Go For Two: NFL Week 16 Games To Watch – Packers addition

Look. I’m not gonna lie to you. Losing last week sucked. It sucked so bad. We lost in every phase of the game. We lost spectacularly. A safety on the last drive of the game was the cherry on top.

It was a team loss. Aaron Rodgers made some pretty awful throws. Aaron was lucky he came out of that one with only 2 interceptions, there could have been at least 2 more on top of that. Receivers, I’m looking at you Davante Adams, didn’t even turn around for some of the passes. Jordy Nelson dropped one, which, that will happen, but it stings because it was such a big play. Just lay off Jordy you all. Special teams allowed a return for a TD and a blocked kick. Oh, and then there is my favorite defensive coordinator, Dom Capers. I want everyone who keeps trying to say the defense held the Bills to field goals to STFU. Oh, yay! The Bills didn’t get a touchdown. Yeah, well, you allowed four, FOUR field goals. There is nothing awesome-o about allowing four field goals. I’m not entirely sure who to blame for the safety. All I know is I’m sitting there like, put the whole game behind you, guys. It’s okay. We just need one touchdown — we can do this. Remember Miami. And …. plop, the ball is on the ground, in the end zone. Safety.

Wow.

There is a scenario where we do not make the playoffs. You gotta be kidding me.

That’s why, this week, the NFL Week 16 Games To Watch is a Packers addition. I know, I know — pretty selfish of me, but these are selfish times, thanks to our biting loss to Kyle Orton and my second least favorite defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz. I hated seeing Jim Schwartz on the sidelines as the Bills defensive coordinator. It is entirely possible to just hate looking at someone’s face.

Philadelphia at Washington (Saturday 4:30PM EST): As a Packers fan, we need the Eagles to lose to Washington. That’s not necessarily off the table. The last time these two teams met, Washington only lost by 3. Kirk Cousins. He made 30 out of 48 passes and gained a total of 427 yards. My Michigan State alumni had three touchdowns and one interception. As we all know, Cousins tanked after that, but all I am saying, is it is in the realm of possibilities. So make it happen.

Lions at Bears (Sunday 1:00PM EST): Okay. We all saw MNF (more or less … okay, less. I only watched two plays and baby Cutlet got sacked two times in a row). This is a bit of a stretch; Bears need to win. However, if the Bears couldn’t turn it on for MNF after all the news came out about the internal team backstabbing, then I don’t know that they can. The Lions are the number 2 seed. They are going to turn it on. I’m hoping they get really big heads, think they have the game locked up, and a miracle happens. Maybe they all get a little chilly at the Bears stadium. Maybe Angelina Jolie visits Detroit and gives the team chickenpox? Look, I don’t want anyone seriously ill or anything, but maybe a catering company can cause the team to have food poisoning? Honestly, I’m desperate. I don’t see the football Gods sending a “W” on the wings of a dove down to Soldier Field. But I wish they would.

Colts at Cowboys (Sunday 4:25PM EST): Colts need to win. I don’t want our chances of going into the playoffs based on some random tie-breaking rule. Cowboys and Pack did not play a head to head game. The next rule is best record in conference. It may actually come down to best record in common games, the 3rd tie-breaking rule for the wild card. That is so sketchy, I don’t like it. Good luck, Luck. I root for the caveman on Sunday.

Seahawks at Cardinals (Sunday 8:30PM EST): This would be the game of the week for everyone watching football week 16. In particular, for the Packers, we need the Seahawks to lose. Anyone that is in playoff contention needs to lose. It will help with home-field advantage as well. Seahawks can taste home-field advantage. Everyone in the NFC playoff race does not want Seattle to get home field. It’s in everyone’s best interest if Seattle loses this game.

Of note, if the Cardinals win this game, it very well may happen that the Cards go to the Super Bowl at home. I’m not sure this happens with the 3rd string quarterback Lindley. The good news is, Stanton may be back in time for the playoffs. Which, at the beginning of the season, who would have thought having Drew Stanton as your quarterback in the Super Bowl would be a good thing?

