By popular demand, I have moved this recap to my blog. Okay, my thoughts on Thursday night's Scandal: 1. Olivia is really beginning to get on my nerves. Sixteen minutes in, she had already been extra and brand new about 7 times. Shonda needs to do some retooling of her character, because she's not even the reason I watch the show any more. 2. Do they really think B613 is going to show up as a line item on a budget ANYWHERE? C'mon man. Wasting all that paper and we are in a recession.. Holiday party, check, toner cartridges, check, assassins for the country, check. NAAAWWWW!!!!! 3. Run. Hide. Die. Daaaannnngggg! 4. So, Quinn has 2 crazy assassins jocking, huh? She lickin' faces, makin' dreams come true, leaving Huck all bent over and wanting. Even made dude break his lease. Girrrlllll........ 5. Last week: "Uh-uh Dimitri." This week: " Rockabye Baby Dimitri." 6. I'm pretty sure I'm sick of Olitz kissing and making out in front of the Oval Office windows. 7. So, nobody thought to at least vet 2 teenagers we've never seen because they live away from their parents and are in boarding school? Nobody checked their phones, looked at their Facebook pages or anything? Where are the Secret Service agents assigned to them? Tom needs to get up there and straighten it all out. 8. "Glass houses, Olivia." Wow. Face-cracked, Liv. You just got OWNED! 9. Daddy Pope is mesmerizing every time he comes on the screen. 10. For all her faults, Mellie does seem to be a caring mom. 11. Mama Pope! She even has Adnan scurried. 12. Jerry might be a sociopath. 13. Why don't these people ever sneak off to Camp David to get it on? All this woo-pitching in the White House is a bit much! Always getting caught with skirts up and pants down. Stop it! 14. Side note, when you watch it on a tablet, it says it will be shown with limited commercial interruptions. Yet every 6 minutes, the same 5 ads come on. Quit playing, ABC. 15. "You were on your knees with Uncle Andrew." That line alone is going to ensure years of talk therapy and meds. 16. "I am the Commander In Chief." I am Command. I am not your Bish!" Fitz, have sev-er-al seats, please sir. 17. How is Cyrus going to be all bum rushy? He ordered Jake to kill James. Cyrus, have a seat next to Fitz, please. But I will say that Jeff Perry won his Emmy with one word of dialogue in that scene. 18. And why do they have these heartfelt, Iago/Hamlet conversations in the Oval Office - WHICH IS SURVEILLED!!! 19. These people ain't tired of getting read up, down and sideways by Daddy Pope? First, YOU ARE A BOY. Now, YOU ARE ALONE! Come and kill me by yourself if you want to. Hmmph. Leave him alone and let him do his fake job. 20. And Jake, when you show up to kill him all alone, you might be surprised. You saddown too. 21. What do we pay you for?- Liv, you are the help. Why you acting all shocked now? 22. If I were Liv, my ardor for Fitz would have cooled after dealing with his crazy kids. Oh no, boo, ain't nobody got time for this. 22. Fitz got up out of his seat and let Olivia know she needed to have several seats as well. Scootch over Jake, make room on that sofa for your girl. 23. Fitz is gonna be real shame when he finds out why Mellie shut him down. But 10 years? And nobody thought about therapy? 24. This is why you never put your heart in a married man's hands. When it gets right down to it, you come waayy behind their wife and kids, even if that situation is not perfect. Liv, go pop some corn and a couple of corks. You got some thinking to do. 25. Kim Reliford Wannamaker - we both know that Adnan is going to have to die for that stunt she pulled with our boo. 26. Mothers are the same whether they are Georgia Ann Ashley Hicks or Maya Pope. Haven't we all heard, "Well, if that's the way you want to do that, I can't get in your way, you are a grown woman/man"? Passive-aggresiveness is a great guilting tool.

Prince on Arsenio Hall, though...

