Lost Rewatch-House of the Rising Sun 1-4

Introduction:
Unlike most who are rewatching Lost from Season 1 to 5, I will not be providing episode recaps. I will also be posting from the perspective that we have all gotten "up to speed" so there are "spoilers" for those who havent watched this far.

I will be posting mostly about themes and things that just seem out of place.

House of the Rising Sun

This episode begins as many...with the scene of one of our Losties EYES...This time, its Sun's EYE.

We see a flashback to a party in which Jin is a waiter. He and Sun are sneaking around. Sun wants to run away to America, but Jin wants to speak with Suns father. He gives a WHITE flower to Sun.

On the island, Jin goes after Michael without provocation. Sayid places Jin in the handcuffs.

Jin does go to Suns father requesting her hand in marriage. He is asked to work for Mr Kwan's company.

While Kate, Jack, Locke and Charlie are at the caves getting water, 2 bodies are discovered. It is presumed that they have been dead about 40-50 years because of the deterioration of their clothing. One has BLACK stone, the other WHITE. Locke nicknames them Adam and Eve since one is male, one is female.

Kate and Jack collect water and Locke and Charlie stay behind at the caves. Locke recognizes Charlie from his band and asks Charlie how long since hes played his guitar...he responds by telling him 8 days. Charlie does not believe he will ever see his guitar again, but Locke tells him to have faith.

Michael called Sayid SHERRIFF

Sun talks to Michael and it is here that we learn she knows English. She explains about Jin being angry about wearing the watch and tells Michael she needs his help.

We learn that Sun was going to leave Jin by sneaking out of the airport. However when Jin shows her the WHITE flower, she goes to him.

Locke also wants Charlie to give up drugs...but it must be HIS CHOICE. He also tells Charlie to look up-and there is his guitar.

Michael returns the watch to Jin and frees him.

Charlie is seen playing his guitar and several Losties come to the caves, while those on the beach camp keep the fire going.

Lost Rewatch-White Rabbit 1-3

Introduction:
Unlike most who are rewatching Lost from Season 1 to 5, I will not be providing episode recaps. I will also be posting from the perspective that we have all gotten "up to speed" so there are "spoilers" for those who havent watched this far.

I will be posting mostly about themes and things that just seem out of place.


White Rabbit

I have rewatched this episode many times and for many reasons. There is alot going on here that when watching later episodes will make you go hmmm....

This episode opens with a view of a young Jack's EYE. His friend is getting beat up on the basketball court. He tries to help, but ends up getting a BLACK EYE instead.

We see a drowning Joanna, and Charlie says he "doesnt swim"...however, we later find out that he can and does. Boone is in the ocean attempting to save Joanna, but Jack ends up saving him--and thereby allows Joanna to drown.

We also find out that Joanna isnt supposed to be on the flight. Does this explain her sudden disappearance? At this point, it is beleived that there are 46 survivors left.

Jack sees his father in the water along the beach.

Claire and Kate are sorting clothes and both determine there its weird that they havent come across a hairbrush.

There is a shortage of fresh water. Jack, Hurley and Charlie determine that they cannot share this information with the rest of the survivors.

In Jacks flashback, Christian Shepard explains to Jack that he doesnt have what it takes to be a hero. He isnt supposed to save everyone.

Boone asks Jack who appointed him to be their savior.

It is at this time that Jack again sees his father-this time in the jungle wearing WHITE shoes. He chases after him.

It is found out that Jack was in Australia to bring his father back home. He and Christian have not spoken for two months.

Claire passes out from the heat and we find out that the water is missing.

Locke, Sayid and Kate wonder where Jack has gone to...Locke says he KNOWS WHERE TO LOOK

When Jack catches up to his father in the jungle, he is wearing WHITE, and Christian is wearing a DARK suit. He is obviously startled when his father turns around and he falls down and almost falls off a cliff.

Sayid and Kate believe that Sawyer has taken the water. They follow him to his hiding place and Kate "jumps" Sawyer. Sawyer says, I MADE THIS BIRTHDAY WISH 4 YEARS AGO. He also states that there is a new SHERRIFF in town and hands the badge to Kate.

Locke is in the right place at the right time and saves Jack. Locke and Jack talk. He states that he has looked into the EYE of the island, and what he saw was beautiful.

A leader cant lead, until he knows where he is going. Is this current Locke?

Jack follows his father thru the jungle to a cave with fresh water. There are dolls and wreckage scattered about. How did the wreckage get into the caves? Jack sees his fathers casket, and upon opening it and finding it empty, destroys it.

