldn’t fall back asleep.  So, I’ll treat you all to a little morning cuteness via a great nerd blog The Great White Snark.

One day I will have a daughter, and she will be nerdy like me.  I can only hope that she can pull off cute nerdy like this:

Cutest Zelda EVER!

Exciting News!

I’ve had a very positive response to several of the food items I’ve posted here, but since These Crumpled Notes is supposed to primarily be a Writing/Current Events type blog I’ve decided to create a sister blog for all my cooking adventures.  So I’ve you’ve enjoyed my food posts here, get ready for a lot more of them on http://youngfoodieandfabulous.wordpress.com !!!

I will be copying the recipes from here to that blog, but I will leave them up here for the time being until everything is fully transitioned over.  If you’re just here for the food I hope you still might stop back and check up and see if I’ve posted any current writing projects or social commentary, but if not enjoy the new site and in the words of The Chairman, Allez Cuisine!!!