Book Sookie v HBO Sookie

Spoilers all over the place but most are from seasons/ books that have been out for a long time.  I don’t tell who Sookie ends up with and the only hint is  in the pronoun ‘he’ but you already knew that much

 

The Sookie Stackhouse character and story was sold to HBO and I think they did a great job in season 1 sticking more or less to the plot of the book.

Then they diverged…. To make a long post short I decided long ago that the HBO show is just set in the same world with the same characters and what happens to them is completely not related to the books.

I started reading the books somewhere around when book 4 or 5 was published (11 was just published) so I got a great big bite of Sookie and her world and I had great long talks with friends about what was going on and who she should end up with and all the twists and turns.  Sookie is a great character, or more to say, she is a great person (in my opinion) because she is strong, sweet, loyal, feisty, fairly unflappable, and seems genuine overall.  She actually isn’t all that awesome a character because so often things just happen to her and I like a character that is more dominant and go-getting but the stories all move at a good pace so no real issue there.  Anyway, I think HBO actually did a great job casting and I have no issue with how HBO Sookie act in any given situation because I think that if book Sookie was in that situation she would do the same thing.  For this HBO gets 5 stars.

 

I knew things would HAVE to be different in the HBO series simply because they are all post Katrina and Katrina is a big factor in the timeline of the books because it causes a lot of actions.  HBO could not pretend New Orleans didn’t get a major shake up until season 3 (or so) so they had to translate everything into a post Katrina world to start and they lost that plot point.

 

I loved what HBO did in season one and I adored Lafayette.  I was  upset knowing that he was the main victim for season two and when HBO choose to kill off a different person the world of Lafayett opened up but it shut doors on other things.  The books use the position of chef as a place for lots of new characters to come in and out of the story but with Lafayett the position was filled….  HBO had to work around that and then I think they just gave up even following the story at all but they did keep all the personalities of the characters with only slight changes (most I like).

 

I think we are in HBO season 5 now but as I mentioned the other day I watched most of the HBO seasons in the 3 years between book 10 and 11.  My brain has apparently put HBO Sookie story as the ‘right’ one because  all through the book I had to remind myself that no, Bill isn’t king, Alceede is not a biker guy, Tara* is white and married and has twins and runs a clothing store, etc etc etc*.  I enjoyed the book but not as much as the first few and I’m not sure if it is because she was just wrapping things up or I got too used to the dynamics HBO has put in my head.  The book just felt short and slightly underwhelming.  I’m glad to know how things finished and I think she did right by Book Sookie and gave her a good happy ending but it was not enough book for what I paid.

 

There was an article that said that the author is as surprised as anyone about the plots of the series.  I almost wish that she just sold the idea/world to them and that they picked new names but then I’m sure it would not have been as popular to start.  Now it is like simultaneous alternative universes – Book Sookie has one path HBO Sookie a  different one but with the same character in both making consistant choices.  I wonder how HBO will wrap things up (someday) because they really are so far off the book plot that there is almost zero chance they can wrap it back to match.  I guess Sookie fans disappointed with who she ends up with in the book have a good chance at being happy with the HBO solution whatever it might be

* Tara * this could be a whole different discussion.  HBO re-created Tara and I like what they did, but, I wish they named her something else because HBO Tara is the only one that has almost no relation to book Tara in my opinion.  Every other character that exists in both places feels right except for her but that is another discussion and since this isn’t a trueblood fan site I’ll save that for my friends who also read and watched both.

it is now very late and I should go to bed – have a great Friday and long weekend if You don’t pop in here until your back at work tuesday.

Yeah Today!

There was a thing that was very big and hairy that worked out well today. I was fairly confidant that it would be ok but there was the underlying fear that it would go the other way and that would have been a big change. So that was good

 

Next I got a sign up for Melaleuca! woo hoo! It really is a good company and the products are so easy to fall in love with but I’m just not great at getting people to take a look at it. Today I had a win – to celebrate I got a nice big latte.

 

Last but not least a dear friend of mine had a baby girl and I love the name they picked. This is her news overall so no more from me but it just made a good day even better.

 

Aside from those big good things, yesterday my sister’s house and family was not flattened by the tornado in Oklahoma (nor the one on Sunday) and today I had a very good workout and Fiona is taking a nice nap so I can blog and read my book (and maybe clean). I also got one step closer to my pet art project – getting empty windows on main street filled with art – the chamber of commerce is now behind the idea, there are no rules against it and now we are getting business to agree and if they agree it is game time with artists. This would be a very cool thing to get done.

