Memorial Day

Yup, I'm a day late, but . . . my prayers, respect and gratitude go out to our troops every day -- and not just them, but to their families as well. Sometimes I think the families get short-changed. A lot of civilians don't realize that it takes a special kind of person to make a life with a servicemember. There are tremendous adjustments to be made -- even the language they speak is different. You have to deal with all those days and weeks of training out in the field, as well as all those long-term deployments, and the uncertainties . . . We've been through deployments where no one knew for sure when they were leaving or coming home until a few short hours before. When they're gone, you get to be both mother and father to the kids; in no time at all, you go from a partnership to working on your own, bearing responsibility for everything. And once you and the kids get adjusted to that, your spouse comes home and the adjustments have to start all over again.

As for making long-term plans . . . ha! The only thing I could pretty much plan on when my husband was in the Navy was that when our birthdays and anniversaries rolled around, he would be someplace else. He was often someplace else -- when the baby got pneumonia, when the car broke down, when the kid broke his ankle . . .

Mind you, I'm not complaining. When my husband went back into the Navy after we were married, I was the biggest weenie you ever saw. I was afraid of my own shadow. Being married to the Navy gave me two choices: grow up or settle in for a really, really tough life. I chose to grow up.

So . . . like I said, my prayers and respect go out to the troops every day, but also to their families. The wives/husbands, fiancees and girlfriends/boyfriends who wait patiently, who run the household and oversee the family while they're gone; to the kids who may not understand why Mom or Dad has to be away so much of the time but love them anyway; to the parents who never get over that fear when they hear about casualties far away.

Years ago, the Navy ran an ad campaign with the slogan, "The toughest job in the Navy: Navy wife." Amen to that. To all of you, many, many thanks. Rachel9:11 AM

Movies and Books

Or, better said, movie and book. Leah, Judy and I went to see "Monster-in-Law" yesterday and enjoyed it tremendously. Jane Fonda was a hoot, and Jennifer Lopez did a pretty good job of making me like her character (I admit, I'm not a fan -- her press seems to far outstrip her talent). I could actually think of an ex-girlfriend or two of my son's who might have brought out the "monster-in-law" in me if it had gone that far.

I'm reading a book I mentioned here a while back -- BETWEEN by Shelby Beckett -- and enjoying it tremendously, too. I've long been intrigued by the notion of a sort of way station between this world and the next, and I especially like the character of Minerva, who can pass back and forth at will. Shelby's considering continuing the story as a series, and I can see great potential for it. Check out the great cover and read an excerpt at her website -- www.shelbybeckett.com. You'll also find ordering information there. Rachel10:02 AM

Second Printing!

Hey, great news -- THE ASSASSIN's gone into a second printing. Just how cool is that? If you haven't bought a copy yet, do so -- and if you have, go buy another. Books make great gifts, right? Let's see what the chances are of hitting a third printing.

Re last night's "NCIS" finale . . . Okay, so I knew I couldn't be so lucky. But if we couldn't get rid of Dinozzo, Kate was the next best choice.Come on, though . . . anyone here who didn't realize the instant they showed her bulletproof vest that she was going to get shot in the head, raise your hand . . . or hide your head in shame. You haven't been reading/watching enough suspenses.

Oh, well . . . for a few days, I got to hope. (big evil grin here!) Rachel12:11 PM

Another season finale

You know, you'd never guess from my posts here that I'm not a big television watcher, but really I'm not. Beyond "Third Watch" and "Veronica Mars," there's nothing that I make a point of watching every week -- though I'm happy to watch "Cops" if there's nothing else going on.

Anyway, tomorrow is the season finale of "NCIS" and someone's going to die. This won't surprise anyone who read my rant about the show a while back, but please, please, PLEASE let it be Tony Dinozzo. The character's just one reason I hardly ever watch the show, but you can bet I'll be in front of the TV tomorrow night with candles lit and fingers crossed, hoping, hoping, hoping. ;-) Rachel11:18 AM

I posted this earlier, then accidentally deleted it. Since I still think it's the best Mother's Day gift I could have gotten (other than seeing his smiling face in person), I'm putting it back up again!  Rachel10:40 AM

Veronica and Third Watch

Okay, so I posted a week or two ago about the upcoming finales of these two shows -- the season ender for "Veronica Mars" and the series finale for "Third Watch." I was eagerly anticipating the first and dreading the second . . . and with good reason, it turned out.

