I know I just love this show and love is blind, but holy Tunisian polar bears, this is the greatest show!

Summary: Jack and Kate help Daniel find the rest of his crew, finding out tidbits of information along the way, picking up gun-wielding Juliet and Sayid, speaking to Naomi’s spirit (!), and finding out the copter still works…
Meanwhile, Locke’s group treks across the island heading to Jacob’s cabin. They pick up Charlotte Lewis (CS LEWIS??) on the way and send Vincent back to Jack with her beacon. Ben gets a couple of beatings from Sawyer before admitting that the freighters are there for HIM!
In flashbacks, we get quick vignettes of who these freighter people are, and find out that Naomi was hired by Abbadon to get them on and off the island safely…but why are they there?

The questions and thoughts section will probably not be as filled out as it should be since I will DEFINITELY have to watch this one like 4 more times…

The new guys:
Daniel Faraday (Faraday cage?), physicist from Massachusetts, cried inexplicably when seeing the televised footage of 815 underwater.
Miles Straume, ghost whisperer from California. That’s right, he talks to dead people. He’s listening to radio reports that the bodies on 815 will not be recovered.
Charlotte Staples Lewis (Yep, that’s so a CS Lewis ref), an anthropologist who recovers a polar bear skeleton and Hydra collar from the sand in Tunisia! She reads the reports about 815 as often as she can. She says she’ll have to read it in every language before she believes it.
Frank Lapidus, the pilot who was supposed to fly 815. On television, shots of the pilot’s body are shown, and Frank knows the body is not his friend’s. He calls Oceanic to tell them…
Naomi and Matthew Abaddon: Abaddon hires Naomi to pull off a covert op on the island with these insanely inexperienced people…

Questions/Thoughts:

• What the hell is the connection with these people? Why and how were they dragged into this? And how do they all know about Ben? What is his importance to them? Clearly, Charlotte had knowledge of Dharma or…SOMETHING, since she was not utterly confused by the discovery of the polar bear in Tunisia.

• The picture of Ben…where was that taken? What is he doing? Has he been off the island more than we think he has? Or is it a “different” Ben?
• A frakkin’ ghost whisperer?? I would have NEVER thought that these were the people on that freighter. It feels good to know the writers are smarter than me.
• What exactly was the thing Miles had at Mrs. Gardeners house? Just a white noise machine so she couldn’t hear him? Probably. I’ll find out later…for now, that was just the coolest, weirdest thing… So, also, Miles is kind of scummy if he talks to ghosts just to steal their stashed stuff…
• Charlotte was wonderful. She was so honestly excited by everything. Not surprised, but just totally thrilled! And then she was so “oh shit” when Ben calls her out on all of it.
• Frank’s best line: “I got struck by lightning. I saw a cow.” HAHA Also, his voice is too similar to Locke’s.
• Locke admits to everyone that he got his orders from Walt. As Sawyer says, “Taller ghost Walt” HAHA
• When Locke says they are going to Jacob’s cabin, Hurley says it was back there. Locke has a delighted look that Hurley has seen it and Ben has a horrified look! Awesome! Hurley is special!
• Locke shows off his wound and in the best, most clever little bit of the night: “Went in one side and out the other. I’d probably be dead if I had a kidney there.” HA!
• Miles insists no one say his last name and when Sayid offers to call someone else Miles says “Oh, it CAN hurt” to call someone else…
• Ben shoots Charlotte! But she’s wearing a vest! How frakkin’ incompetent IS Locke??
• Why couldn’t Minkowski come to the phone when Miles called?
• Why did it matter that Juliet wasn’t on the plane? That she was a “native”? They really freaked out about that! Poor Juliet! I don’t want Jack to leave without her!
• Seeing Sayid in the cockpit of the helicopter made me realize mom really might be right: He’s swiping that plane…
• Locke: “What is the smoke monster?” Ben: “I don’t know.”
• Ben has a man on the boat! What? Who? How? Minkowski?

A million more things…no time! Gotta work!

Hey, they might actually make a movie! YAY!

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz.

• Why I read it: Cuz I read just about everything by DK.

• What I thought: It was OK. There were dogs and psycho exes and a couple named Amy and Brian, and yet I still didn’t think it was that great.

Chariots of the Gods by Erich Von Daniken.

• Why I read it: It’s a classic of the alternative/conspiracy theory set, a set to which I often belong.

