Here we come
Right back where we started from
California here we come
California, California here we come
-- Phantom Planet


I typically don’t rant too much about TV on my blog. Well, ok, I do rant about TV, but not really specifically. But today I must take the time out to hit you with a few thoughts on The OC.

First of all, am I the only one that rocks out to the theme song each week? Love it! And I also love how they make a point of showing Ryan with his little shoulder bag every week. I love the way he goes from picking it up to wearing it with one swift move – it’s from bag on table to bag over the shoulder in a nanosecond.

So this week finds Seth in a slump over faux punk purple streak headed Alex. Ok, Seth – you could so do better than some high school drop out that works at a bar and is a tramp, no less. Move to Birmingham – here you will find lots of nice, intelligent, well read, well spoken, good ole Southern girls that will make you forget about your butch ex. At least instead of beating a proverbial dead horse, Seth finds solace in drawing comics with Zach and Ryan’s encouragement…

Zach – you are very cute and you know you are very cute, but please get a hair cut; you’re beginning to look like a girl…

Lindsay sure went from OMG –you’re my dad, you dirty rotten man that bailed on me for 16 years – to oh, he’s my dad, so what if he’s a criminal, so what if he abandoned me, I should give him a chance! And this attitude is ok because Kirsten somehow still puts up with Caleb – even after marrying the Queen B of them all – Julie Cooper.

Speaking of Julie – while she’s in Europe, the stage is set for Marissa to get her drink (and apparently freak) on. A couple of things – how about replacing that flask with a sandwich every once and awhile? You look like you are going to snap in two at any moment… So now Alex and Marissa are best friends? What happened to Summer and Marissa – BFF forever? Ok, if one of my friends just didn’t show up for school ALL WEEK, I think I would have called to check on them. Hello? Where was the phone call from Summer saying: “Coop? Where have you been? Zach is freaking me out because he’s all with Cohen working on some comic book thing and it freaks me out that they hang out so much! I mean, Coop, I need you to help me figure this out! Put down your Orange County Ice Tea* and get over here…” Maybe Summer got pissed last week when Marissa got trashed at the club. In fact, I bet that’s what happened – I mean, did you notice that Summer just VANISHED from the club? I mean, girl is tripping – just left her BFF and Lindsay (aka Lindsbree – cross between Lindsay and Bree from Desperate Housewives) – and wandered into the diner for a milkshake. Do these kids have amnesia? Did she forget her pals were some other place entirely and that they went to aforementioned place together?

Continuity is getting to be a bit of a problemo on this show. Doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of it at all, but I’m just starting to notice more and more. Josh Schwartz, if you are reading this – I am available to move to LA or The OC or wherever to handle this role, I assure you – I can get it done like a champ! And no worries, Rachel Bilson, I know you are with Seth, I mean, Adam Brody in real life – I will honorably bow out. Ryan, I mean, Ben McKenzie, you are available still, right?

How is it that after the dinner with daddy debacle (referred to henceforth as DDD) that Ryan and Lindsay ended up in his driveway in her car? Ryan arrived to the DDD late and was all like, “I’m sorry I’m late, traffic you know.” This means he came on his own – not with Lindsbree, so why did he leave his $50,000 car at the restaurant so she could drive him home in her piece of crap? Oh, that’s right – that was a plot device! So they could have that chat in the car about their collective daddy issues. And you could so see the DDD coming a mile away – just as soon as Ryan walked into Caleb’s office, you knew what the result would be.

I’m not going to trip on the Sandy, Kirsten, Law Prof, Missing Bad Ass Daughter (MBAD) drama. Here’s what I’ll tell you, I love Sandy, I love Sandy and Kirsten – do NOT break them up! They are the one stable thing on the show. What about Kirsten just out of the blue stepping to Sandy like, “You are still in love with Rebecca!!”???
WHAT? No he better not be! How much more can one family take?! And how obvious was it that the MBAD was going to show up with Prof at Sandy’s cool new beachfront law office? Of course she is! She’s here to stir up trouble! Maybe she’ll get in with Julie Cooper and help run that magazine or something and hang around just to cause Kirsten to plunge head first into alcoholism by way of wine. (Y’all see that coming, don’t you? Girl is drinking all the live long day!)

Anyway, Summer still loves Seth and we are well on the way to reconciliation! Or at least I think so – yea! But I hope we keep Zach, because he seems to be a normal, well adjusted 25 year old high school student. Let him stay on the show. Maybe he’ll date Alex next. And I miss Jimmy! Bring Jimmy back and let him actually be a daddy instead of another Daddy Debacle and ship Marissa’s drinking self destructive ass back to rehab. (but hopefully a different looney bin from Oliver’s looney bin).

*One of my most favorite lines all season:
Summer – ‘Coop! what is this???!!”
Marissa – “This is Orange County Ice Tea”
Summer – “This is 10 o’clock in the morning!”