Side note, yes. The Packers need to beat Tampa Bay on Sunday. I sure-as-shit hope that happens, cause if it didn’t …

~Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Diego. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com

Go For Two: NFL Week 10 Games To Watch

Week 10! I feel like the season is going by so fast!

Week 9 had some interesting games. That does not mean that they were necessarily good games, just interesting.

First off, to the San Francisco 49ers …

You guys got beat by the St. Louis Rams — couldn’t have happened to a more deserving team of douchebags. Kaepernick walked off the field like he wanted to kill someone for not simply allowing his team win. What a pompous tool.

4-4. God, I love it.

As for the rest of the week, meh. San Diego got their asses handed to them, which is always exciting.

Monday Night Football?

Absolutely boring. They really, really need to do something about that. They need to start flexing the Monday night football games.

Then there was the game of the week, Denver versus New England. That ended up being so one sided I turned the game off. I didn’t want to see my beloved Peyton Manning lose in that fashion. It was hard to watch.

That’s about it for week 9.

Now for week 10.

Dolphins (5-3) at Lions (6-2): Dolphins have been on fire lately. They destroyed the Chargers last week and made them look like a little league team. As for the Lions, good news for them — Week 10 marks the glorious return of Calvin Johnson plus the Honolulu Blue are coming off a bye week. These two items should add up to success.

The Lions need to win this one. This is the start of a three game test for the Lions with Arizona and the Patriots to follow. Out of all of those games, this is the one that, at least on paper, is the most winnable.

I think the real way the Lions win this game is keeping Stafford under control, which won’t be hard to do now that Calvin is back. However, it is important to note that when Calvin is playing, Stafford seems to forget that he has other targets, namely Golden Tate. The Lions are still missing their tight ends which limits the blocking and the third option for the pass. Reggie Bush comes back this week, but I’m not so sure that even matters. He’s been less that spectacular this season.

The Lions have only faced one team, the Green Bay Packers, with a winning record. Therefore, let’s see what happens to the Lions when they face an actual opponent.

I think it’s the defense that wins this one.

Lions win.

Niners (4-4) at Saints (4-4): Ugh. I felt the need to pick a second game to watch this week, and, sadly, this will be it. It’s obvious I do not like the Niners. I also do not like the Saints. The real competition here is between Kaepernick and Sean Payton for who has the worst prissy, snotty-ass face of the game. It will be a tough, tough call.

I will also be forced to listen to Kaepernick at the line of scrimmage calling out plays like he is shitting a bear out of his ass. For the love of God, shut the fuck up.

Kaepernick also sounds like a petulant child in his post game conference this week. Here is the link I could find.

Both teams are not where they should be. Clearly though, the Saints are moving in the right direction where as the Niners are doing their best nose-dive. Niners need to be concerned as the Cardinals are running away with the NFC West division and the wildcard spots in the NFC will be very difficult to obtain this year. There will be a lot of movement in the NFC as the rest of the 2014 season shakes out and this game will for sure impact NFC wildcard playoffs.

The Saints have the number 2 offense and the Niners have the number 2 defense. As we’ve seen, defense wins games, but the Niners offense needs to step it up. I give the edge to the Saints.

Games I should care about?

Browns (5-3) at Bengals (5-2-1): I should care about this game. The AFC North is in a heated battle to see who will win the division. The Browns, who have been the worst-of-the-worst for long actually has a winning record. Yet, I just don’t care. I’m an NFC gal, and these two teams just don’t excite me. I’ve tried to get behind the Bengals for a few years now, but they always just seem so mediocre.