1. First, giving honor to God and to my line sis Donna Frazier, who hipped me to this fabulous hour of television. Carlos Prudhomme gets a shout as well for the text. 2. If Whoopi is the Queen of No Dambs Left To Give (note her EGOT and her crazy outfit from the Oscars), then Prince is definitely the King. He came out with a frizzy ‘fro, yellow, then white spandex catsuit, furry vest and KILLED IT!! 3. Inspiring quote #1: When talking about putting together his new music, he mentioned that “Since I’m no longer under contract, it just takes a little longer to put out quality music…I’m from the old school… in a singles-driven market, I prefer to make albums.” Takeaways – artists need to start learning how to handle their business in this show business game and own their stuff like Prince does. And stick to what works for you. Don’t chase trends. How many of us will still be talking about Chris Brown or Justin Bieber in 30 years. 4. Which brings me to this: Is “Purple Rain” actually 30 years old this year? DAAAAAAANNNNNNGGGGG! 5. Inspiring quote #2: When asked by Arsenio what he would be doing if he wasn't, well, PRINCE, he responded that when he was 19 years old and really broke that he looked in the phone book to see what kind of work he could get…and found nothing that he wanted to do. This made him determined to push harder and make his music work. That is just, badass. Work your dreams, people. 6. Which brings me to this: Arsenio was as giddy as a schoolgirl. But I can’t hate. I would have been disgusting too. 7. He went back to the old school with playing the B-sides. “She’s Always In My Hair.” If he would have busted out with “Horny Toad” I would have fallen slap out. 8. However, those people with the wack questions needed to have several seats. What is your favorite chore? Man, prince does not have dishpan hands. Ask him about his music, his hopes and dreams, when is he making another movie, when is he going back on tour. Really, does he watch infomercials? You get your chance to bow at the feet of a musical genius and THAT’S all you got? 9. There’s truly no way to top that. Arsenio can retire now. He got Prince for a whole hour. He can drop the mic and exit stage left. 10. There will never ever in a million years be another Prince. This is why I can’t listen to mainstream radio. Nobody can do what he does. He is an ARTIST. Not just an entertainer, not just a singer, not just a musician. This is what I love about music. Prince made me love music, and for that, I will always be a loyal fan. 11. I love how he always gives great new artists a chance. I’m a new Liv Warfield fan. 12. I am sticking to my policy of always BUYING (not downloading from Freegal or dubbing from the library) any Prince album unheard. And that says a lot, because I own “Come.” Yeah. What did you guys see that inspired you last night?

I'm FAMOUS! My brush with fame as a "Scandal" tweeter

I do not commit to very much television.  As a busy graduate student I just do not have time, although I am not above the occasional (okay, regular) viewing of the time suck that is Investigation Discovery as well as the Sunday marathon of "Snapped" (it's on in the background; I'm not really watching it...).  However, in terms of scripted, professionally acted television, I don't get to watch much...

Except the highly addictive and well-written show "Scandal" which airs on ABC.  I have become one of "those people" who thinks that the world wants to hear my voice on this, and as such I have become a fairly regular live tweeter on Thursday nights.  A couple of weeks ago, Shonda Rhimes, the creator and my writing idol, retweeted me and I thought that was the pinnacle.  That is until I got a tweet from one of the show's producers that they had used my tweet in their weekly recap that is on the ABC website.  OH. EM. GEE.  So of course I have to share:

Book Review - "Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls"

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book made me laugh out loud in the most unexpected places. David Sedaris can brighten any bad day with his droll, yet dead on wit. He is funny, ironic and twisted, just the way I like it! I listened to the audio book and he narrates it. I think it is far funnier than just reading it on a page.

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Book Review

Who Asked You? by Terry McMillan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another GREAT McMillan masterpiece. There is no writer out there who can do dialogue and a sense of place better than this queen of writing. She is only matched by Grisham in her ability to draw a character so well that you can actually see them as you read. This book is told in alternate points of view by the characters and advances in time. The different points of view is a great driver of the story. I have met all of theses characters in my life, and many of the readers will relate as well. This is not "Black" book, simply a great book that has Black and White characters.
It is evident that Ms. McMillan's writing has remained standard in its depth. Her voice is as fresh as it was with "Waiting to Exhale" 20+ years ago. I was sad to see the book end, and I am hungry for the next. Please don't make us wait so long, Terry!

