browser life

I'm not sure which is more amusing, that they came up with so many I had forgotten about, or that they managed to fit them ALL in a four-minute video. Link courtesy of a post on Lost-Forum.com:

Unanswered Lost Questions

Have been wading through the thousands of posts on the Lost Forum about the finale, adding a few posts of my own here and there. This might sound weird, but I'm gonna miss the geeky theories and the idiosyncratic personalities on the site almost as much as the show. Namaste.

Someone on Lost-Forum.com posted this article from 2006. Definite foreshadowing of things to come, or, more accurately, NOT to come....

When Stephen King met the 'Lost' boys

Thing is, when Stephen King gets us to suspend our disbelief while reading one of his novels, most of the time, there is a payoff of some kind, and we don't regret following even the most outrageous premise. But with "LOST", they threw too much, um, stuff at the wall, and not enough stuck.

Too cute! Wonder how long it took to train the dog to eat from chopsticks?

I understand that several of you were bitterly disappointed in the finale. But I feel sorry for those of you who now say that your ENTIRE six year viewing experience was ruined because you didn't get what you wanted from the ending.

I was quite satisfied with the finale and gave it a 10. I am not a teenage girl, not a shipper, not a lowest common denominator. In fact, I am not common at all, and no amount of name calling is going convince me there was an error in my ways.

Here's my take on the alternate reality: It takes place in a church because Jack was expecting to attend his father's funeral there. If Kate had directed him to go somewhere he didn't recognize, he probably wouldn't have "remembered". If they had been waiting for a different character who wasn't the son of a man named Christian, perhaps the locale would have varied.

I liked the various religious symbols on the stained glass window. To me, that represented different paths to the same end. I didn't mind seeing everyone smiling because I think it would be cool to have a farewell party like that when we die.

The reason I was okay with the alternate reality was because it was timeless. In the previous seasons, we'd seen so many untimely deaths, longing for lost loves, jumping around in time. In the alternate reality, they are released from linear time and are open to some very wonderful possibilities. Who among us hasn't speculated how our lives might have differed if we had a re-do somewhere along the way? Some of them probably had very fulfilling lives.

It would have been nice to see Walt and Mr. Eko or to at least have it implied that they were there (I understand if they couldn't get the actual actors to appear). I guess Helen was missing from the gathering at the end because no one else from the island had ever met her in the real time line. Penny WAS there because the Oceanic Six met her and Charlie saw her from the Looking Glass station.

I noticed that Christian never used the word "purgatory", instead stating that this was a place they had created themselves (perhaps THIS was the end result of Juliet setting off the bomb?). It was never shown what was beyond the doors that opened. For all we know, they went into that light that was on the island, the good that is at the heart of humanity, the part of the island that is beautiful. Or their paths diverged beyond the doors, each according to their beliefs. Or maybe nothing happened at all because the reward of seeing each other again was enough.

As for the island time line, I found the cyclical ending with Jack poetic and Vincent lying next to him very moving. It was comforting that Vincent made sure that Jack wouldn't die alone. And Jack got to see the Ajira plane fly over so he knew that at least some of his friends made it off the island safely.

I had thought for a long time that Hurley would ultimately be Jacob's replacement because Jack would make some sort of sacrifice. I was surprised, though, that Ben agreed to be number two, a sign that he was FINALLY evolving as a human being. And I was quite relieved that Kate for once did not chase after Jack trying to rescue him when he didn't want to be rescued like she did so many times before, a sign that SHE was evolving too.

While I was satisfied with the outcome of the battle against Locke-in-Black, particularly that Kate shot him, it would have been cool if it had been longer and more involved. Thought it was weird that Desmond was wrong about what would happen to him but was glad he got back to his wife and kid. I was surprised that Richard got on the plane as everyone he had ever known had died 150 years ago.

Now, for those of you who have decided I am a blind worshipper of all that is "LOST", I am not. It was a TV show, and like all its characters, it was flawed. I seem to recall protesting bitterly about how truly awful "Stranger in a Strange Land" was.

While the show was not solely about the characters, the characters were EXTREMELY important. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been any flashbacks, flash-forwards or flash-sideways to reveal something about them. They would have just proceeded with the crazy island plot.

One of the ways they perpetuated the mysteries of the island was by having none of the characters ask any questions, or when they did, leave them unanswered. They kept secrets from each other, sometimes for no apparent reason, and there was a LOT of lying going on. The viewer was treated as one of the characters, left in the dark with only a hint at the truth. Why, then, were so many surprised that there was no giant reveal at the end? It was faithful to what had been going on since the beginning.

There is a lot of talk about the science of the show. If it had been truly scientific, we wouldn't have all the theorizing and arguing going on. This show required a MASSIVE suspension of disbelief because the sheer implausibility of the plot. Pushing a button to save the world, breeding polar bears to turn a wheel that takes them to Tunisia, setting up a fake plane crash at the bottom of the ocean, etc. etc. etc. But I willingly went along with these impossibilities because I enjoyed the heck out of seeing the Losties deal with them. I liked not knowing where things were going for the most part.

I do feel, though, that following the setting of the end date, the episodes started feeling rushed. If all six years had had the traditional number of episodes, there would have been time for more island background like perhaps the original inhabitants, the results of Dharma research such as mind control and the various stations, maybe a Widmore-centric. But the writers had bitten off more than they could chew, and it showed in the last three seasons.

But while "LOST" was definitely imperfect, it was still my fave TV show. There were moments so superb that I will always treasure them. I saw that the island was beautiful.

Got this funny in an e-mail from Pete. Originally from the "Bulletin Board" column in the St Paul (MN) Pioneer Press, 8/3/2009.