Bears (3-5) at Packers (5-3): I obviously care, but the rest of the world outside of Chicago and Green Bay do not. However, one has to be careful though with Chicago. On paper they still have a good team. You never know when the Bears might decide to show up. Also, it will be important to see how Aaron Rodgers hamstring does in this game. It will be noteworthy to see how he moves in the pocket and how he executes his throws — if he can go through the entire throwing motion.

Rams (3-5) at Cardinals (7-1): This is a division game, and while I give strong kuddos to the Rams for beating the Niners, this is still a 3-5 team playing a 7-1 team.

Ah, Jerry Jones …

Tony Romo suffered two separate transverse process fractures in his spine against the Washington Football Team. Not only did the Cowboys put him back in the game against Washington, they have now flown him across the pond to London for the Cowboys game against the Jaguars.

What fools. That is your franchise quarterback. Protect him. You are playing the Jaguars. If you can’t beat the Jaguars with your backup quarterback you don’t deserve to go to the playoffs.

NFL.com states that Tony Romo made the trip to London but that “there will be some obvious discomfort he needs to play through.”

He has pain? No shit, Sherlock.

The Cowboys have a bye next week. If you had left him in Dallas you would have given Romo over two weeks to recuperate.

Idiots.

* This blog is made possible thanks to GoDaddy coupon 149scott. Get your own blog for just $1.49. Also check out these Petco coupons. Get your cat or puppy something nice.

~Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Francisco. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com

Get To Know Madeline Fresco Month – Top Ten Lists

This week, the final week of Get To Know Madeline Fresco Month, will be dedicated to favorite sports.

1. NFL – the whole thing from preseason to Super Bowl

2. March Madness

3. NBA playoffs

4. World Cup Soccer

5. MMA

6. Wimbledon

7. Summer Olympics

8. EPL

9. MLB – but only to sit in the stadium and eat ballpark food

10. Stanley Cup Playoffs

 

Good tidbits:

Favorite football team = Green Bay Packers

2nd favorite football team = Any team with Peyton Manning on the team

Favorite NBA team =  Pistons, although, they have been so bad lately (Detroit baby!)

Favorite World Cup Soccer team = USA Women’s team

EPL favorite team = Chelsea

NHL favorite team = Red Wings

MLB = tie between Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants.

Favorite tennis player of all time = Andre Agassi

Fondest memory of Wimbledon is sitting on the couch in my parent’s house with my brother every summer watching Wimbledon.

Fondest memory of NFL is 2011 when Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl

Fondest memory of MLB is sitting in Giants stadium with my friend Gail eating hotdogs. 2nd favorite is barely a memory, but of being at old Tiger’s Stadium with my dad.

 

This blog is made possible thanks to GoDaddy coupon 199scott. Get a blog for just $1.99.

 

My books are available on Amazon. You can get

Crossed The Line

The Choice

Anguish

 

 

 

Get To Know Madeline Fresco Month – Top Ten Lists

Top ten bands that shaped my life.

1. Annie – The Soundtrack. 1982. While others carried around their Cabbage Patch Kids, I carried around a Fisher-Price tape recorder with this soundtrack in it.

2. Billy Joel, An Innocent Man. 1983. Leave me alone. I was 7. FYI, I still know every single word to this album. How do I know? I’m listening to it as I write this blog. Oh, man. I LOVED this album.

3. Air Supply, Greatest Hits. 1983. Power ballads at it’s best. Who knows what the fuck I was singing at 7. I sure didn’t. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All? How is THAT appropriate for a 7 year old to sing? But man, oh,man, did I sing that song at the top of my lungs. My poor parents …

4. Madonna, Like A Virgin. 1984. What little girl didn’t love this album? I especially fell in love with her at the MTV music awards.

5. Daryl Hall & John Oates, Big Bam Boom. 1985. I loved them. Who knows why? Probably because driving in the backseat of my parent’s Oldsmobile I can only assume their many number one hits were on rapid repeat. M-E-T-H-O-D-O-F-L-O-V-E.