We find out that Boone took the water. He tries to help Claire.
Jack returns and shares the news that he has found fresh water, then proceeds to give his "Live together, Die Alone" speech.

Jack tells Kate that his father died in Sydney.

Lost Rewatch-Walkabout 1-2

Introduction:
Unlike most who are rewatching Lost from Season 1 to 5, I will not be providing episode recaps. I will also be posting from the perspective that we have all gotten "up to speed" so there are "spoilers" for those who havent watched this far.

I will be posting mostly about themes and things that just seem out of place.


Walkabout

The episode opens with Lockes EYE. When Locke crashed on the island he could walk again.

VINCENT wakes everyone up. Boars are in the fuselage. Jack says they have to clear out the fuselage-burn it. Even if they bury the bodies, they wont stay buried long.

Sayid wants to triangulate the signal.
Locke opens a case....a case of knives.

In his flashback - TPS Reports! His boss is Randy.
Locke says that patience is the hallmark of a great leader. He plays a GAME at lunch. He planned a spiritual renewal (walkabout) It is his DESTINY.
Locke says "Dont tell me what I cant do". He calls "Helen" and has been speaking to her for 8 months. (89.95 hour)

Kate is climbing a tree attempting to assist Sayid with boosting the transceiver when the smoke monster makes an appearance. (Is it trying to stop them from communicating again?)

Locke "confronts" the smoke monster.

Jack sees his father and chases after him, but instead runs into Locke who has returned with a boar.

The Losties have a memorial service.
Charlie does drugs.

Locke tells Michael he didnt see the smoke monster.

Locke gets thrown off the walkabout because they found out he was wheelchair bound.
He smiles seeing the wheelchair burn.

Lost Rewatch-Tabula Rasa 1-1

Introduction:
Unlike most who are rewatching Lost from Season 1 to 5, I will not be providing episode recaps. I will also be posting from the perspective that we have all gotten "up to speed" so there are "spoilers" for those who havent watched this far.

I will be posting mostly about themes and things that just seem out of place.


Tabula Rasa

The MARSHALL says that Kate is wanted and dangerous.

Sayid recaps crash. Approx 6 hours in, 1000 miles off course - doesnt want anyone told so they lose hope.

Hurley finds Kates wanted pic.

Kates flashback is in Australia on a farm. She goes by Annie and befriends Ray Mullen. She keeps her money in the pantry and tries to sneak out. Ray Mullen turns her in. Kate will do anything to get away. She saved Ray and was caught by the MARSHALL. Ray turned her in for $23000.

Locke says a MIRACLE happened to him.

Michael says he will find Walts dog when it stops raining. And it stops raining as he says it!

Jack tells Kate he saw her mug shot. Everyone deserves a fresh start.

Sawyer tries to shoot to kill the MARSHALL - misses and Jack has to finish the job.

Locke makes a dog whistle-VINCENT runs back. Locke wakes Michael.

Jack and Kate talk about the past not mattering - 3 days ago-they all died.
Locke looks at VINCENT and Walt (eerie)

Lost Rewatch-Pilot Pt 2

Introduction:
Unlike most who are rewatching Lost from Season 1 to 5, I will not be providing episode recaps. I will also be posting from the perspective that we have all gotten "up to speed" so there are "spoilers" for those who havent watched this far.

I will be posting mostly about themes and things that just seem out of place.


Pilot - Pt 2

We begin with a flashback of Charlie on Oceanic 815. Charlie is agity and Cindy (stewardess) is looking at him. Charlie was in the tailsection but ran to the front of the plane. He goes into the bathroom to do drugs. When he comes out (plane has turbulence) he almost gets rammed by a cart.

Kate is wearing WHITE bra - BLACK underwear.

Locke is setting up a backgammon board (GAME). He explains that it is better than checkers and tells Walt "2 sides - one BLACK- one WHITE" He then asks Walt if he wants to know a secret.

While Kate, Shannon, Boone, Sayid, Sawyer and Charlie hike thru the woods to get a signal, Sawyer shoots a polar bear. (9 shots fired)

Sawyer is asked where he got the gun. He says off a MARSHALL- also took the badge - thought it was cool.

Kates flashback on the plane shows her in the cuffs with the marshall.

Jack is with the MARSHALL on the island. When he wakes up, he asks "Where is She?"