What did y’all think? Hit me!

dabbs

I still want to have some fun
I want to leave you feeling restless
Show you how the west was won
But I gotta fly
-- Sheryl Crow

Dudes, y’all, I so want to post, but I just have had zero time! I will be better soon, I promise! In the meantime, here’s a fun quiz Grace sent me with my answers – feel free to jump in with yours!

dabbs

Three Names you go by:
Dabbs
D-Train
Ames

Three screen names you have had:
amydabbs
adabbs
amyd716


Three things you like about yourself:
Try to be others oriented
funny
giving

Three things you don't like about yourself:
Too quick to anger
Don't have a lot of patience and don't tolerate crap
Burn out a little too quickly

Three parts of your heritage:
Cherokee Indian
British
And I have no idea

Three things that scare you:
Tornados
Scary movies
Bad weather (just in general)

Three of your everyday essentials:
Watch
music
Cell phone

Three things you are wearing right now:
Silver watch
My badge (yes, we have to wear badges!)
Black shoes

Three of your favorite bands or Musical artists (at the moment):
Maroon 5
Keith Urban
Gavin DeGraw

Three of your favorite songs (at the moment): And you know I can't pick just 3 -- Drop it like it's hot -- Snoop Dogg and Pharrell
Since You've Been Gone -- Kelly Clarkson
I don't want to be -- Gavin DeGraw
Mission Responsible -- Michael Tolcher
Sunday Morning -- Maroon 5
You'll Think of Me -- Keith Urban
Jeans On -- Keith Urban
Walk Away -- Kelly Clarkson
One Thing -- Finger Eleven
Make Me Lose My Breath -- Destiny's Child

Three new things you want to try in the next 12 months:
Guitar
Being a better person
Get a new and better attitude

Three things you want in a relationship:
love
trust
communication

Two truths and a lie:
I hosted the talent show at my high school -- in front of lots and lots of people
I used to sing solos, duets, trios, ensembles etc. all the time in church
I have an unusual fear of airplanes

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to you:
Smile
Shoulders
hands

Three things you just can't do:
Heights -- feet must always touch the ground
Lie -- I'm not saying I have never told a lie or never will again, but it's extremely hard for me to do.
Math!

Three of your favorite hobbies:
Big TV fan
Listen to, learn about new, read about music
Hopefully play guitar

Three things you want to do really badly right now:
Leave for the day
Finish up this damn spreadsheet I’ve been working on all the live long day!
Queue up another playlist on my media player

Three careers you're considering:
Advertising -- copywriting, specifically
Event planning (would love to do this as a fun side job)
Something communications/marketing/PR in a not for profit

Three places you want to go on vacation:
New York
Italy
Hawaii

Three kid's names:
Sydney
James Daniel
Marissa (and I loved this name long before The OC)

Three things you want to do before you die:
I'd like to have a family
Travel a hell of a lot
Accomplish something worthwhile

Three ways I am stereotypically a boy:
My stupid mouth
I freaking love sports and can assure you I probably know just as much or more about that college football game than any guy in the room
I can be messy

Three ways I am stereotypically a chick:
I love a good chick flick
It's my way or the highway or I just pitch a fit
I'm a big ole softie

hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
-- Buffalo Springfield

Why are you driving a Hummer around in suburbia? Is that necessary? How much does it cost you to put gas in that tank?

Why are you rude? Does it help you to get your order quicker by raising your voice to the boy working the window?

Why do you think you are better than someone else? Just because you drive aforementioned Hummer and live in a $350,000 home doesn’t mean you should cut in line.

Why is it necessary to add a token lesbian storyline to The OC? The show is just as smart and funny without trying to boost the ratings with a faux “shocking” storyline.

How great is Lost? And how great is Desperate Housewives? You go Terri Hatcher with your Golden Globe.

How glad am I that it is Friday?

-- Jason Mraz

I'm at a loss. I have meant to blog all week and have just had trouble finding the time and the words. Which is unusual, becasue if you know me, you know I hardly ever lack for words. And I've been short on time, too.

But I'll be back. Just in a funk. I hope all of you are doing good!

Amy

If I were someone else, would this all fall apart?
Strange, where were you when we started this gig?
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
-- Matchbox Twenty


The thing about vacations is it always sucks to have to come back to work. I dreaded it more over the past couple of days than I did this morning. I’m sure tomorrow (and the next day and the next day, etc.) will hurt more. Anyway, I had a very nice Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope everyone else did, too. It was great to see those of you that are far, far away – I miss you.

A couple of interesting things – there are 4 “Amy Dabbs” listed on whitepages.com. I’m not any of those. I find it quite bizarre for someone else in the US, or world for that matter, to have my same exact name. Kind of creeps me out. I don’t know why. I guess I feel my individuality is somehow comprised by the premise of another Amy Dabbs on the planet. Anyway, how many of you have Googled yourself? Come on, you know you have. Sidebar for you OC fans from Julie, “I Googled myself and crashed the whole network.” Anyway, if you haven’t, you should. Apparently Google loves an artist named Amy Dabbs.

For those that aren’t in this state at the moment, another interesting piece of info – it is hot. I’m serious. Before Christmas it was well below freezing and now the temperature is in the 70s. I remembered some movie I saw as a child where all the people in the south moved north because of the overbearing heat. I thought of this around 1 in the morning when I couldn’t get to sleep – partly because it was so hot and partly because I was wound up about coming back to work. Anyway, I had a whole ‘nother post idea ready and just decided to go this route and see what happened when I let my “fingers do the talking.” Hope all is well with y’all.

dabbs