I Keep Missing LOST!!

Due to forces beyond my control, I have missed the last two episodes of LOST! It is very disheartening to this pregnant lady. :(

.

The first episode I missed because children had messed with TV wires. ABC was completely gone. Of course, we only realized this five minutes before LOST began. Hubby worked valiantly to remedy the problem, but to no avail. Wednesday we watched the episode online. Hubby says it is his favorite episode ever. That's because he's a sappy, lovey-dovey kind of guy. ;) He liked the love story between Richard and Isabella. Why is it that most relationships on LOST have tragic endings? The only relationship I can think of that has a happy ending is Rose and Bernard. Even then, Rose has terminal cancer. But at least they're okay on the Island.

.

The second episode I missed--last night's episode--was because I was in the hospital...labor and delivery section.

.

Now before you get ahead of yourself, look at the first paragraph...I am still a pregnant lady.

.

Yesterday evening, Hubby was home early, I had dinner ready early, we finished eating and got the dishes done early. With everything getting done early, I had time to run to the grocery store to buy the final items needed for my labor-hospital bag. What was missing from my bag? Snacks for my coach!!

.

Joe and Rose asked to tag along. I agreed. We are on spring break and my kiddos needed some snacks too. So we jumped into the truck and off we went to Albertson's.

.

We had a blast. We got some healthy snacks, some junky snacks, and a few Gatorade's to make sure Dad would stay hydrated while acting as my coach.

.

We bought our items, walked out to the truck, loaded up, and headed home.

.

As I was sitting at a RED LIGHT, talking to the kids about the special treat I had gotten for Dad (cashews, his favorite!), my truck was hit hard from behind. It was not great.

.

We were thrown forward and then pulled back by the seat belts (thank goodness for seat belts!). Heads and necks were hurt, kids were frightened, and I was shocked. The light was RED!

.

I don't want to get into details because it is long and makes me mad thinking about. The basics are that everyone is alright. Just bumps and soreness. I spent the night in the hospital to ensure that the baby was alright and that the placenta hadn't been damaged. The babe and all things utero are fine. My neck, however, is stiff and sore. Grrr.

.

Good things about the collision:

.

1. The guy who hit us stopped and took responsibility. He got out of his truck to make sure we were okay and tried to help.

.

2. The guy had insurance.

.

3. When the police came, the guy honestly told what happened...He didn't see us or the light due to the blinding Arizona sun. He received a ticket.

.

4. Witnesses stayed to tell what happened.

.

5. Neither my children nor myself received any large injuries.

.

6. We were in the truck. The guy was also driving a truck...a big work truck with a large grill in the front. If he'd hit us in the van, well...it would have been a lot worse. As it is, the truck's back bumper is dented.

.

7. I was far enough behind the stop line at the RED light that the hit only pushed my car into the cross-walk and not into the intersection where cars were going! Also, no one was in the cross-walk.

.

8. The police, ambulance, and firefighters got there quickly. They were kind to me and my children.

.

9. When I got home later, Miss Q ran up gave me a big hug and told me how worried she was about me. And then she said, "I just love you so much. I was scared for you." She LOVES me! She's never said that before. That was a very nice thing.

.

And that is it.

.

I would watch LOST now, however I promised my kids long ago that today was Fair Day. I may have many faults, but keeping promises is not one of them. So, off to the Fair we go.

.

Wish me Luck!

Forever Plaid

The official baby countdown today is 33 days until my due date and 12 days until I'm considered full-term. Yowser!

.
I have quite a few projects left that I wanted to complete before the new baby boy arrives. One project is cleaning out my laundry/sewing supply room. As I was going through one of the boxes, I uncovered order forms from September and I realized...I never wrote about the costume work I did for my town's production of Forever Plaid!

.
There were five men to costume. The Four Plaids and One accompanist. My costume responsibilities were:
.
* White Tuxedo Jackets with Shawls and 1 button: 4 Plaids
* Plaid Tuxedo Jackets: 4 Plaids
* Black Tuxedo Pants: 4 Plaids, 1 Accompanist
* White Tuxedo Shirts with Wings: 4 Plaids, 1 Accompanist
* Black Tails Tuxedo Jacket: 1 Accompanist
* Plaid Suspenders: 4 Plaids
* Black Suspenders: 1 Accompanist
* Plaid Cumberbunds: 4 Plaids
* Black Cumberbund: 1 Accompanist
* Plaid Bow Ties: 4 Plaids
* Black Bow Tie: 1 Accompanist
* Black Tuxedo Shoes: 4 Plaids, 1 Accompanist
* Plaid Tartan Sash: 4 Plaids
* Plaid Pocket Handkerchief Square: 4 Plaids

.
Did your jaw just drop? Mine did when I saw the list.
.