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So, you think you want to go to graduate school.

I am in my next-to-last semester of graduate school. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I am looking at questions for comps. It is because of these things that I feel that I can be reflective about something I am frequently asked about. Sometimes it's in casual conversation. Sometimes it's whispered to me. Sometimes it's emailed to me. What's this question? I'm thinking about going to graduate school and I'm over 30. What should I think about? What do I need to know before I make this life change? Well, I will answer, for all of those who want to know, but are afraid to ask. 1. Graduate school is a commitment. It does not matter how you do it: online, face-to-face, part-time, full-time, a mixture. Even if you are just taking one class. You had to endure testing, applying and acceptance into a program. This is now a part of your life that you must acknowledge. 2. Don't casually go to graduate school thinking that it's a stopgap measure or you'll use the time to figure out what you "really want to do." What you're in grad school to study should be what you "really want to do." Which leads to my next tip. 3. If you really don't like the subject area you are studying, grad school will be a drag. I love libraries. I love everything about them. I hunger to learn more. I read about libraries even when school is out. I easily see myself doing this for the next 80 years or so. And it's a good thing, because THAT IS ALL I STUDY IN SCHOOL. When I was in law school, I did not feel this way about the law. So I know what I am talking about. 4. Your weekends are not your own. Especially if you are working while in graduate school. Prepare yourself and your family and significant other and friends for this. It is real. 5. Your brain will be stretched in different directions. I have found that having some life and work experience has helped me to look at class projects and assignments differently. I have also had to learn new ways to approach things. 6. Being on a college campus is fun, but please don't try to relive your undergraduate days. I am on the campus where I had some of the best times of my life, made lifelong friends, was a total sorority girl, and for the first time in my life, where I had some modicum of 'popularity.' However, the undergraduates on this campus are children to whom I could have given birth. It would be ridiculous for me to try to hang out with my young sorority sisters. My point here is, don't go to grad school to relive undergrad. 7. Start thinking about career and job-searching during the very first semester. I don't have the luxury of doing a 2-year residency after graduation or going to London to work at the Inn of Court library. I've got to get a job and I think about that every day. I am a real grown up with real responsibilities, and that is real for me all the time. 8. Know why you're going to graduate school. My graduate school experience has been AMAZING! I love my curriculum, professors and colleagues. I am having experiences that are imprinted on me personally and professionally for the rest of my life. It is great, and I am having fun. However, if I could have gone straight to working in a library without graduate school, I would have totally done it. I know why I'm here. Librarianship is a profession, and there is a professional rigor about learning the mindset and how to do it properly. Ask yourself exactly why you're going and then examine the answer. Your gut (and pocketbook) will tell you if it's a good thing. 9. You can expect to make a major shift in your finances. Even if you are still working at your same job, even if you have a scholarship. Books,supplies, fees, other little things that crop up are real. 10. If you are thoughtful and smart about your graduate school experience, it will change your life. I experience a joy I hadn't expected. I am in my groove, and I feel like I am using the gifts I have, rather than just doing something that fulfills me and serves people. This is a generation of people who make shifts in their lives all the time. If you know that this is the thing for you, just do it. You're worth it.

Revenge Wears Prada review

Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Let me begin by saying that I totally loved "The Devil Wears Prada." It was an enjoyable read and I liked the movie as well. I was looking forward to the sequel. What a waste of time. This book was awful. I gave Andy 148 pages to redeem herself and become a person that I wanted to root for. Sh'w whiny, ungrateful, selfish and completely unlikeable. I skipped ahead to the predictable, glib end and did not feel one inkling of empathy for Andy.

I would skip this one and just let the memory of the first one hold you.

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