Kate, Shannon, Boone, Sayid, Sawyer and Charlie hear a transmission. Its in French. Its on a LOOP - and has been repeating for 16 yrs, 5 mos. The message says "The OTHERS are dead"

Charlie asks "Where are we?"

Lost Rewatch-Pilot Pt 1

Introduction:
Unlike most who are rewatching Lost from Season 1 to 5, I will not be providing episode recaps. I will also be posting from the perspective that we have all gotten "up to speed" so there are "spoilers" for those who havent watched this far.

I will be posting mostly about themes and things that just seem out of place.


Lost (Watch from the Beginning) Pilot Part 1

This episode opens with us seeing a close up on Jacks EYE. We see Jack in the jungle being greeted by VINCENT-Walt's labrador. As Jack gets his bearings, we see a WHITE tennis shoe (We now know that he placed these shoes on his father).

Jack assists many Losties on the beach. He then goes off by himself to attend to his own injuries.

Charlie, whom I beleive is a very important character, is almost killed by falling wreckage and later while going to locate the transceiver with Kate and Jack.

Where did Kate come from? She is also wearing a WHITE shirt. Kate is rubbing her wrists, which we know that she was in handcuffs on the plane. Jack asks Kate to help him and shares his "Count to 5" story. Jack also tells Kate he has taken flying lessons but it wasnt for him.

Locke is seen by himself on the beach.

When the "monster" is heard in the jungle, Charlie is in BLACK with his hood up and Jack is in WHITE. Rose says that the monster sounds familiar.

During Jacks flashback, Cindy (stewardess) gives Jack extra liquor. Jack speaks with Rose.

Before Kate can go with Jack to locate the transceiver she takes hiking shoes off a dead body. Locke smiles at her - with an orange peel in his mouth.

Jack, Kate and Charlie locate the cockpit (VINCENT looks on). Pilot comes to - states radio went out, they were off course. It has been 16 hours since the crash. Jack also tells him 48 survived in the fuselage.

The Pilot locates the transceiver and almost takes it with him when looking out to investigate the noise...he places it on his seat as an afterthought. (Is the smoke monster trying to protect the island thinking he would kill the pilot and destroy any way to communicate?)

Kate counts to 5 - running from the smoke monster.
Kate asks Charlie...."Did you see it?"

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
Is this a loop?
Do they remember?

Review: Right on the Money by Pat Robertson

When I was offered the opportunity to review this book, the first thing I thought of was- Was this book going to preach to me about money? In short, that answer is no. As a matter of fact, you soon forget that this book is being written by a televangelist.

Right On the Money begins by explaining how our current financial crisis began. For those without a background in economics, Robertson explains this in terms most would understand.

Most of us need to get a grasp on our money but have not been educated on exactly how to do this. Within these pages are ways to set financial goals to help achieve what we hope and dream about. Most of this is simple yet effective planning and budgeting. Robertson lays out the foundation of building a budget, even for those who have never done it before.

Robertson then moves on to the subject of credit cards and debt, detailing how to pay down your debt. Robertson believes in paying off smaller balances first. This allows you to see positive results and makes you “feel good” about your efforts. He also advises against consolidating your balances to one account because of the psychology of paying on a huge balance. He also stresses that eliminating debt is a lifestyle issue. For those needed extra help in reducing their debt, he suggests contacting the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

Robertson details the importance of having a savings account, noting that many times this is your buffer during periods of financial hardship as well as part of your support system for when you are no longer working. It is estimated that approximately 3 months of living expenses should be saved for rough financial times. A common rule of thumb is to save 10% of every paycheck. He then goes on to describe the savings account options that banking institutions provide, including money-market accounts.

Robertson does not pull any punches when it comes to the “false security” many believe Social Security will provide. He points out that Social Security is in need of a financial overhaul as well.

It is at this point that we move onto the subject of investing. Robertson points out that you do not build wealth with savings alone, since there is no risk involved. There are no guarantees in investing, but you can build your nest egg at a greater pace. There are many various investment options but you must understand the risks involved before making the initial investments. Robertson explains stocks, dividends, bonds, mutual funds, options, futures, and gold in great detail. He goes into specifics of each type of investment in terms that are easy to understand.

I’m guessing that Robertson placed the subject of home ownership after his chapter on investing, since we do invest in our homes. I was surprised that Pat Robertson and I agree on the subject of home ownership-“Not everyone is meant to be a homeowner.” Home ownership requires a great deal of financial strength, due to many financial obligations (property taxes, insurance, homeowner association fees). This is not factoring in the actual upkeep of the property. Many times the financial pressure can cause strain in your personal relationships. Robertson stresses that your personal circumstances will determine if you are a homeowner or renter. We are then into specifics of different types of mortgages and how they are defined.