 

Speaking of books…. I just finished the last Sookie Stackhouse book after not reading any since the last one published when Zoe was born (3 years ago) and having watched the majority of the HBO True Blood between then and now. Boy those are only loosely related concepts. I’m thinking about the comparisons so there may be a post in the future on that – future post also on my art and window project.

 

What good things happened for you all today?

Edited to add: my BiL appears to have had a positive change. That counts as very good too

 

 

 

 

 

Zoe Party!

Zoe is now well and truly 3 with her third party in the past this morning she asked when it is her birthday again.  I think she likes birthdays!  Her friend party went well with 2 of her friends from school plus one of the friends older sister (who they know well) and Niamh’s boy BF Jeremy who was there because his dad was taking pictures, and, he loves cake.  We are hitting our stride with party planning now with pre scooped ice cream and a good recipe for wine punch (grown ups only).  The only picture I super wanted Jon to get was the candle blowing one and Zoe gave him a ton of opportunity because she just could not get the candle out so there were many many tries and he did get this great one

His favorite is low lighting candid so lucky for me this was just perfect for him.

We had some heavy rain during the party but everyone was gone before the real storm hit.

It was actually sunny and we all went out for a bike ride – Zoe is getting good at it now even

from her first ride 2 weeks ago

- she was in the lead with me when ominous clouds blew in.  She was yelling “a storm is coming!” to alert the neighbors and we made it around the last quarter of our block just in time.  Lars and Niamh and Fiona were not so lucky…. Niamh has developed a phobia in her biking of a certain bump in our road so she was much slower this round and they were all drenched by the time they got to the house 60 seconds later.  Just then BAM power out!  We heard the transformer blow and called it in and they gave us a cheerful 1 hour lie estimate but most of the town still had power so I knew it would not be too bad.  We fed the baby and gathered flashlights and since it was quarter to 6 we went to go get Mexican food.  Zoe was not in the best form but that is what happens to over excited 3 year olds.  She didn’t pitch a fit, just mostly hid under the table.  The waiter brought the birthday sombrero and she was very pleased with that but we took her birthday treat to go (I ate it!) changed her into PJ’s in their bathroom and brushed teeth and she was asleep before we got out of the parking lot.

Niamh took the blackout well because the kindle was still fully charged.  I think this is the first blackout in her memory…  Lars and I watched a movie on my fully charged laptop and by morning the lights were back.

Yesterday was a weekend recovery day and today we are on the mill again with library etc.

Totally different writing

Today I’m cleaning my house to what I like to call ‘birthday party clean’.  This party is for people I don’t know at all so I need to make some sort of a good first impression, although, I don’t want to set unreasonable future expectations….  humm….  On the bright side I have not slid into complete bedlam since the last party, we had our babysitter who also cleans come on Thursday (we went to see StarTreck, it was good and it is always nice to get out) and she attacked the kitchen.  I have a cleaning friend coming to help today too so I think I’ll be in decent shape.

Since cleaning for yet another birthday is not all that exciting feel free to go see what I’ve been ghost writing over at boca.  I’m fairly pleased with the posts and I am getting some good early training for when I’m over 65.  I joke that I start nearly all my articles with ‘Dear Grandy’ or ‘Dear Mom’ because I feel like I’m writing for them.

Back to the mopping and the cleaning.  Hope you all have great weekends and I’ll be putting  up friend party pictures tomorrow hopefully.

Zoe age 3

This is a long one all about my Zoe – your Zoe, or your 3 year old will be different I’m sure but I like to write down what ‘is’ right now.

Dear Zoe

This week you turned 3 and you totally understand the birthday thing.  You knew there was cake and candles, and gifts and friends and a party.  I think having Niamh’s birthday just a few weeks ago cemented ‘birthday’ in your mind.  When you blew out your candles Aunt Josie (via face time) asked what you wished for, you replied “I wish I was eating cake!”.  Niamh told you that your wish would come true and it did in about 5 seconds.  Since it was just the 5 of us we didn’t get a picture of this candling blowing but for your friend birthday this weekend we will get one.