6. The Cure, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. 1987. Just Like Heaven. One of the greatest songs of all time. This solidified my love of The Cure before, during, and long after.

7. Metallica, And Justice For All. 1988. What happened to me? I used to be so sweet and innocent? Where is that Annie Soundtrack again? I literally wore out the print on this tape. You know what happened. Middle School. That’s what happened. This was my first concert. While some kids went toward NKOTB, I went this way. I told my parents I was staying at my friend Stephanie’s house. Which I did. We thought we snuck away to this concert with her sister and her friends. They let us come we thought, as long as we didn’t sit with them. We found out later Stephanie’s parents knew. They followed us, and sat behind us to make sure we were okay. That’s kind of cool.

8. Faith No More, The Real Thing. 1989. I’m currently switching over from Billy Joel to listen to this album. My God they were so good.

9. Black Crowes, Shake Your Money Maker. 1990. We all know the song on here that we adored. She Talks To Angels. Good album. Good song.

10. R.E.M., Out Of Time. 1991. Losing My Religion was huge, but that’s not what did it for me. I saw some special MTV was running on R.E.M., and they showed footage from R.E.M.’s Green Tour. I think it was called Tourfilm. I heard songs from past R.E.M. albums on there. I made my mom drive me to Kmart to get their previous albums. I had no idea there were so many! I picked Eponymous, a compilation cassette. That’s where my love for my all time favorite band started.

That’s my top ten bands that changed my life, helped me form as a child. 1990 was when I started high school, so clearly it didn’t end there. For example, in 1991, I went to an outdoor music festival and heard Otis Redding for the first time. Changed my life. This list doesn’t go into my profound love of Queen. I was exposed to them during high school on Pom-Pon of all things. We used Queen for almost every pom routine. Pretty cool if you have to be on dance squad. We also wore red ribbons when Freddie Mercury died. Not that it isn’t a big deal now, but then, in 1991? AIDS was still very much shunned. I got the right kind of knowledge about the disease early on. I’m grateful for that.

This list doesn’t touch upon my extreme love of Red Hot Chili Peppers. How I wore out Son Volt’s Straightaways. My absolutely ridiculous white-Detroit-suburb love affair with Dre, Snoop, and Eminem. My silly fascination with the song Kaw-Liga by Hank Williams that, thankfully, opened my ears to his entire collection. My adoration for a young Fiona Apple that seemed to sing to my soul. The fact that I made love for the first time to Sara McLachlan — and that’s not a bad way to go. My sincere appreciation of Missy Elliott’s genius. My knowledge of Aretha, Same Cooke, Louis Armstong, an Elle Fitzgerald only fueled the way my heart fell in love with Alicia Keys – this woman’s voice and lyrics gave me solace during the darkest times of my life — the death of my father and my own cancer diagnosis.

I hope you enjoyed this list. I know I did. It’s amazing, looking back, what I enjoyed. Some are what I would now consider refined, others, not so much. But I did love them.

 

— This blog is made possible by GoDaddy coupon sigler295. Get your own blog for just $2.95 —

 

***Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Francisco. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get To Know Madeline Fresco Month – Top Ten Lists

Ten foreign countries that I have traveled to in my life — in order.

1. Ireland 1998

2. Paris, France (twice, actually) 1999

3. South of France + Monaco 1999

4. Rome, Italy 1999

5. London, England 2001

6. Edinburgh, Scotland 2001

7. Jamaica 2002

8. Tokyo + Kyoto, Japan 2010

9. Athens + Santorini, Greece 2012

10. Istanbul, Turkey 2012

 

I have to say, if I had to pick the best places I’ve ever been, I have a top four.

 

1. Paris, France

2. San Francisco, California

3. Ireland

4. Estes National Park, Colorado

 

I loved the ease at which I could travel about Ireland. The bed and breakfasts that I stayed at and the castles I got to see were amazing. Most of the people in Ireland were great, save for Kilkenny.