I thought I was part of a costuming team, like I had been for Into the Woods. We had three ladies working on costumes with myself being responsible for just three. This time, however, the costuming team was split into 1) Costumer (me) and 2) Props (not me). It makes sense since there were only five guys to costume, but still! I was a bit overwhelmed as I contemplated the time and energy this project would require. Did I mention the costuming occurred during my first trimester? The trimester where I was super dizzy, nauseous, and tired?

.

Fortunately for me, the producer had already arranged for her Mother to sew the Plaid Tuxedo Jackets. The dear director worried that I would be offended that I wouldn't be the one to make the Plaid Tuxedo Jackets. On the contrary, I was THRILLED! Hahaha! I've never sewn a Tuxedo Jacket before. Of course, I had never sewn any renaissance costumes either, but I did alright with those. It's a good thing that my own Dear Mother taught me how to read and follow a sewing pattern. But I was glad that I wouldn't have to sew those Plaid Jackets. Do you know how hard it is to work with plaids?? No?? Well, let me tell you...

.

Working with Plaids is one of the most difficult, hair-pulling things to do in this world. Seriously! You have to be so careful when you cut out the pattern pieces, taking into account where each seam line will be, how the material will fold and hang. Matching up plaid pieces perfectly could be an Olympic Sport. And I am not exaggerating in the slightest. It really is that difficult. I knew that I could do it, but I also knew that by the end my eyes would probably have fallen out of my head. I was happy to let someone else do that nasty job.

.
As for the other items, at first I was going to make the white tuxedo jackets, suspenders, cumberbunds, and bow ties. Luckily for me, before I had purchased the material or started sewing, I had stroke of brilliance...Check E-Bay! I am so, so glad that I did. I found a used tuxedo dealer in Florida. He was great to work with over the phone. He had a generous knowledge of tailoring and was familiar with the Forever Plaid costumes. The only draw back...he didn't write my order down correctly! Aargh! Fortunately, I had paid extra for two day delivery so I was able to sort out most of the problems. But even on the second order he sent me things that were incorrect. Sheesh!!! It's a good thing everything was so inexpensive. I offered to pay for the mistakes out of my own pocket. The producer told me not to worry. Her production company is just starting out. Their costumes at that point only consisted of things that were made for Into the Woods and Beauty and the Beast. She cheerfully told me she would just add the items to her costume stock for future productions.
.

Can I just tell you what a pleasure it is to work with people who are optimists! People who take what could have been a lemon situation and see it as lemonade instead! I love working with those kinds of people. :)

.

There were a a couple of changes to the original costume idea. Instead of black shoes, the Plaids wore white shoes. The white shoes were sent by mistake, but I loved how they looked! Instead of plaid suspenders, the guys wore white ones. That change was due to limited time and limited material.

.

You might be wondering where my time went if I just ordered everything from the tuxedo dealer. Well, I'll tell you. First, not every item was ordered. Some things I still had to make. Second, the items that were ordered were used. They had buttons missing, zippers that didn't work, were too big, etc. I had to do some major tailoring to get those outfits to fit and function. Third, I live in a small town with only one material store. The plaid material had to be ordered online. It took a while to get here and when it did, the plaid jackets had to be cut out first. Remember how I said it took a lot of time and energy to make sure all the pattern pieces will line up perfectly...waiting for the material to arrive and then waiting for the jackets to be cut out took up quite a bit of time. My plaid items were cut from the jacket leftovers.

.

And now, a list of all the things I did to costume those four Plaids and their accompanist:

1) Ordered a ton of stuff from the tuxedo dealer.

.

2) Tailor five white tuxedo shirts. This included shortening the sleeves on two shirts and replacing buttons (an easy, but time-consuming job!).

.

3) Tailor five white tuxedo jackets. Why five? I ordered an extra one. The jackets all had to be the same style, but the dealer didn't have the same style available in one guy's size. I ordered a smaller version to get the right lapel. Tailoring the jackets included swapping out the lapel (that was tricky work to make it look seamless and natural), removing one type of button, adding another type of button, reattaching the jacket lining in both the torso and sleeve portions, and cleaning up the jackets so they looked crisp and fresh.

.

4) Tailor five pairs of black tuxedo pants. This included replacing zippers, hemming pant legs, taking in one pair of pants, letting out another pair, and a lecture to all the men about wearing the "right type of underwear" when wearing tuxedo pants. And yes! I seriously did look five grown men in the eyes and tell them to be sure and wear supportive undies because tuxedo pants show everything.

