BOPAndOthers: October 2015

This week is a significant week for any Grey's Anatomy fan. This week was the famous awkward dinner party episode, but more importantly, it was their 250th episode. This is a HUGE deal. I don't think people realise how big this is. Most people don't expect for TV Shows to carry on past their 10th season. GA is currently on it's 12th, and I couldn't be more proud.

This may sound strange, I mean I only started watching this programme last year. Since then, I have watched every episode as least twice ;-)!

Grey's Anatomy has given me so much. It has inspired me in many ways, and given me something, which is sometimes comical, sometimes sad, but mostly thought-provoking. It has changed my views, and solidified some. I honestly now cannot visualise not having Grey's in my life. When I started watching, I wasn't in a good place. I wanted to start a TV show that would let me step out of my horrible mess of a life, and become involved with a characters (or in this case, several). The storylines are so amazing, and they've allowed me to focus on the characters. It was exactly what I needed. It still is. It may not seem like it sometimes, as I do complain frequently about Calzona storylines, and how they're not back together yet! However much I do complain, I still do adore the show. The characters, the storylines, the writers, and most importantly the actors and actresses that play our favourite characters.

I cannot get my head around the fact that there has been 250 episodes. Yet, it never gets boring. I'm someone who supports most of the ships on the show, so I don't ever find a scene boring. Believe me, supporting the ships, is much better than just solely watching for one. Calzona will forever be my OTP, but I can sit and appreciate the storylines with Omelia/Amen, Japril, Jolex, Miranda and Ben, Maggie and DeLuca (SPOILER). I do sometimes find points to be a bit OTT, however it's a soap that has to have drama. It's expected.

For example, this whole dinner party.

*SPOILER ALERT*

I expected Penny. I think we all expected Penny. Penny, as in Penny who 'killed' Derek. Technically, she didn't. She just didn't advocate for her patient as much as she should have. However, to all the MerDer ships out there, she will always be known as the doctor who killed McDreamy.

I found the whole episode amazing. It was so expertly done, and it all worked perfectly. I loved how there was only 1 song, to help show the emotions of the characters a lot more. I also think the song they chose was perfect, and it was put in the right scene... couldn't have been done better.

Can we please talk about Caterina Scorsone's acting. It blew me away. She is such a talented actress, and the scene after:

"Perfect Penny killed my husband."

Wow. The emotions I felt, and were shown on the screen were just...outstanding. When she demanded to know what his last words were, I broke down. I was sat in my bed, staring at my laptop and my phone, sobbing. It was such a moving scene, and was ahh! I can't explain it. Amazing.

@HelloJerrika - "Drunk Robbins is the only Robbins."

Jerrika pretty much summed it up. Seeing Arizona drunk, was hilarious. It something I could watch all day. Something I couldn't, was how well she got along with Penny. She had so much in common with her, that you can't help but think that Callie chose her because she reminded her of Arizona. Except, not as pretty, obviously ;-). I loved the one liners, and her overall demeanour. It fitted it all, so well. It is also pretty obvious that Arizona is still in love with Callie, which we have seen since the start of Season 12. Jealous Arizona is hilarious, but also unneeded.

I'm quite annoyed with the writers. It seems like at the minute, Callie cannot be happy for more like 5 minutes. Although I don't like Penny, she makes Callie happy. That is all that Calzona shippers care about at the minute. We want to see both women happy. They may not be together at the minute, however they are made for each other. They will come back together at some point. They needed to find themselves. I believe that once Callie sees Arizona move on, she will realise that Arizona is her happy ending. Oh, and can we also go over how Penny calls Callie 'Calliope'. What? This is a Calzona thing. We all know this. The only difference between it, is that Penny uses it as a joke. Whereas when Arizona said it in the episode, it was said so lovingly, and always has been.

*DONE*

If you are not following any of the cast on Twitter, then you probably won't know about #GAGreenScreen250. This is a thing that the cast came up with to give something back to the fans. They told us that they had lots of spare time filming for 12x05, and were 'kept' in a room with a huge green screen. They decided to pose for famous movie posters, and we had to edit them into either the real ones or make funny spoofs. We had all weekend, and the winners would be chosen and sent a poster signed by all the cast. So I might have decided to do one...

"Kronk, I mean Justin! Pull the lever!"

This is just one of the reasons I love the cast. They are incredible. Absolutely incredible.

I am unbelievable happy that Grey's Anatomy has carried on for 250 episodes. I'm so grateful for Shonda Rhimes for creating this masterpiece.

I love Grey's Anatomy, and am like a proud mother.

Let's cheers to 250 more episodes filled with drama. *clinks glass with myself*

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If you have a spare moment, why not check out this video: Grey's Anatomy // 250th Special. It's a lovely tribute to the 250 episodes.

-

Do you watch Grey's Anatomy? If so, who's your favourite character? Mine is Dr. Arizona Robbins. Who couldn't not love her? ;-)

Konnie

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, by BOPAndOthers

birds

6 Things You Learn Having Birds of Prey

Having Birds of Prey is a feat. Most people just consider them the same as hamsters, or guinea pigs, and put them in crates until they want to do something with them.