 

Estes National Park was also amazing. I never felt more at one with nature than when I was there. I stayed at a bed and breakfast that was off the beaten path. The owners gave us great trails to go hiking on. We were one of only a few people on the trails. It made you feel like you were the only people in the park. One of the greatest trips in my life.

 

As for Paris, it’s everything that anyone has ever said about it. It has a ton of sites to see. The people are fantastic, the food is excellent. The nightlife is great.

 

In my opinion, what makes a great destination to go to for travel is more than just their tourist area. For example, I went to Athens. While it was great to see the Parthenon, there wasn’t much else to see in regards to sites. As for Jamaica or Cancun, or even Hawaii, the problem is, that once you are done laying around at the pool and the beach — I’m kind of done. And bored.

 

Here are things that I feel make a destination great.

 

1. Great monument/structure.  For example. Parthenon. Eiffel Tower. Roman Colosseum. Golden Gate Bridge. Statue of Liberty. Stonehenge.

2. Great museums (although, I, for one, don’t enjoy museums). Louvre. Natural History Museum. MOMA.

3. Great tourist attractions. Examples: Fisherman’s Wharf. Central Park. Jardin des Tuileries. Empire State Buildiing.

4. Great food. Could you go for the food alone? San Francisco. New York. France.

5. Accommodations. They need to be comfortable.

6. Day trips. Santorini.

 

This is what makes Paris and San Francisco my top destinations that I have been to so far. San Francisco is way better than New York City for these reasons.

 

In Paris you have all of the sites to see. You have the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Les Invalides, and the Arc de Triomphe. There are all the gardens. All the museums. You could go alone just for the food. Just for the shopping. You have day trips like Versailles, Normandy, and Mont St. Michael. Same for San Francisco. You have all the food — you could literally plan a whole week just to eat at great restaurants every night. All the museums as well. Some really cool ones to, like the Academy of Science. Thursday nights they have bars set up and it becomes a nightlife thing. You can drink, listen to DJ house music, and look at amazing creatures. Pretty cool. There are all of the parks — Golden Gate, walking along Crissy Field with the bridge as your backdrop. There is all of the regular touristy sites like Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, Chinatown, and Ferry Building. Yet, you also have lesser known things like running the Lyon Street Stairs, going on an urban hike throughout the city, Fort Funston to watch all the dogs play, movies in the park, and visiting a speakeasy. The side trips are worth it sometimes more than going to San Francisco. Sausalito, hiking in Mount Tam, going to Napa and Sonoma for sure, but also Guernville and Russian River.

 

** This blog is brought to you by GoDaddy coupon sigler295. The coupon allowed me, and will allow you, to start a blog for just $2.95.

***Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Francisco. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com

 

 

Get To Know Madeline Fresco Month – Top Ten Lists

Today’s Top Ten List will feature my favorite actors.

 