.

5) Make four plaid bow ties. This was tough because my Simplicity pattern called for bow tie hardware, yet Simplicity doesn't sell that hardware anymore! Aargh! I only used Simplicity because I wanted to be sure I could get all the necessary pieces. I just used Velcro to hold the thing together in the back. How tacky! :(

.

6) Make four plaid cumberbunds. I ordered four white cumberbunds from the dealer because it was cheaper than buying the hardware! All I had to do was add a plaid panel to the front portion. They looked great!

.

7) Make four tartan sashes. Tartan means plaid. These were easy to make and didn't have to from the same plaid material as the other pieces. I used a plaid tablecloth, cut it into four long sections, and hemmed the two long sides, leaving the two short sides to fray beautifully. :)

.

8) Make four plaid pocket handkerchief squares. I just cut out four squares and hemmed on all sides. Easy, breezy.

.

9) Help make the plaid jackets. The producer's Mom works full-time and was making these jackets in between work and family obligations. Yikes! I went over one Saturday and spent the whole day just sewing with her. It was a blast! She was such a fun lady to spend time with. My job with her was all the hand sewing. She said that by the end of the work-day her eyes were shot, then having to look at those plaids...she just didn't have the eyesight or the patience to hand sew. Haha! So while she sat at the sewing machine, I made myself comfortable on her couch and stitched away. I also ironed and helped with whatever else she needed. It felt like being at home sewing with my Mom. It was a great feeling.

.

It seems like I did some other stuff too, I just can't remember right now. Oh well. I am going to stop typing now and let you enjoy pictures of the final product.

.

The Plaids getting ready to go on stage.

.

.

The Plaids performing Lady of Spain. .

.
Don't the Plaids look great in their white tuxedo jackets with the plaid bowties, cumberbunds, and pocket squares! The red rose boutonnieres just pop against the white. Very dapper! .
.
See how well that jacket fits! .
.
Close-up of another Plaid. Check out the lapels on that jacket! .

.
Do you see what I mean about a ton of props? .

.
A Plaid duet. .
.
The quartet performing. On this night they forgot to put in their pocket squares.

.

.

Wearing the tartan sash.

.
.
Performing in the plaid jackets. Don't they hang beautifully!

.

.

The venue was the garden area of a local restaurant. This production was a dinner theater. Such fun! It sold out both nights. The restaurant added a few tables to accommodate more people.

.

.

The Plaids looking fine after the show. Do you see how well the plaids match up? That is professional quality right there!

.

.

The cast and crew. This is the only picture I found of the accompanist. He looked quite nice in his black tuxedo tails sitting at the piano.

LOST with James

**LOST Spoilers Ahead...Proceed With Caution**

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I’ve decided that if I don’t type this up immediately following tonight’s episode, I won’t get it done at all. So here goes:

.

1) BSM Locke is a bad, bad guy. I know I’ve said that before, but with Lost, you just never know. Sometimes a character will seem bad, but turn out to be good…just misunderstood. The more we get into this season, the more we see of BSM’s choices, the more I’m convinced that he truly is evil.

.

For example, BSM Locke tells the Others who followed him that the “Black Smoke” killed the people at the temple. He completely fails to mention that he is the Black Smoke. Then, when the children get scared, he comforts them by telling them that he will take care of them. Really Locke?? REALLY??? Aren’t YOU the one that just killed everyone? Ey-yah!

.

Another example is when BSM Locke trying to explain to Kate why Claire is bent on killing her. BSM tells Kate that in order to help Claire move forward, he had to give her something to hate, so he told her that the Others had taken Aaron. Ummm… Why did Claire have to have something to hate? Why couldn’t you have just told her that Aaron was safe and sound off the Island? You could have told her that someday she might get off the Island too and then she could see Aaron again, they would be reunited. I think a bit of Hope would have been a better something to give than Hate. Don’t you?

.

We also got a bit more information about the BSM’s pre-Island life. He grew up with a crazy mom. Ummm. Okay. That seems like TMI right now, but I’m sure it will prove very important later on.

.

2) How great was it when James said “LeFleur” and in stormed the troops? I did NOT see that coming! I thought he would just sweet talk his way out, like the dear conman we have all come to know and love. But nope! He was telling the truth. The place was surrounded. Haha! That was such a great move! Good job LOST writers! And making Miles his partner was just a stroke of genius. They worked so well on the Island together, it makes sense that they would be partners in Sideways as well.

.