• What I thought: I read the actual 1972 version, so I don’t know if there’s something out there that argues the author’s points a bit better or proves his theories wrong (since it is so very dated). He made several great points, several bad arguments, and wrote a few sentences of questionable syntax. Overall, I’m glad I read it, but I’d love to see a modern book that tears it apart or bolsters it point by point.

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.

• Why I read it: I am apparently drawn to Kurt Vonnegut!

• What I thought: I LOVED this book. Experimental, hilarious, great characters, lots of meta…

I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert.

• Why I read it: Duh, who wouldn’t?

• What I thought: I hope it’s not cheating to have actually LISTENED to this one. Read by, of course, Stephen Colbert and company, it was hilarious, especially the religion sections. I do regret that I didn’t get to see a lot of visual gags I’m sure was in the hardcover (it was changed for audio), but at the time I didn’t have time.

Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne Duprau.

• Why I read it: I read the first two in the series. And I have the irresistible urge to complete the series I start.

• What I thought: The message was very freethinky, which I loved, but the tie to the other books was tenuous and didn’t have the “other world” feel the other books had. It wasn’t exactly a big reveal that the main girl would be who she turned out to be. I would totally recommend this book completely outside of the series though. The message about crazy nutjobs and having pure faith in false prophets was a bit shocking for a juvenile book. Bahaha! Confuse those kids with opinions differing from their parents! This book will so be banned in places.

Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude by Stephen King, Amy Tan, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, and everybody else!

• Why I read it: I knew about this band thru the millions of Dave Barry books Brian pleasantly giggles me to sleep with.

• What I thought: The book details the inception and touring of the band and allows everybody to tell their part. It’s fun and totally for fangirls/boys of the members.

Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person’s Answer to Christian Fundamentalism by David Mills.

• Why I read it: I think you know.

• What I thought: Best one I’ve read yet. Beats the more popular Dawkins and Hitchens books easily. Excellent book.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

• Why I read it: So I could watch a movie with a serious Kal Penn.

• What I thought: As usual, the book was better. The only real complaint was both book and movie seemed a little choppy. I don’t have a problem with vignettes (Big Fish, the book). But they way the story was told should have been more inclusive of even more moments. Anyhoo, I liked it a lot.

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health by T. Colin Campbell (Author), Thomas M. Campbell II.

• Why I read it: I like reading books about food. Especially ones that scratch my back.

• What I thought: It was quite technical at first, which will totally turn some people off. It is pretty much written like a technical paper, but I used to write those all the time, so no biggie. When he gets to the good stuff, it’s amazing. I knew this stuff was true. I have stop eating cheese and ice cream dammit! It must STOP!

Six Tales of the Jazz Age and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

• Why I read it: Cuz Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are going to be in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

• What I thought: I really wasn’t a fan of The Great Gatsby. I don’t know why. Maybe I’d think different nowdays, since I quit enjoyed the book. Especially the short stories Benjamin Button, O Russet Witch, and Hot and Cold Blood. Oh, I liked em all!

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth by E.O. Wilson.

• Why I read it: A girl at work liked it and I’ve heard interesting things about E.O. Wilson.

• What I thought: Written as a letter to a pastor, Wilson appeals to the common benefits religion and science gain from aiming for the same goal: saving earth. He is open about the differences between the groups involved in this fight, but is encouraging and positive about overcoming them and focusing on the commonalities. I don’t know how effective something like this might be, but the woman who recommended it to me is a fundamentalist christian, so maybe his angle works!

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips.

• Why I read it: I glanced at it and the woman who covers books thought I wanted it.

• What I thought: Fun fluff read that took just a few short hours to cram in. The Greek gods are living in a trashed London house working day jobs, and they are barely holding on to their powers. Aphrodite and Apollo squabble and pull in the cleaning lady and her man, and Artemis sets on a journey to solve the power-loss issue along with getting her cleaning lady back. The conclusion was a bit lame, but overall the story was cute and funny.

Lost’s Buried Treasures by Lynnette Porter, David Lavery, Hilary Robson.

• Why I read it: Duh, LOST!

• What I thought: Doesn’t really matter. It was about LOST! YAY!

I did pretty good this month. Of course, January is a long month…

HOLY CRAP!!! This episode should have been called “WTF” because of all its surprises and questions.

