Jun 03 2010

The End of Lost

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 8:52 am

*** WARNING!  Spoilers abound. ***

(Spoiler tag added above because it looks like i ruined Lost for one of my readers.  Sorry, Nora!)

I didn’t like it.

I was already mad that Jin and Sun died in the 3rd to last episode, for no apparent reason.  And i mean, i was pissed!  I was telling people who don’t even watch Lost how disappointed i was.

The penultimate episode was titled “What They Died For”, and didn’t really answer any questions about why they had died.  It still seemed purposeless to me.  The Big Meaning Of It All didn’t justify their deaths in my mind.  Of all the people on the island, Jin and Sun were the only ones i really cared got off the island, and back to their daughter.  They were the only ones with a real-world reason to survive off-island.

All this season, i’ve been wondering how these flash-sideways things would tie into the main story.  Was this What Would Have Happened if Jacob hadn’t chosen them all?  Was this the real reality, and the island was just some made-up thing like a dream?

No, it turns out that the flash-sideways things were the made-up dream.  The explanation was that it was a place that they had all created together as a way to find each other and remember the island, since that was the most important part of everyone’s lives.

I didn’t like it.  It was so… emotionally manipulative.  Everyone was figuring out that they were dead.  You didn’t know at first exactly what they were figuring out, but they cried and seemed happy and huggy, so you assumed it must be something wonderful.  I cried, like everyone else.  But to me, that part overshadowed what was really happening on the island.  When they were trying to get the plane off the island, i didn’t even think at the time that it was the “real” story.

Maybe that was the point.  The reason we loved the show so much was yes of course the mysteriousness of the island, but it was more about the characters and the relationships between them.  So maybe it was important to show how they all cared for each other and reconnected after they were all dead.

But it was so HOKEY.  Let’s bring back Shannon for 30 seconds!  And she and Sayid can makeout in the parking lot!  Wait, what?  I mean, it was nice to see her again, but i thought Nadia was Sayid’s true love.  Sayid and Shannon only connected for like two episodes before she was killed off.

It would have been nice to see what happened to the ones that actually got off the island the second time, like we did with the Oceanic Six.  Not that that was any picnic for any of them – it seemed to me during the flash forwards that they were all completely miserable off-island.  But it would have been nice to see Claire reunited with Aaron.

By the way, when did The Numbers stop having significance?

And who the hell knows or remembers their flight number, ever?

I haven’t been completely happy with the show since Charlie died.  Claire disappeared sometime before that, and that was annoying, and when she came back finally she was brainwashed and in league with the super baddie.  And then Sayid turned to the dark side and that made me mad too.  And then Jin and Sun died.  Grr.

I’m not sure what i wanted.  A happy ending, maybe?  Some people have said that this WAS a happy ending.  But i don’t see it that way.  To me it was just a nebulous ending.  Yes, the bad guy was defeated and yes there was a teary-eyed reunion.  But it wasn’t real, and i think that’s what is bothering me.  Most of what happened in the show at least tried to be somewhat reality based, if only loosely.

Lost will now become lost in my memory.

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Jun 02 2010

Purpose

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 9:31 am

When i started this blog, it began as a way to blog about training for a half marathon.  It held me accountable in a way, and it was fun to just write about random things in addition to running.

I added bridge pages and recipes.  The recipes are very useful to me when planning a grocery list on the way home from work.  And bridge is my passion, though writing up hands is not yet seamless.

For awhile i wrote book reviews.  I’ve gotten away from that, though i’m not sure why.  I know plenty of my book buddies would probably like to see my opinions of various books i’ve read.

I started writing some also about religion and non-religion.  I want to write about that more, but i get bogged down in research and details, afraid to post something inaccurate.

The Somethings came along a year or so ago, and i’ve been fairly faithful to them.  Sometimes it is the only thing i post in a week, for weeks at a time.  I wonder if i would post more if i did NOT have the somethings as a weekly anchor.  They’re not always quick to write; there are a few questions that stump me every week.  Maybe i should just eliminate those to make it easier.

So, i’m asking.  What’s interesting?  I’m trying to figure out what i want to do with this blog o mine.  When i go for weeks posting nothing but the Somethings, i feel like i’m not doing enough.  And when things get to feeling like that, it feels like other things in life i’m not doing enough of, like exercising or eating right or cleaning or cooking or kissing my dog or studying bridge or reading.  I want it to be fun, for me and for you the reader, instead of just another thing i should be doing.

So, what’s fun?  I personally like the Grandma series and other theology related items.  Random stuff in the “life” category is usually fun.  The Somethings are hard to keep up with sometimes, but i like going back and reading the snapshot from a particular part of the year.  I like the race reports, too.