I appreciate that Miles has a strong character, that he stands up to James and expects complete honesty from his partner. I was worried he would be a patsy to James and just take whatever bull he dealt. Miles definitely did not. When James finally confessed his plan for killing Sawyer, Miles says absolutely he will talk him out of it. And I believe he will. That someway or another, Miles will make sure that his partner doesn’t end up a murderer. Of course, that conversation got cut short when Kate’s car slammed into James’ car.

.

3) I called it! Claire tried to kill Kate and BSM Locke stepped in to stop her. Poor crazy Claire. How weird was it when she later apologized to Kate and thanked her for taking care of Aaron? I kept expecting her to pull out a knife and finish Kate off. I’m still expecting it. I don’t think we’ve seen the end of that.

.

4) Hubby called that Zoey was with Whidmore. I told him he was way off. Oops. How did all those people get there? Only so many could have fit on the sub. Were they on the plane too? And what did happen to the pile of dead people? I’m thinking BSM killed them. What do you think?

.

5) Whidmore is a smart man. He’s worked for a long time to get to the Island. He even brought Pylons with him. Good job Charles! I’m hoping that he doesn’t buy in completely to the lines Sawyer is feeding. As for Sawyer, he is playing both sides. That could come back to bite him in the bum. Neither Whidmore nor BSM will be kind to him if they find out. At least with Whidmore, Sawyer would be able to duck and dodge and maybe make it out alive. But with BSM, well, there is no way to avoid that monster.

.

Does anyone want to take a guess as to what is in the locked room on the Sub? I am wracking my brain, but am coming up with so many crazy ideas I just don’t know which way to go. Any insight into that would be greatly appreciated.

.

6) Sawyer promised Jin that he would help him find Sun. I didn’t think that Jin would willingly go with Locke. Too bad he’s physically unable to get away. He’s still stuck in BSM’s gang. Sawyer and Jin were together for the last three years, as was Miles. Sawyer does seem loyal to those people that he chooses to be his friends. I’m betting that he keeps his promise to Jin.

.

I was a bit taken aback when Sawyer approached Kate at the fire. He said, “You and Me are getting off this Island.” I started wondering if he was going to bail on the other people he cared about like Hurley, Miles, Jin and Sun. We all know that he doesn’t care what happens to Jack, but I do think he might try to get the others off…maybe…

.

7) Charlotte was a fun character in this episode. During the date she called James on his bull. Always a good sign. Juliet would do that to him too. I miss Juliet. :( I thought they might actually work out, then the girl got all snoopy in James’ stuff. Sheesh. Don’t go through somebody’s private stuff! It doesn’t matter if you just slept with him, you’ve only known the man for a few hours and he is a very private man. I felt bad for her getting kicked out at three in the morning, but felt she deserved it after nosing around.

.

Then a day or so later, when James shows up on her doorstep to apologize…Hahaha! She lets him have it. Admit it, you would have totally caved and let him come in. Haha! But not Charlotte. She tears into him a bit and tells him he blew it. Whoa! No second chances with this gal.

.

8) How weird was it to see James watching “Little House on the Prairie”. Poor little orphan boy. He misses his mom and dad. As Papa Charles Ingalls explains to Laura that people aren’t gone when they’re dead, that they’re still with us in all our good memories, James seems to have a small epiphany. That moment appears to be the catalyst to James trying to make amends with Charlotte and Miles.

.

9) Seeing Charlotte made me think of Farady and wonder where he was. Then it dawned on me! If the Island had blown up in the 1970’s, some of the characters we know now would be dead.

.

First, remember last week’s episode…Ben’s Dad said maybe they should have stayed on the Island, that Ben’s life might have been better. (BTW it was nice to see Ben and his Dad have a caring relationship in Sideways last week.)

.

If Ben left when he was still young, he never got Whidmore kicked off the Island. When the Island blew up, Whidmore would have still been there, along with Faraday’s Mom and possibly a baby Faraday. So those three characters can be crossed off the Sideways storyline.

.

Now, Penny would still be alive. She was born off the Island to a different Momma. And Desmond would most likely still have met her, but instead of trying (and failing) to prove himself to Daddy Whidmore, he and Penny could have just lived happily. Hooray! At least one couple would have had a happy ending…assuming they still meet…I'm going to assume they did meet, because I really liked both Penny and Desmond's characters.

.

10) The promo for next week says that we will finally get Richard’s story. I am excited. I hope it’s a good one. I’ve been imagining his story for so long now. I can hardly wait to see what it really is. I’m also interested in seeing exactly what kind of touch Jacob gave him to make it so he never ages again.

.

.

.