1. Tom Hanks: I know. he is on everyone’s top ten list … and for good reason. He is excellent at everything he does. One of my all-time favorite movies is The Burbs. You can see his comedic genius in this role. In this movie, you can tell, he is destined for greater things. Another one of my favorite movies of his was Philadelphia. He was outstanding in it. This was a time when AIDS was still coming out into the mainstream. It was a daring role to take. My dad, a rough and stern guy, commented to me that the scene when Tom Hanks leaves the final lawyers office was outstanding for the emotion and the utter feeling of being lost in the world. Wow. Not only was it a good movie, with a great performance, but I had a little moment with my dad.
2. Leonardo DiCaprio: Honestly, everything he does is fantastic. I was never really into Titanic, so my adoration for him as an actor is not born out of a teenage crush. His body of work is impressive. My favorite performance of his was in The Departed. I firmly believe no other actor to could do what he did in that movie. He conveys his increasing stress, anxiety, and fear throughout that movie overtly, and, more impressively, subversively. His facial expressions, the way he carries himself, all add to the increased tension in the movie. Love it. How this man does not have an Oscar boggles the imagination.
3. Paul Newman: I loved watching Paul Newman movies with my dad. My favorites of his was Cool Hand Luke, The Sting, and Road to Perdition. Cool Hand Luke — what else is there to say? I probably watched the egg eating scene 100 times with my dad. The Sting is one of my all-time favorite movies. I love it, right down to the soundtrack. The last one, Road to Perdition, was one of his last films. He is fantastic in it.
4. Steve McQueen; Oh, man was he cool — that makes sense, his nickname was The King of Cool. He really just was.  My favorite movie was Papillon. My dad came to visit me in San Francisco and we spent an entire afternoon trying to find the street he lived on in Bullitt. This was before internet was on your phone. We were already out for the day and it dawns on him that this is what he wants to do. I really wish I could have found it for him. If he had mentioned it before hand, we could have rented the video (yes, the video), and figured it out before hand.
5. Paul Rudd: I love him. I love everything he is in. One of my all time favorite movies, which, I liked the first time I saw it, but as I watched it a few more times, I now adore. His improvisational scene with Seth Rogen in 40 Year Old Virgin is nothing short of genius. Plus, who doesn’t love him in Clueless. This is my entry for maybe not the best actor in the world, but boy do I love to watch any movie that he is in.
6. Robert De Niro: He is so good in everything he does, from comedies to drama. The crazy thing is he does both so very well. Best performances (yes, yes, I know Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, and Awakenings, and Cape Fear, and …) that I have truly enjoyed over the years that aren’t the big ones are Meet The Parents (who would have thought he could be so funny), Analyze This, The Godfather Part 2, A Bronx Tale.
7. Sandra Bullock: Here’s the thing. She’s not a great dramatic actress. That’s okay. She is a GREAT comedic actress. I think the general public and other actors look down on actors who are a main stay of comedy. They shouldn’t. When someone tries comedy and they aren’t good at it, it is the most cringe-worthy thing. That’s why when there is a great comedic performance, it’s seamless. The actor makes it look easy. It’s anything but. Faves are: The Proposal, Miss Congeniality, and my absolute favorite, Two Weeks Notice.
8. Cameron Diaz: See above. Faves are There’s Something About Mary, My Best Friend’s Wedding, and The Holiday. I love The Holiday.
9. Meryl Streep: She always gets all the glory. There is a reason. Every time you think to yourself that you are so over her winning all the awards, just take a quick look at her IMDB page. Her resume is truly awe-inspiring. Her performances in Sophie’s Choice, The Deer Hunter, and Silkwood are so good it’s ridiculous. But, shoot. Don’t forget about Kramer vs Kramer or The Devil Wears Prada. Her all time best movie in my opinion? Bridges of Madison County. I love that movie. Maybe not her best performance, that probably goes to Sophie’s Choice, but that movie is so outstanding. Do you or don’t you? It’s different for everyone. Oh, and one more …I love her in Defending Your Life.
10. Keira Knightley:I love her in everything that she does. I think she is completely underrated. Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Bend It Like Beckham.

Honorable mentions:

Robert Redford: He was amazing in The Sting. That smile — ugh — to die for. Favorite movie? The Natural.

Dustin Hoffman: He’s such a good actor. I really think he is one of the best actors ever. Tootsie, Papillon, Kramer vs Kramer. All so good.

Gary Oldman: Honestly? Every time I see him in something he is so good.

Michael Douglass: Romancing The Stone … enough said

** This blog is brought to you by GoDaddy coupon sigler295. The coupon allowed me, and will allow you, to start a blog for just $2.95.

***Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Francisco. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com

Get To Know Madeline Fresco Month – Top Ten Lists

I figured I would make this Get To Know Madeline Fresco Month. I’ll do top ten lists of things that I like and such. This week, I’ll start with something easy — something we all like … television shows!

Here is my top ten television shows of all time.