What do you like?

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Jun 01 2010

Perpetual Third

Category: Uncategorized — podrey @ 8:52 pm

Bridge Week is finally over.  The Tarheel Regional Bridge Tournament was held from May 25-31 at the North Raleigh Hilton.  22 sessions of bridge were held, plus 3 midnight knockout events.  I played 19 of those sessions (but no midnights).  Lance also played 19 sessions and also two of the midnight events.  He’s crazier than i am.

This tournament is one of my favorite things.  Not only do i get to play bridge for a week (by the way, that’s 456 hands of bridge), but i get to hang out night and day with all the bridge player friends i have.  It’s just FUN.  Everyone has stories about bridge hands, and there’s opportunities to go out to dinner, or have a beer at the evening hospitality.  All the other bridge tournaments i go to are fun, too, but this one is mine.  It’s in my backyard, and i know the people running it, and there’s always someone i know nearby who wants to chat.

Aside from the first session, i played the entire tournament with Lance.  And even in that first session, Lance was on my Swiss team.  He is a great partner, and an excellent player.  It was a treat to get to play with him so much, particularly because we just don’t play that much together anymore.  He prefers day games while the only time i can play is in the evening.

We did well – we finished 3rd in almost every event we entered.  Sure, i would have liked to win something, but finishing 3rd gets your name in the daily bulletin and racks up a ton of masterpoints.  This was our dance card:

  • Tues at 1 pm – Swiss teams (1 session) – 3rd place
  • Tues at 7 pm, Wed at 9 am & 1 pm – Bracket II knockout – 3rd place.  We got knocked out in the semi-final round against the young pro team.  Since we didn’t qualify for the finals, we did not play bridge Wednesday evening.
  • Thurs at 9 am – Bracket I Compact knockout – didn’t place.  This is the only event we didn’t place in.  It would have continued Fri at 9 am, but we slept in instead.
  • Thurs at 1 pm & 7 pm – Bracket I Knockout – didn’t place.  We advanced to the second round, but my team sent me to draw our opponents, and i drew Meckstroth, Rodwell and the Poles.  Oops.
  • Fri at 1 pm & 7 pm – 2-session Open Pairs – finished 3rd.  And i didn’t even play well in the first session.  If only i had…
  • Sat at 9 am and Sun at 9 am – Bracket I Compact Knockout – finished 3rd.  I’m still not sure how we lost the semi-final round.
  • Sat at 1 pm & 7 pm and Sun at 1 pm – Bracket I Knockout – finished 3rd.  I was starting to get sick on Saturday, so i was happy to take Sunday evening off and nurse my cold.
  • Mon at 10 am & 2 pm – A/X Swiss Teams – finished 3rd in X and 6th overall.

By the end of the tournament, i was ready for it to be over.  Yes, i love bridge, but i love my normal routine, too.  And my dog, who we had to board because it was just too hectic to go to the house twice a day to take care of him.  (Boy was he glad to see us when we picked him up!)  I seem to always get sick at these tournaments, too, undoubtedly because of all the people and other people’s germs on the cards, combined with the fact that i bite my nails so it all goes into my mouth.

We’re tired, but happy.  We will get to do a mini version of this in two more weeks, when we head to Greenville, SC for the Grand National Teams competition, and try to win a free trip to the national tournament in New Orleans this summer.  We’ll go regardless, but would like to represent our district in Flight A if we can.

A few things learned this week:

  • Reverse Flannery is a cool convention.  1m-2H shows 5-9 points and 5 spades and 4 hearts.  Very useful, and we even remembered it the two times it came up.
  • Bidding is more fun at matchpoints.  But defense is more fun at teams.
  • Ex-husbands will sometimes spend a few minutes talking with you about the legality of bridge conventions when you play similar systems.
  • People will ask the darndest questions when you’re sitting behind the partnership desk.  “Where is the bathroom?”  Try turning around; it’s two feet behind you.  “Have you seen my cell phone?”  Um, no?  And you shouldn’t have it in the playing room anyway.  “Where is the ice machine?”  It’s a hotel, try looking in one of the hallways with rooms.
  • Don’t open light in 3rd seat, even white on red, holding only 9xxxx AQ xxx Jxx.  You might think they will be afraid of missing a vully game, but they might just come after you instead and get 1100.
  • A free hotel room sure is nice, but is probably not worth the price: manning the partnership desk an hour before every session (me) and staying up half the night creating the daily bulletin (lance).  Especially when you only live 5 minutes away.
  • The tournament chair wants me to replace him, serving as a co-chair with him in 2 years and taking over after that.  Honestly, i will probably be good at it.

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