We are given specific instructions on how to purchase a home, including obtaining pre-approval. Once you have purchased your home, Robertson writes about prepaying your mortgage, which is paying more than required on your mortgage thereby paying off your home quicker.

At the mid-point of this book, we are introduced to retirement and retirement planning. We are given explanations for the different options on how to save for retirement. Robertson explains 401ks, IRA’s, asset allocation, and diversifying your investments across different types of assets in great detail. Robertson also goes into great detail into investing in foreign markets, explaining the different types of foreign investments and risks.
Robertson reminds us to “Be Prepared”. Bad things can happen at any time and the only way to protect ourselves and family is to carry insurance. Many of us regard insurance as spending money for a service we don’t expect to use. Insurance is the first thing used to protect your assets, (life, health, auto, home, etc) and we are given many reasons for each type of insurance policy as well as explanations. Robertson has many tips on purchasing insurance policies. He even goes as far as explaining annuities, which can be confusing.

Robertson wraps up this book by talking about families and businesses. While I disagree with Robertson about couples having separate bank accounts, I do see his point about each having their own investments. He dives into the generalizations of the 3 types of businesses-but you can see that he favors business to be a simple stock corporation. I was impressed with the positives regarding running a business as a corporation but found sole proprietorships and partnership information lacking as well as the complete absence of LLCs in the mix.

As an added bonus, this book contains a glossary in the back, that you can actually use as a “cheat sheet” as well as an Index that you can really use.

All in all, this book was an “easy” read for me. I thought Mr. Robertson effectively explained a lot of terms that have been thrown around because of the current economic turmoil and provided financial advice to everyone. Even though this book is geared towards “tough times”, there is information contained that we can all use at any time.

Obama and Notre Dame

This blog is my reply to the above referenced blog:

Gary

Im not sure if those tweets you were reading were mine, but I know I was vocal about the issue...so-heres my take (without going into the abortion issue).

Notre Dame is a Catholic Ivy League College. For MANY years, ND had a repuation of being very hardline on Catholic "issues", even going so far as to not hire non-Catholics (I am led to believe that this practice ended several decades ago OR when it had to do with their football program.)

In the past decade, ND has turned their back on the foundation upon which it was built.

For example, ND hosted the play "The Vagina Monologues". Now, by most standards-you will say-"Whats wrong with that?" Nothing if it was done in any other University. Notre Dame should have been held accountable by the Board of Trustees.

When it was announced that Barack Obama was invited-and subsequent drama that unfolded up to his visit-I must admit, that I was truly appalled. This has nothing to do with the fact that he is now our President. This has EVERYTHING to do with legislation that he supported and/or signed. Supporting abortion rights, embryonic stem-cell research, tax-payer funded abortions outside of the United States --and the list goes on.

I asked myself-How in the world can an Institute such as Notre Dame invite someone who is so opposed to principles within the Catholic faith? And then to give him an honorary degree? HELLO? Our President, Barack Obama was educated in an Ivy League college and obtained a law degree...What sense does it make to give him a "fake" degree?

I want you to know that I did listen to his speech to the graduating class. I was thoroughly disgusted by his remarks (and his garb that honors Mary) and felt as if I was watching one of Obama's election speeches. His remarks in no way were directed to Notre Dame graduates.

If class Valedectorians have to have their speeches approved, why wasnt his? 3/4 of his speech directly went against the teachings of the church.

Notre Dame has allowed blasphemous events to be held on campus and invites those who do not uphold our Catholic values for far too long...And THIS is why I am no longer a supporter of Notre Dame.

How has your past shaped you?

This weekend brought much news to me on a personal front. There are some happenings, well, happening that have me looking inward at who I am today.

As with pretty much everyone, I am not the person I was when I was a teenager. (Thank goodness for that) While I am not proud of some of the things done back in those days, I CAN be proud that I do NOT carry myself off the way I used to.

That said, life experience can change a person.
I know that every experience I have had, has a direct bearing on who I am today. Without those experiences, and the pain/happiness from those, I could not form the thoughts that have shaped who Ive become.


Furthermore, I have found it most healing to make amends with those Ive hurt in the past. I have been extremely lucky to have had that opportunity. For those that I may have hurt and havent had a chance to talk with, please send me a message~it is important to have peace and an explanation.