"Third Watch" has been one of the best shows on TV for the past six years, or however long it's lasted, but this final episode was awful. I was about 90% sure they were going to kill off Cruz, and they did. (Though, come on -- the bad guys search her for weapons but don't find the two hand grenades in her pockets???) The show was just sucky. NBC hyped the attack on the house all week, and then it turns out to involve three hand grenades and a spray of automatic weapons fire? Puh-leeze . . .

The series and its cast deserved, at the least, a finale that measured up to the quality of those that preceded it. Big thumbs-down from Rach.

"Veronica Mars," on the other hand . . . that finale couldn't have been any better. I was totally surprised by the identity of Lily's killer, and thought it was great that Lily's mother paid out the big bucks to Keith, thinking that she'd won when really she got nothing. I have to admit, though, that I didn't like the ending any better Tuesday night than I did when it was done in a Janet Evanovich book a few years ago. (Someone shows up at Veronica's door at 3 in the morning, she opens it, smiles, and says, "I hoped it was you," or something like that, and it ends. We won't know whether it was Duncan or Logan until next season.) My hopes are on Logan, but my money's on Duncan. He's just such a putz. Logan needs Veronica; Duncan just needs help!

Now I'm hoping "Third Watch" will come out on DVD, and I can watch the first six seasons over and over while eternally skipping that sucky last show.
Rachel10:22 AM

4 1/2 Stars and a Top Pick!

My friend Jaci -- as in Burton, super-hot erotica author -- sent me a copy of the Romantic Times Bookclub review of The Assassin. The pertinent part:

"Moral choices and risky loyalties make this story of a cop and his potential killer highly intense reading. Selena is a tough, damaged yet compelling heroine whose life has been anything but easy. Butler has created an unforgettable new heroine whose future adventures promise to be just as riveting." -- Jill Smith

Four and a half stars and Top Pick -- how cool is that??? Rachel9:34 AM

Only one more episode left . . .

of two of my favorite shows! I'm assuming "Veronica Mars" will be back next season, but I can't believe this is it for "Third Watch." Even after six years, it's still one of the best shows on television -- I arrange my Friday nights around it! (If you're not old enough to remember when everyone saved their Friday nights for "Miami Vice," I don't wanna hear it!)

First, on "Veronica" . . . if Logan's the bad guy, I'll be brokenhearted. I've adored him from the beginning -- okay, so my romance roots are showing, but what can I say? I have a thing for bad-boy types. I do wish Veronica would quit running out on him every time she finds/learns something. Up until last week, that wasn't in her character. and now she's done it two, three times?

I thought last night's show was more than a little sloppy in the writing. All this time she's believed she was raped, only to discover that it was consensual sex with her then-boyfriend (she'd been drugged and couldn't remember), and then the guy tells her that they're brother and sister, and SHE DOESN'T ASK A QUESTION???? Not of him, not of his mother who's standing there watching, not of her father (with whom she has an extraordinary relationship)?? Hellooo? What planet do these writers live on?

Still, a sloppy episode of "Veronica" is better than a slick, polished episode of most other TV shows.

Except "Third Watch." It's the best. It's one of those shows where I dislike about as many characters as I like -- true to life, huh? And the cop stuff, for the most part, is better done than any other show. I adore it. Don't know what I'll do without it. (Stare lonesomely at a blank screen on Friday nights at 8?)

The only ray of light is maybe once it's over, they'll release the entire series on DVD. Keeping my fingers crossed! Rachel11:41 AM

I don't know how real any of this is or if it's all done on the computer, and don't much care. Either way it gave me a huge laugh.  Rachel8:52 AM