Jesus vs. Satan

Jesus and Satan were having an argument about who was better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and frankly God was tired of hearing all the bickering.

Finally fed up, God said, "THAT'S IT! I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job."

Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.

They moused.

They faxed.

They e-mailed.

They e-mailed with attachments.

They downloaded.

They did spreadsheets.

They wrote reports.

They created labels and cards.

They created charts and graphs.

They did some genealogy reports.

They did every job known to man.

Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency, and Satan was very fast.

Then, 10 minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of course, the power went off.

Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld.

Jesus just sighed.

Finally the electricity came back on, and they both restarted their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming: "It's gone! It's all GONE! I lost everything when the power went out!"

Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work.

Satan observed this and became irate. "Wait!" he screamed. "That's not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work and I don't have any?"

God just shrugged and said, "Jesus saves."

I had been joking online that the whole series was the dream of Vincent. Here's how it would have played out, heh heh....

More goodies from Jimmy Kimmel's "Aloha to LOST".

From Jimmy Kimmel's "Aloha to LOST"....

One hilarious final orientation video, courtesy of the Jimmy Kimmel show.

One last round of intense (and funny) "LOST" Q&A.

I got this from a Facebook friend. It mentions the first official death from M.E.

CFS/ME: The Walking Wounded

There are been several unofficial deaths from this malady, usually involving heart abnormalities that weren't present prior to onset of M.E. It is just as serious as any of the numerous ailments that get millions of dollars from the government for research and have large charitable organizations promoting awareness.

Hilarious bit about how Jacob from "LOST" influenced Jimmy Kimmel's life....

This time, Matthew Fox answers Jimmy Fallon's most pressing questions.

Going gluten-free can cause unwelcome nutritional deficiencies and other health problems. This article from Celiac.com gives tips on what adjustments to make.

Side Effects of a Gluten-Free Diet and How to Manage Them

The proliferation of processed gluten free foods is a double-edged sword. The convenience is a plus, especially to people like me who don't have the energy to cook, but like anything processed, they are nutritionally inferior. Due to my gastroparesis, I can't live off of raw foods, so I try to at least eat pasta, frozen foods, cereal and crackers made from whole grains like brown rice and buckwheat (which is not related to wheat at all despite the name). I take nutritional supplements to try to make up for the inadequate amount of fresh fruits and veggies in my diet. And I have eliminated all desserts except for homemade crustless pumpkin pie and one small square of extra dark chocolate per day.

This was the ad which was deemed inappropriate to air during "Dancing With the Stars". The female dancers show about the same amount of skin, so what's the problem? A beautiful woman is a beautiful woman, no matter what her size.

Came across this on my weekly hangout, Lost-Forum.com. NOTE: read this only if you have already see last Tuesday's episode. And it does contain hints but not true spoilers about the remaining storyline.

Exclusive interview: Lost producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse talk Across the Sea

Am nervous and excited about the way this whole adventure is going to wrap up. Nervous that more of my fave characters are going to die and excited that there is the potential for a really spectacular finish. And of course, underlying all that, there is the mourning of the demise of my fave TV show of all time.

Evangeline Lilly does a hilarious Q & A with Jimmy Fallon.

This are HILARIOUS signs, mostly from foreign countries whose native language is not English. Link courtesy of Valerie, a Facebook friend....

Strange Signs from Abroad

Check out all 177 of the signs; it is totally worth it. My fave sign is the one showing someone in a wheelchair plummeting downhill toward a crocodile with its mouth open! Sounds like a dare to me, heh heh.

Contains the funniest TV joke EVER!

A friend of mine said she had never seen this, so I looked it up. This is the funniest movie parody on TV of all time!

A study shows that prebiotics and probiotics not only help otherwise healthy folks, they provide benefits for those of us with autoimmune diseases as well. Courtesy of Celiac.com newsletter....

Major Breakthrough: Prebiotics and Probiotics Can Reduce Inflammation and Reduce Symptoms of Celiac Disease

I have been taking these since before I had ever heard of celiac disease and had been told my tummy troubles were garden-variety IBS. If you don't want to take pills, you can eat organic plain yogurt with multiple active cultures, but you would have to eat a lot of it.

Think celiac disease is a modern phenomenon? Not so, according to this article in the Celiac.com newsletter.....

National Celiac Awareness Month and History of Celiac Disease

I agree with the author that we need to stop waiting until a person is highly symptomatic to test for celiac disease. The medical community could prevent a significant amount of suffering and damage by making screening routine in childhood.

One more from the Celiac.com newsletter. This is about new ways to detect celiac disease who have a negative standard blood test....

New Blood Tests Can Spot Gluten Sensitivity Among Enteropathy Patients Who Test Negative for AntiTissue Transglutaminase

My antibodies were normal, but then, I am sero-negative for Sjogren's too, so it shouldn't be surprising. I think I just caught them before enough damage was done to show up in the blood work.

From the Celiac.com newsletter. Suggests that checking everyone for celiac may be cheaper than waiting until a patient is symptomatic....

Celiac Disease Mass Screening May Be Cost Effective

I think it's rather unfortunate that most patients must become quite ill before anyone suspects celiac disease. And since few people will voluntarily go on a gluten free diet, a mass screening may save some of these people years of suffering and damage.

Another interesting article from the Celiac.com newsletter. This one is about the relationship of celiac and RLS....

Restless Leg Syndrome Common in Adults with Celiac Disease

I have been diagnosed with periodic limb movement disorder, which is like RLS except it involves ALL limbs. Don't know if mine is related to the autoimmune stuff or the result of brain damage from medication, though.