Well, that's it for me. I am going to bed. In case you didn't see, I did end up writing about last week's episode. I posted that entry this morning.

.

On a pregnancy note, Joe is helping me with my countdown. I'm counting weeks, he's counting days. As of today I have "35 days left to Zero". That means only 14 days left until I'm considered full term. Wish me luck. Oh! And did I mention one of the names I'm considering is Jim... Of course, that consideration has nothing to do with Sawyer or Lost...nothing at all. ;)

LOST promo lied!

**LOST Spoilers Ahead...Proceed With Caution**

.

.

.

I figure I better get my thoughts typed out regarding last week’s episode before I watch tonight’s episode. I have really been having trouble finding time to just sit down and write. Most of my time in consumed with foster parenting. There are so many meetings, phone calls, paperwork, court dates, etc. involved with fostering. Oh well, enough of my excuses and on with my thoughts:

.

1) Benjamin Linus has a Doctorate in History. I can’t remember which specific area, but just having a doctorate…WOW! That is a lot of work, a lot of research. A doctorate carries with it a measure of prestige. I remember telling Hubby that when I earn my doctorate he’ll have to refer to me as Dr. Blue, as will everyone else I know. Haha! It’s such a huge accomplishment. I think anyone who has earned it ought to be referred by that title. If I have it when my kids get married, I told Hubby that I’m going to include my title on their wedding announcements:

.

Mr. & Dr. Blue are pleased to announce the marriage of…

.

Yet poor Ben doesn’t seem to have reaped any of the benefits that comes from having a doctorate.

.

Can you believe his principal?? I thought he was a jerk from the first encounter, but the more we learned about him the more I disliked him. I agree with Ben’s assessment that the principal doesn’t care about the students, he cares about the power. Isn’t that an interesting parallel to Island Ben. Island Ben stated that the loss of power would be worse than exile. Interesting.

.

I thought it was hilarious that when Dr. Linus was complaining about the principal John piped up and encouraged him to become the principal. Ben’s shocked face was priceless! Then John saying that he would follow Ben because he seemed to really care about the students, oh wow! That was just so close to the Island events. John followed Ben because he cared about the Island, and now in Sideways he will follow Ben because he cares about the students. Hahaha!!!

.

2) Both Sideways Ben and Island Ben have shown themselves compassionate and caring men. I know I just said that Island Ben made decisions that cost lives, but he truly believed that it was for the betterment of all and he seemed to regret each life lost.

.

Isn’t it great that both Ben’s lives are greatly impacted by Alex Rousseau? Ben only became the leader of the Others after he refused to kill baby Alex and in so doing ousted Charles Widmore. In Sideways he again would have become leader over a decision regarding Alex. I think he made the right decision both times. On the Island by not killing baby Alex and in Sideways by not throwing Alex’s future away for his own power play. Although, Ben did chose the Island over Alex in the end, thus costing Alex her life.

.

3) I think Ben was in awe of Ilana. First, after she described her relationship to Jacob, Ben seemed unable to look away from her. His face, in my opinion, clearly showed awe. Then at the end, as Ben is trying to run away and Ilana is tracking him down…WOW! That was a powerful scene! I absolutely loved how Ilana, after calmly listening to Ben’s excuses and hearing how he is going to join the BSM because he’s the only one who’ll have him, I loved, Loved, LOVED Ilana’s response. “I’ll have you.” She said it calmly, matter-of-factly, then turned and walked away, leaving Ben to make a choice, his face a mixture of surprise, awe, and disbelief. I’m glad that Ben chose to follow after Ilana. And did you notice the change in his demeanor once he felt wanted? All this time, he seems to have still been the little boy, trying to fit in, trying to make friends, and completely failing. Isn’t it interesting how that fact is completely true to life…a person who feels wanted will do anything and everything they can to help while a person who feels unwanted tends to make bad decisions and drift into a life of uselessness or crime.

.

Remember when Miles told Ben that Jacob hoped up until the end that he was wrong about Ben? It looks like Jacob’s final hope came true. Ben is going to be a good guy afterall. :)

.

Also, did everyone hear the promo for this last episode? It said that Ben would meet his demise. Sheesh! All episode I was thinking he was going to die. They kept throwing him in situations that seemed to spell the end, only to have him squeak by again. Don’t get me wrong. I am thrilled that Ben survived this episode. He is a great character. I just think it was chintzy for the promo to say that he would meet his demise which led to me fretting all week. Fretting is not good for a big, fat pregnant lady! Hubby thinks that maybe the promo was truthful afterall, if you look at it from the perspective that Ben says as the leader are over. Whatever. :P

.

