The Tudors

Well, I finished the first season of the Tudors. I have to say I am pretty happy to not have been born in that time period. Although the clothes are beautiful, people didn't seem to live long enough to enjoy them. Medical science was obviously not that well developed. Couple that with the fact that, well, if you ticked off anyone important in the realm...people just had short life spans. And wow, did they have deep dark pits in their souls to be able to come up with such gruesome ways to execute people. It seems that the ones who had the most fun in that time were the noblemen. The ladies were back in their homes while the men were partying at the castle.... and of course enjoying the services of the young ladies-in-waiting. So, I got a crash course in history. I have to say I don't remember studing about that era much while I was in school. If they veered off into "artistic liberties" I would probably be unaware of it. So I got to just sit back and enjoy the series without having to compare it to history. It was quite graphic in a lot of ways. I don't know how some of those people could sleep at night #1 those who were really back in those days who plotted the demise of innocent people for their own gain and #2 the actors who had to reinact the scenes. It would seem that only Charles Brandon and King Henry got the well, we'll call them fun, scenes. I saw the intro to episode 10 (the season finale) and could not figure out what King Henry was doing. I had to shut the dvd off as I was interrupted and so ended up having to reload from scratch. There was that intro again... This time I was like... hold it, nah, can't be. So I rewind it- and rewatch. Then I burst out laughing. Yep, he must have had a fun time filming....lol And to think they get paid for that "fun". Now I have been on a few movie sets and I know it's awkward with the many worker bees on the sets, but when I see the finalized production I don't think of that and just laugh. It was not a funny movie, but well, my mind goes in those directions. I did like the movie, but a little too graphic (violence wise) for my tastes. I am very squeamish. Yes, I will be looking forward to season 2, if only to see who keeps their necks attached to their bodies.

He Did It Again

Have you ever known someone who tries to cut corners? My step-father is like that, only he ends up botching it so badly it becomes a total disaster. He is the ultimate cheap skate. They have lived in their home since 1984, but it was originally built in 1979. He is very proud of the fact that they haven't put any money into the home, other than a new roof. Put in money, means pay someone to do the work. He put his own tile in (um, yeah), and the ultimate was the kitchen counters. Not tile, not granite, it's well, I don't know what it is. It's something my husband brought from a job site that apparently caught his fancy. It's like white butcherblock. He installs it himself and well, there's a huge seam right down the middle. (He couldn't have lined it up in like a corner, or not so obvious location). And of course, the seam continues to separate. He weatherproofed his deck, and patched rotted out wood, and let's not even discuss what they call a gazebo. He also converted their master bedroom into a "studio". Have you ever seen a kitchen sink in place of a bathroom sink. Instead of a low basin, it's a deep tub. Not a pretty sight.Now, with the economy being the way it is, he may be cutting satellite tv. He watched a Youtube video on how to make your own antennae and get tv. Sure enough, that was his project today. To test it, he disconnected the satellite. Not only did he mess up the tv, he shut down the internet. Good lord, I need to move...... I have to say that I am pretty happy to not be inheriting this house because when I think of how much money it would take to repair what he's done, well, I don't have that kind of cash.