Breaking Bad: The single best written show of all time. Some episodes only spanned a few hours, but those hours were the most tense, loaded shows. I remember watching one of the early episodes called the Bag’s In The River. Walt has crazy 8 tied up in the basement. Walt doesn’t know if he should kill him. He doesn’t want to. Then, he sees the plate. That plate changed Walt’s entire life. After that day, Walter White would never be the same.

Deadwood: Shakespeare in the Wild West. One of the best written shows I have ever seen. The end? Tell him something pretty? I love that line. It signifies the whole show … and the image we have of the Wild West. We’ve romanticized it. We’ve told ourselves something pretty. It was far from pretty.

Felicity: I love this show. It started off slow, but when it hit it’s stride it was nothing but perfection. J.J.Abrams is notorious for bailing on his shows. Felicity, his first bailout, was so awful that when the series concluded fans were so upset at how bad it was, J.J. came back and wrote a few more episodes. Those episodes saved the show, the memory of the show, and makes it one of my all-time greatest shows.

Friends: This show was chemistry at it’s finest. Even now, how many years later? I will gladly watch reruns of this show.

Arrested Development: This show is so great it goes beyond words. Here is how you know it is genius. Try and explain why an episode is funny to someone who has never watched it. It is nearly impossible. It is because the humor is so subtle, there are so many callbacks, and the writing is impeccable.

House: Just a great show.

The Wonder Years: Such a well-written coming of age story. Kevin and Winnie – oh, how I wanted to be friends with you guys. Set in the late 60’s early 70’s it felt authentic. The finale of the Wonder Years? Now that is how you write a series finale.

Game of Thrones: This show is so good it’s ridiculous. It’s already on my top ten even though it hasn’t concluded. That’s how good it is. However, before the last season of Dexter came out, I would have put that in a top ten list. Oh, what one bad season can do to the longevity of a once great show.

ER: Medical dramas are nothing new. This one though, felt like nothing anyone had ever seen before. It still maintained it’s integrity despite the revolving door of actors over the years. All you have to do is ask someone if they like ER — I bet the answer is yes.

LOST: The show is still on my top ten list despite me nearly stopping watching it a million times. I swore I wasn’t going to watch it anymore, then? They get off the island! Mind blown. This show did barely make it on due to the horrible last few episodes and a series finale that was stupid.

Honorable mentions:

Dexter: Cut from my list because the last season was so not in tune with the rest. The series finale – the worst series finale I have ever, ever seen. So bad, I can’t put it on my top ten list.

Angel: I loved this show. I’m not sure that is is so good that I can put it in my top ten. However, I will always, always watch a rerun.

South Park: It is timeless. It pushes the envelope. It’s also been on for so long I think we all forget how much it pushed the envelope when it first started during a time when this show skyrocketed past any safe line. Best episodes: Marjorine and Trapped in the Closet.

Next week I’ll give you another top ten list. Maybe favorite actors? Favorite places I’ve been to? Who knows!

** This blog was made possible due to GoDaddy coupon sigler295. The coupon will get you a new blog for only $2.95. That’s reason enough to try it out. Start your own blog — about anything! Food, your kids, gaming, nursing … whatever your heart desires.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Francisco. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com

Not A Great Day For Wolverine And Spartan Fans In March Madness Tournament

Well, there it is. Michigan and Michigan State University are out of the tournament.

I gotta say, the MSU game was a bit of a heart breaker, not just because we lost, but because it just seemed like we weren’t playing up to our greatest potential. It was also a bit weird to me that Payne didn’t shoot enough from the free throw line. It must mean that he wasn’t getting enough shots from the paint maybe? I don’t know enough about basketball to really comment though.

As for the Michigan game, that one was really close. I swear, it kept going back and forth who was in the lead. Michigan played against Kentucky. Their guys just seemed bigger and stronger than the U of M players. It was really fun to watch. I can’t believe, however, as a Spartan, I was willing to root for the Wolverines. Yet, it would have been kind of cool to see a Michigan team go to the Final Four.