4) Hurley, again, ROCKS! “Cheese Curds.” Hahahaha! Do you think he’s just a tad hungry? ;)

.

I also love that he asked Richard if he was a cyborg or a vampire. Fabulous!

.

5) Poor Richard. Jacob is dead, so he thinks all the plans are over and failed. Of course, we know that Jacob is still working his plans from the other side. I’m glad that Jack was able to show Richard a bit of hope.

.

How crazy was it when Jack lit the fuse? I know Jack said that he didn’t think the fuse would work, but did you see his face? When he closed his eyes, it seemed as though he was willing to accept whichever outcome, death or the fuse not working, with complete serenity. COMPLETE! His face was so peaceful. That was a bit freaky! I’m not sure where his character is going. He was so sure that Faraday’s plan would work. When it didn’t, he started doubting things again. Have you noticed that about Jack? He swings between complete self-confidence and utter insecurity in the face of defeat. At the end of the episode he was back on the self-confidence trail, believing that Jacob had a plan and that he, himself was important. That’s another funny thing about this show that parallels life…Jack is such a key figure to the whole Island. Many of the other survivors rely heavily on him, they trust his judgment and seek his advise and support. And yet, Jack often feels that he has no importance and is only hurting things, not helping. I’ve seen this same thing occur in the psyche of many people that I regard as leaders…Often they only see those things they’ve done wrong and fail to see all the good they have accomplished.

.

6) Miles is a great character. My favorite moments from this episode:

.

* Turning Ben’s words against him when describing Jacob’s final moments.

* Scoffing at Ben’s offer of $3.2 million then stating that there were two people who were buried alive with about $8 million in diamonds. Haha!

* The end scene of Miles counting his diamonds. Lovely! Miles has tried for so long to get money and now he has…without hurting anyone in the process. :)

.

7) Richard explained his longevity by stating that Jacob had touched him. Hmmm. Through the conversation he implied that since Jacob had touched him, he stayed young and couldn’t kill himself. It makes me wonder about the final candidates. They were all touched by Jacob. Will they stay at that age forever? Remember how self-destructive Jack was at the end of the three years? He did many things that could have ended his life, yet he remained safe. And John, he tried to kill himself, but it ended up being Ben who could finish the job….

.

It will be fun to see how this idea plays out. Also, does this mean that their bodies stay in the same condition forever? That will be interesting to see in regards to Hurley.

.

8) The end of this episode was HAPPY!! After so many cliffhangers and intense moments, it was a pure joy to watch the reactions of Sun, Frank, Ilana, and Miles as they saw Jack, Hurley, and Richard come onto the beach. They were all so happy to see each other, so glad to be back together. The relief and joy that was in their faces made my heart happy.

.

Then I saw Ben. He looked so little standing on the outside of the reunion. But then Jack caught his eye and smiled. And we all know that Hurley will be kind to him. The interesting thing will be to see the reunion conversation between Richard and Ben. Hmmm. Last time they saw each other was right after Ben murdered Jacob. But Ben seems so little and penitent. I hope everything works out for him…even though he has been a lying, manipulative, murdering, son of a gun. ;)

.

9) WHIDMORE IS COMING!!! AAAAAHHH!! When Jacob said a friend was coming to the Island, I thought it might be Charles, but there were so many other people that it could have been too. Desmond, Faraday’s Mom, a new character. I’m excited that it is Whidmore. He is such a strong and powerful character. We really haven’t seen too much of him. I am thrilled that he will be in this final season. And did you hear where they are headed to?? The OTHER island! The one where BSM said he and his followers were gathering. That little tidbit made me consider whether Whidmore was going to help BSM get off the Island, but I just don’t see that as a possibility… Here’s hoping I’m not proved wrong.

.

.

.

So that is it. My thoughts on last week’s phenomenal episode. That’s right. I called it phenomenal. There were so many great parts to it. It really was terrific!

.

My prediction is that tonight’s episode will focus on the other Island and BSM’s group. Things to look forward to if that is the case:

.

1) Kate and Claire’s reunion. Will Claire kill Kate outright? Or will BSM convince her that Kate will prove useful in getting Aaron back. Also, do you think Kate will rat Jack out as a helper in taking Aaron from the Island?

.

2) Kate and Sawyer’s reunion.

.

3) Jin and Claire’s reunion, now that Claire knows that Jin was telling the truth at first about Kate taking Aaron, then lying about it to save his hide. Something tells me that Claire will not be too happy about that.

.