Short summary: As Naomi’s boat pinpoints the losties’ location, the group splits into two factions after Desmond tells everyone Charlie’s last message. Jack’s group waits for the freighter people to drop in while Locke’s group heads for the Others’ barracks. In flashbacks, we see Hurley’s struggle after he escapes the Island. He sees visions of Charlie (They need you), gets himself arrested, and gets tossed back into the psych ward. A not-yet-despondent Jack visits Hurley, who tells him he’s sorry he went with Locke and “It wants us to come back.” And let’s not forget the little hints of “telling” about something…

As I said, HOLY CRAP. OK…Thoughts and questions time…

• Clearly this flash forward took place before the FF we got last year. So Jack was living with what happens for a while. I’m surprised by that.

• Also clearly, the Oceanic 6 have been bought off or bribed or threatened or something to keep a particular secret. Is it the fact that so many others survived? Was Matthew Abaddon really an Oceanic representative? Was he really real?
• How did someone else see Charlie? Was Charlie real (”I AM dead, but I also here” *SLAP*) or another Dave-type very real manifestation of Hurley’s inner self?
• Which makes me think: Maybe Hurley really WAS making his own luck when he won the money. If he is sort of Walt-ish, he would have the ability to manifest things by thinking it. And this could explain his ability to see (on and off) the cabin and whoever was inside (how freaky was that??).
• How awesome was Ben in this episode?? Every line, every look was spectacular.
• Let’s see: who went with whom? Locke got Hurley, Claire/Aaron, Sawyer, some random people. Jack got Kate, Sayid, Rose/Bernard, Sun/Jin, and even Desmond. I found the Desmond thing a bit confusing since he was the one who delivered the “Not Penny’s Boat” message. But maybe he figures getting off the island is more important than who gets him there. Or maybe he is in it to meet these people because they claimed to be looking for him. Obviously they know him and he would want to know what was up with that.
• The best lines: Locke “Everything I’ve done was for the best interest of all of us.” Jack “Are you INSANE??” And Ben “Jack, with your permission I’d like to go with John.”
• Ben said a confusing line that may have hinted at a theory I’ve been thinking of for awhile: Ben is like Desmond. He sees flashes of the future, hence he knows what people are supposed to do and what is coming. Problem is that he’s been off his game, probably due to the jealousy he feels toward Locke or maybe even before that. (Did he know the plane was coming at all?) The line was: “He didn’t kill her YET.” Was that just cuz he saw her crawl away, probably. But there’s that layered way that Michael Emerson says everything…
• The most important question: How does Hurley get off the island if he goes with LOCKE??
• And on the commercials, the guy that drops from the sky says rescuing them is not their primary objective, but in this ep they say they are there to rescue them…

And the biggest reveal of all came if you watched Eli Stone and have been playing the ARG. In the ARG, the Christiane I is searching the Sunda Trench for The Black Rock and in the Oceanic commercial we see that they instead find Flight 815 at the bottom of the friggin ocean, just like Naomi said!

I will have a million more comments and questions later, but for now I have finish working…damn.

I don’t know if I learned much more than before through the little popups at the bottom of the screen, but that’s mainly cuz I am obsessive and know everything about this show to begin with. I even noticed that periods of time went by where I didn’t even notice the popups, so seems the show was much more intriguing even the 4th time watching it than the new info was. There were a couple of good bits about Star Wars connections (charlie’s heroism/Return of the Jedi; Hurley’s attack of the van/Millennium Falcon).

I did think it was funny when they mentioned the credits starting and made room for them and several other little things (the shepherd must lead his flock). But I realize a lot of people probably found those things annoying. Those people are not true Lost Nerds.

I cannot WAIT for tonight! After watching the mobisode with Christian and Vincent in the moments before Jack wakes up on the Island…OMG I am so excited!!!

Lost lost lost lost lost lost…. I am totally spazzing in joy at the newest mobisode (Christian Shephard + Vincent!!!) combined with the fact that the ARG is ending and these guys are sooo gonna discover the plane wreckage and that lost is on tonight and tomorrow night!!!

It’s hard to get anything read during holiday time, so once again, only got a few in. But it’s going to get worse when Lost comes back on. I WILL be spending 24 hours a day thinking about, talking about, and researching, that special TV show that has melted my brain and replaced the missing parts with nano theories and numerical coincidences and family connections…all FICTIONAL. Who needs real life??

So anyhoo, here’s what I read in December…

1. 9/11 and American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out, Vol. 1, eds. David Ray Griffin and Peter Dale Scott. This book is a collection of essays by people who have the authority, education, and/or power to say something important about 9/11: what it was, how it happened, and how it affects the growth of the American Empire. Many excellent perspectives, especially if you don’t know a whole lot about the official story of 9/11 or what legislative and economic changes have occurred since that event.

2. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. A little outdated, being published in the late 90s, but still quite relevant to see what ol’ Carl had to say. The book was more or less a collection of essays put together in book form (with transitions) that discuss the past, present, and future of how science illuminates the dark corners of the world that humans tend to imagine are filled with demons, angels, and gods. Carl Sagan is generally very diplomatic and careful in this book to not offend the religious. But the point is simple: those things we have always attributed to gods are growing fewer in number as science steps forward and explains the whys and hows. And those explanations are just as beautiful and miraculous, if not more so, than magic or religion.
3. The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. Yes I laughed my ass off that “Michael Scott” wrote this book. A good start to a new series about current adventures with a pair of twins who meet up and fight magical bad guys with Nicholas Flamel, who is a real guy from the past, but in the book discovered the secret of immortality. He and his wife are now hundreds of years old and are helping the twins fulfill a prophecy. As I read this book, I kept replaying some of the stuff in Carl Sagan’s book about how now days too much attention is given to astrology and stories about sorcery. That we raise our children on stories about magic instead of stories about science. In fact, more often than not, the bad guy is the scientist. What’s more, what appears to be science, often is just magic disguised (Nicholas Flamel, the ALCHEMIST…). Seems like science until they have to add flimflam or voodoo in an attempt to cross boundaries that can’t be crossed in science. Meaning, unreality. Still, I liked it and will probably try to read the next one.
4. Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads by Joel Best. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but I read it cuz it was short. Too specific to academic fads, too general once inside that category. Basically like someone put hard covers on their doctoral thesis.
5. Tell No One by Harlan Coban. Heard Harlan Coban is the next big thing. He has several books, but people are really just now reading them. Heard from several people that this one is one of his best and to start here. It was ok. I don’t know, it just didn’t live up to the hype. It was pretty good, and I could definitely see it as a movie or something, until the umpteenth twist at the end. That last twist really seemed contrived and I felt like the behavior of the main character would not have been quite what it was had this contrived ending been true. Meh. Oh well. Still a good fluff read.
6. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein. READ THIS BOOK. LISTEN TO THIS BOOK. KNOW ABOUT THIS BOOK. Easily the best book I’ve read about economics and politics ever. Of course, I’ve not read that many. Also the most important book I’ve read about American empire (without ever saying it) since The Sorrows of Empire by Chalmers Johnson. I will be buying this book.

Heard a few days ago that The 4400 is officially canceled, along with The Dead Zone. I really had little problem with 4400 the last season, and felt like it did end quite well, but I really really wanted to see more. I want to see what happens to the WORLD as a result of the spread of these powers. I want to see beyond Seattle. I want to see what Jordan’s ultimate goal, and the goal of the good futures and bad futures was. And we never really got resolution with Shawn’s cigar dream and Isabelle/Richard and what the “catastrophe” was. Of course I will always cherish the final moments when Marco appears at Jordan’s from just thinking about it…. But I really really hope they get together for a final movie or something. Come on. Do it!

I didn’t get a whole lot read in November, plus I forgot to write a couple of these down, so who knows if this is actually all!
An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker. Interesting stuff that of course I’ll never remember!
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker. This one I’ve now purchased because I really think I’ll want to go back to it a lot. It gave me new perspectives on several things. Plus, there’s a chapter on cursing. Which I like.
Snowball Earth: The Story of a Maverick Scientist and His Theory of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life As We Know It by Gabrielle Walker. By the same author as Ocean of Air. Didn’t intend on reading it but Lynn ILL’d it for himself, so I partook. It was short, sweet, and neat. Another one that I won’t remember a lot about later, but cool at the time.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. An experimental book that I couldn’t decide on… Is it ingenious and terrifying or just a vehicle for the author to publish his own pointless rantings? I can see why this book has a cult following either way. I think if this had been out before I saw Blair Witch Project and read The Third Policeman, I might have thought more of it. But after those, the basis for creativity here was lessened. This author is the brother of the artist Poe, by the way. She has an album that is apparently sort of a parallel to this book.
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. Obviously I had to read this before I saw the movie. It was short and sweet and I can see how it will make a very excellent movie (apparently it has been done several times already). There were layers of racism and sexism…which was kind of awkward and funny in a way…it really showed the times in which it was written. It really could have been twice as long and not been a bore.
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I loved the movie and forgot about the book, which was totally just as romantic and magical and wonderful as the movie. Swooooon!

Frak!

Tension, anyone?