You are VERY well spoken.  I have no idea if you have cognition to match your vocabulary but you shock and amaze people all the time by how well you talk and the topics you choose to talk about.  One of the best is when you exclaim ”Oh! I love your SHOES (or dress or whatever)” and completely mean it.  While your vocabulary is fabulous your diction is still cute and quirky.  You say the “T” sound for most Ks and instead a “F” for many T’s so Kathy is Taffy.  For the most part we know what you mean but occasionally we get a sentence that makes no sense to anyone but you.  You speak for Niamh half the time since she is so shy, you actually tell people she is shy, complete strangers or check out people or anyone get your mini speech that “my name is Zoe Z-O-E and this is my sister Niamh but she is shy and this is Fiona, she is a baby” .    It might seem odd to say but you actually don’t talk all the time, when Niamh is out of the house it is very quite.  You talk to your toys and have tons of long conversations but you don’t need to chatter all the time.  You are a lot like your dad like that, you might hum something or say a thing or two but you are fine just playing.

I don’t know if it is an age, you, or 2nd child thing but you are great at getting yourself dressed and do so with very little help the majority of the days.  You also have better taste about what goes together then other people in the family – long may that last.  The only think you have trouble with is turning things right side out and I’m not sure if you actually can’t or you just like me to do it.  I can tell you to ‘go get dressed’ and you do from undies to shoes and everything in between.   At just 3 you need a nap but you don’t want to take one.  If you are in the car around 12:30 you pass out and I can put you in your bed for a good 2 hour nap and you are nice and fresh.  Sometimes you pass out  around 5 and that stinks because if you sleep then you won’t sleep later and you are a grouchy grouch if you get woken up.  On the topic of bedtime you are NOT GOOD AT IT!!!  I suppose I should say I allow you to not be good at it but you will yourself to stay up way too late and some (many) nights there are tears over nothing and then you fall asleep.  We went through a phase earlier this year when we couldn’t even watch TV upstairs because you would scream non stop.  We watched youtube and netflix downstairs…  Anyway, we hope that you mellow on that topic this year.  You get a movie or a kindle or a bucket of cash if you just go to bed then go to sleep….

It is hard to say what you like as for toys.  You like everything!  You like play kitchen and little figures and ducks and puzzles and books and like a million things that you just randomly run across.  The other day you put a ton of  ducks in the mouth of the dragon costume that was laying out on the table – that is just one of dozens of cool ways you play.  One more I have to write about is how you put your babies to bed (ironic!).  You put all your dolls to bed by laying them face down (Fiona is a tummy sleeper – I know, SIDS, BUT she rolls!) so I go into your room and you have rows of toys face down and I can’t disturb them because they are sleeping.  The most recent was finding princess Peach ‘asleep’ in my socks in my dresser – how?  why? we don’t ask…  You also put toys in shoes, maybe you learned from the cat, but very often something will be in my shoe that is courtesy of Zoe.  It is great that you play so well, I love it, and when you get tired of it you always have a suggestion of what to do with me and i do my best to do it.  You also love to play with Niamh and you are ok 75% of the time being bossed around while playing with Niamh.  Recently you will play some with Fiona but mostly you just try and defend your stuff from her (good luck).

Over the past year there have been big changes like the addition of a sister, the addition of a mom at home, and the loss of 3 days a week at school.  I love that I get to see how you are all day and while sometimes your joy comes from torturing Niamh I have seen you develop tastes and attention span.  You now sit through all of story time and you can watch a full TV show.  You like to put things away and are pretty good at doing it without me asking.  Sometimes your definition of ‘away’ and mine are different but usually in a cute way.  Once you put all the blocks in color sorted piles and said that was ‘away’.  I’ll give your organized but not tidy on that one.

Obviously you are not a perfect child, there are plenty of tantrums but they are getting easier to head off or stop.  You like to get your way but who doesn’t.  Most of the time you listen, sometimes you do what I ask right away, sometime you do it on your own timeline.  You do not like to be rushed and you will cry if your yelled at when you don’t quite know why.  Sometimes you hit or throw but you are great at counting to 20 because that’s what you have to do in time out.  You like to help and are very intuitive about what needs to be done but that same intuition makes you great at picking on your sister.  You don’t know how much I see and I try to let you guys work it out but you are not blameless at all when your crying about something.

There are probably a million more words I could write to talk about you but when it comes down to it you are smart and kind and a great sharing girl and very fun when you are not very not fun.

Ps. you can also sorta ride a bike, you are 75% potty trained (nights are 50/50 days 100%), you eat ok and love yougart.  You still adore candy and can sniff it out anywhere and you also are still drawn to coffee.

Happy 3rd Birthday Zoe!

Typed lovingly with my thumbs