4) Jin and BSM’s reunion. Jin did not choose BSM’s side, it was kind of forced on him. It will be interesting to see if he will try to escape, try to convince others not to follow BSM, or just go along with things until he has a better chance of escape.

LOST has an Epic Battle

**LOST Spoilers Ahead...Proceed With Caution**

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.

.

Again, I have to apologize for being so late with this post. The closer I get to my due date, the more busy my life seems to get.

.

This episode was Sayid-centric. I like Sayid's character, so that's fine by me.

.

1) Sayid and Nadia as in-laws. That was awkward to watch. I know that Sayid is from Iraq/Iran where the ten commandments are not in play, but I just couldn't help thinking: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. And especially not thy brother's wife!!" That was just weird. And what is with Sayid saying he's spent all these years trying to wash his hands and not deserving Nadia. Clearly Nadia would have chosen Sayid over Sayid's brother, but she didn't think Sayid returned her affections. How sad.

.

2) Sayid's brother is a jerk. The way he spoke to Sayid in the middle of the night..."I know what kind of man you are." Sheesh. Sayid has worked hard, it appears, to overcome his past transgressions. It is not kind to bring them back up and throw them in Sayid's face. Especially when you are only doing it because you want Sayid to take care of the bad consequences of choices YOU made. Come on people! Doesn't everyone know by now that the only place you should ever get a loan from is an Accredited Bank. Going to some Joe down the block is just asking for trouble.

.

3) The battle between Sayid and the Samurai was EPIC! I have been looking forward to that for the last couple of episodes. It was SO worth the wait. As much as I like Sayid, I was thrilled that the Samurai beat him. Sayid has really done some bad stuff and the Samurai seems like a good guy. I was happy he won. There were some really neat and intricate moves performed during that fight. Hoorah! I was also happy that he didn't kill Sayid. When I first saw the baseball, I was completely thrown. I didn't think that we had been told the significance of that baseball, but I felt like I DID know, like I had heard that story before. At commercial break, I realized where the baseball was from. Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Hahaha! I saw the baseball and flashed back to Captain Benjamin Sisko. He kept a baseball on his desk to remind him of Earth. That was a good show. Ben is one of my all-time favorite characters.

.

The Samurai's baseball, however, was to remind him of the son he almost lost. The story of Jacob offering to save his son's life if he would come to the Island was a bit intense. The whole time he was relaying it, I was watching Sayid, waiting for him to spring and stab the Samurai. I know he dropped the dagger when he walked in, but the guy is fast. He could easily have grabbed it and plunged it into the Samurai while the Samurai was distracted. I did NOT expect Sayid to grab him and throw him into the water. The Sacred Water!!! That took me completely by surprise. And then slashing the bespeckled-translating-helper-man. Whoa. That was just Evil.

.

Sayid has officially, 100% gone to the dark side of the force. :(

.

4) The Kate/Claire confrontation happened in this episode. Whoa! Emilie de Ravin rocked as Claire. She was such a sweet little thing in the first seasons. To see her 180 into the Claire of this season just shows what a great actress she is.

.

Did everyone see Claire's face change and morph during the confrontation? First, Claire is happy to see Kate. Then, when Kate declares she took Aaron, Claire's face goes from shocked and surprised to a homicidal glare that, frankly, freaked me out! How did Kate miss that glare??? Really, she is so self-absorbed and so convinced of her own superiority that she misses a lot.

.

I think I should note that I adore the actress playing Kate. Evangeline Lilly is doing a superb job bringing Kate to life. It is the character of Kate that I have issues with. She just plain bugs me sometimes! Haha. :)

.

Back to Claire. So the girl gives Kate a homicidal glare. Then Claire hears the BSM at work and her face changes to one of contentment...like she is sure that Kate is going to get her comeuppance soon. Freaky, I tell you. Absolutely Freaky! Especially when she announces that "He is coming." Run Kate!! Run!

.

At the end, when Claire, Kate, and Sayid emerge from the temple, did you notice the exchange between Claire and BSM? Claire and BSM look at each other, smiling. Then BSM notices Kate. His face changes to a kind of taken aback, wondering look. He looks back at Claire, who gives him a look that said (in my opinion) "Kill the Witch", then looked back to Kate with a look of strategic cunning. I think BSM is going to use Kate and get the most out of her that he can before he fulfills his bargain with Claire to rain retribution on the one who stole Aaron away. Kate will be a very useful tool for him. On BSM's side, she has a relationship with Sawyer. On Jacob's side, she could be used to manipulate Jack. Somehow, I see that as the more likely use of Kate...to manipulate Jack, because we all know how Jack can fly off the handle when someone he cares about is in trouble. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to Claire when they are finally reunited.