I guess that means now I root for the Badgers. It sort of already makes sense, seeing as I root for a different Wisconsin team 😉

I will say this, it is always hard when the tournament comes around. I get so attached to the stories and the kids that are involved. I only wish good things for all of the Spartan and Wolverine seniors, especially Payne. The story about him and the little girl, Lacey, really touched my heart.

My best wishes go out to Payne and Lacey. May their futures be bright.

This blog was brought to you by GoDaddy coupons. GoDaddy is an excellent site that helps you create your very own blog. Just don’t forget to use Godaddy coupon code sigler295 in order to get that very same blog for just $2.95.

Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Francisco. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com

 

I love March Madness! Go MSU!

I love March Madness! It’s so enjoyable for me to watch on so many levels.

Now, while I love football more than basketball, in some regards, I’m not always enjoying myself when I’m watching football, especially the Green Bay Packers. I’m so nervous — I’m yelling at the screen, I’m pacing back and forth … I’m drinking myself to a completely unproductive rest of my day.

Even if it is not the Packers, I have allegiances. I do not like the Eagles. I do not like the Giants. I can’t stand the Niners. I’ll root for the Saints. I love the Broncos (Peyton!).

What I’m saying is, I’m still overly invested in the games.

But not with basketball. I just get to watch. If Duke gets shutdown early — oh well. Not my problem. When a school that no one has ever heard of outside of that school destroys everyone’s bracket across the nation, I can smile and root for the underdog. Yes, I want my Alma Mater to win, but I won’t be upset for weeks after. I can even root for the Wolverines.

So far, I’m not doing so badly in my bracket. I did pick Duke, which did screw my bracket, and while I did pick some early upsets, I did not see Stephen F. Austin coming.

Here’s to hoping for a MSU win.

**I wrote this blog using my GoDaddy account. If you want to write your own blog use GoDaddy coupon code sigler295 is a great code that will purchase a domain for $2.95.

Here is a website to learn more in regards to GoDaddy promo codes.

To learn more about my book Crossed the Line, check out this great Blogger website.

______________________________________________________________________

Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Francisco. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com

Anguish by Madeline Fresco now available for Kindle on Amazon.com

My third book, Anguish is now available at Amazon!

Here is the bio I wrote:

Lily just can’t get it together. In her 30’s, single and lonely, she dreads going to a bachelorette dinner party with her girlfriends from college. While they are leading fulfilling lives, Lily is still stuck on her college sweetheart, Devon, “the boy who got away.” Things change when — through mystical events — Lily travels back in time to the week before college graduation. Guided by her best friend Rose, Lily has that one week to get Devon to declare his love for her so she can have a second chance at happiness.

If you liked “Peggy Sue Got Married” and “13 Going on 30,” then you will like Anguish.

I hope you guys enjoy this book

Yup! It’s been a very busy last week. I’ve been trying to get all my books in Amazon so that I can also get them started in Audible. I was able to enter Anguish into Audible last night, but there were some issues they reported to me today. Some minor stuff that I need to fix. Again, because of the back pain, I had to record it for the first time here, in the apartment, instead of at the studio. That caused some microphone issues. They say there is some background noise. I asked the person who helps me with Logic Express at times, and he said that there is a filter he might be able to put on to fix it. Otherwise, that’s something like 60 hours worth of work down the tubes. Ack! I’ll refrain from freaking out until we try this filter.

I’ll let you know how it goes!

**I wrote this blog using my GoDaddy account. If you want to write your own blog use GoDaddy coupon code sigler295 is a great code that will purchase a domain for $2.95.

Here is a website to learn more in regards to GoDaddy promo codes.

To learn more about my book Crossed the Line, check out this great Blogger website.

______________________________________________________________________

Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Francisco. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com