.

5) The Beach gang is back! Hooray! It was wonderful to see Sun, Ilana, Frank, and even Ben again. And how serendipitous that just as I was shouting at my TV for Miles to run, they come along to save him. Hooray!

.

Sun has missed Jin again. I'm afraid that they won't meet up until one is on their deathbed or dead. Cross your fingers they get off the Island together. When the show first started, their relationship was in shambles. But they have both grown to truly love and cherish each other. I hope they can have a long and happy life and that Jin can meet his daughter.

.

I feel reassured that the Beach gang will be safe as long as they have Ilana. She knows what she is doing and is confident in her actions. She is a great leader! And Frank. Man! I love his character. Haha! Of course, I just cursed him by saying that. Dang it. :(

.

6) Ben has returned. How weird was it when he tried to save Sayid? Telling him that there is still time, then Sayid turning with a freaky look on his face and replying "Not for me". That look Sayid had gave me chills. Sayid has definitely chosen his side. The odd thing is that Ben seems to still be scrambling, still trying to figure out which side best fits him before he makes a choice. He isn't evil, but he isn't exactly good either.

.

Did you hear the promo for next week? It said that Ben will meet his demise. Excuse me? I had to ask Hubby if I heard that correctly. Yep. I did. It seems that next week Ben will be dying. Wait to ruin the surprise dumb promo people. Of course, now I'll be waiting the whole episode for his death and jumping at every little thing. Oh well. It will be interesting to see how the LOST writers decide to end the phenomenal character that is Benjamin Linus. But I guess now is the time. They are killing everybody else off, might as well get rid of Ben too. :(

.

7) Back to Sayid in the Sideways timeline. I loved the confrontation between Sayid and Martin the Thug. Wasn't it funny to watch Martin cooking up eggs? Trying to act all nonchalant as a way to threaten Sayid? Haha! Maybe I have watched too many thug-like movies, but Martin's attempts at showing power and control over Sayid were completely obvious. Also obvious, that Martin and this minions would be dead soon. I mean, come on! This is Sayid we are talking about! Did anyone, for one second, question that Sayid would come out on top in that confrontation? Okay, I admit it. For one second I did. It was when Sayid dropped his head a bit with a look of resignation. I should have known that was just a ploy, but I am trying really hard not to read too much into this last season. I want to just enjoy the final season as it unfolds. And boy am I ever!!!

.

I also did not guess that it would be Jin in the freezer. "No English." Haha. Poor Jin. What happened to him? And where is Sun? That will be an interesting storyline to watch.

.

8) Sides have been chosen. BSM appears to have many more followers than Jacob. However, I foresee that many of his followers will jump ship as soon as they can do so safely. And I don't think BSM will see it coming. BSM seems so wrapped up in getting what he wants, he doesn't always notice the small intricacies of the people that surround him. Jacob, on the other hand, knows how each person works. That will be a great tool for him in defeating BSM. And don't bother telling me that BSM is going to win. I just refuse to believe that. So hush! ;)

.

The Sides as of this week are:

.

BSM Team: Sawyer, Sayid, Claire, Kate, Jin, and a bunch of others

.

Jacob Team: Jack, Hurley, Ilana

.

Undecided: Ben, Miles, Frank, Sun.

.

I think Miles, Frank, Sun and Jin will all choose Jacob as soon as they have that choice to make. Hopefully, Jin will stay alive long enough to make that choice. But I'm not sure since he is dealing with crazy Claire who now knows that when he first said Kate took Aaron, he was telling the truth and that he lied afterwards to save his skin. I really don't think Claire will react well to that knowledge...if she ever figures it out.

.

.

~~~~~~~~~~~

On a pregnancy note: I have six and a half weeks left until my due date. For the last two weeks I have been having the most vivid and intense dreams of my life. They are crazy weird! Like Alice in Wonderland weird.

.

After watching Lost on Tuesday, I had a dream that I was involved in the fight. Except we were fighting dodge ball style in a lagoon. In Shark and Minnows style, if your head was above water you could be knocked out, but if you kept your head under water you were safe. I was doing my best to knock out members of BSM's team. I got quite a few of them and would duck back under water before I could get tagged out. I know it sounds silly, but the dream was freaking intense!!! I woke up all in a panic! Hurley, Juliet (back from the dead and on our side), and Miles needed my help desperately. :S

.

Ey-yah! I can't wait for this pregnancy to be over. Hahaha!! Maybe my dreams will mellow out a bit once the babe is safely delivered. I also can hardly wait for the next episode. Only four days left. What do you think will happen next?