Birds of Prey are not pets. They will not nor ever will be. Please don't consider getting a Bird of Prey until you have considered everything. It cannot be a last minute decision to suddenly buy an owl. Unfortunately, the rules are very relaxed in the UK, which means people are allowed to buy Birds of Prey relatively easily. This is a horrible decision in my eyes, because I have witnessed people keep Birds of Prey in little cages in their living room, or crates in their conservatory, etc. There is too much abuse or mistreatment.

Keeping Birds of Prey is lovely, it's a great hobby, do not get me wrong. However, not everyone should be allowed to do it. It's a lot more of a commitment that a dog or a cat.

Okay, rant over. Here are 6 things you learn from having Birds Of Prey!

1. The Art of Patience

These animals are not ones that you can expect everything of straight away. It can take up to several months to mann down a bird. It can take any length of time to get them flying to the fist.

There are many variables that play about, which can change sporadically. These birds can change behaviour, change emotions, change thoughts in a split second. You need to constantly be alert to know of these changes. If you spend enough time with your bird(s), then you gradually start to notice little things which indicate a change. This will depend on bird. For example, if Bear is scared, he will do one of two things. He will either try to jump as far away from the danger into me, as possible, or he will puff himself out to act as a deterrent. Sometimes I will know which one he will do, sometimes I'm surprised.

To get to know your bird you have to have patience. You have to be able to spend up to several hours with your bird everyday. You need to build and keep that trust.

It takes time to build up a friendship with your bird. It takes time to get the birds to where you want them. It takes time to train them. It's not something that happens overnight. Nor in a day, nor a week. It takes as long as it takes.

I really think that now I have a lot more patience.

2. Birds Over Everything

The birds will always come first. No matter the situation, the birds always come first in my opinion. They are not just my 'pets', they mean everything to me. I may dislike them sometimes, but they are always my first priority.

This doesn't mean I don't have to have a social life, or not spend time with my family. It just means I have to be back by a certain time or have to go meet with them later in the day. Everything is adjusted to fit my life around the birds.

However much I want to go out, or spend the night with my grand-parents, I have to think of the birds first. Especially in the winter. It gets dark around 4-5pm, which means I have to be back before then to turn the lights on outside and make sure they are all safe and well and happy.

3. Can No Longer Be Selfish

This links to 'Birds Over Everything'. You can't ever really be selfish. Sure you can have private moments, however you can't just spend all day in bed.

Since getting the birds, the latest lay-in I have had was until 8:30am. I've never really been a big fan of lie-ins, but now we don't have a choice. We like the birds to be outside for as long as possible, this way it means they get less time in their boxes, and more time in the sun, and with fresh air.

You have to be able to view them as something more than anything else. You may want to go out with the friends, but you have to adapt and change the plans due to the birds. We've had the birds so long now, that my friends try to make sure I can see them, and still be home to do the birds.

4. They are a Life-long Commitment

If given the right treatment, food, nutrients, exercise, etc. these birds can live for in excess of 20 years. This is obviously much more than a dog, or a cat, or a budgie. They can live a long life if given everything they deserve. The bigger the Bird of Prey, the longer their life span in captivity. Snowy Owls through to Eagles can live till around 40+ years. They are a life-time commitment. I am going to hopefully grow older with my birds. They will hopefully move in with me when I find a house, and I would like to introduce my children to my birds. Although there are lots of variables, like illnesses and diseases, I'd like to think I will still have all my birds (and more) in 10 years.

5. They Are Family

There is no other way to describe what these birds mean to us. They are family. They will always be a part of my family. If something happens to them, we are heart-broken. It's not something you take lightly. When my gorgeous Breeze died last December, it felt like a part of me was missing. She had a been a constant for 5 years.

You know if you have a dog and you've had it for around 10 years, and it dies. It's like you don't know how to function without them. It's been a constant for many years, and it's hard to think of a time when you didn't. I felt the same way last December. I missed having a Barn Owl. I missed their friendship and I missed the closeness that I only really felt with Breeze. Now I didn't buy Bear to replace Breeze, but I simply couldn't function without a Barn Owl. It's strange, but I hope you understand.

They all mean a lot to us. The memories mean a lot to us, even the bad ones. I can remember the day we picked up all of the individual birds, and that is something I will really cherish.

6. The Treasure of Friendship

^- Let me explain this!

To be a falconer, you have to have the trust. Which as I explained is through a process called manning. This is essentially where you let the bird sit on the fist, you can stroke it, you get it used to several things, until you have built the trust. With trust, comes friendship.

Having a friend that is an animal isn't that much different than a human. A human you go to speak to, you go for reassurance, or comfort. A friend is someone you trust, and can joke around with. It's a lovely thing to see and feel.

I go to my birds for those exact same things. When I couldn't function during exam period, I went to Scooby. Although she cannot speak, I valued the amount of comfort and calmness I could receive from her. This sounds silly, but it's true. I have friends who say the same things, except it's with their cat or dog. My relationship with my birds is exactly the same. However, I believe my bond is much more extreme. I've trained these birds since they were young, I fly them everyday (weather dependent), I sit and talk with them throughout the day, I take them on walks. If you ask any falconer, they will say there is nothing better than the friendship between falcon and handler. This is something I couldn't agree with more.

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Please don't think this is true for all Birds of Prey. Also, please don't go out and buy one. Although there are lots of pros, there are a lot more cons. It's not something you should ever take lightly.

This post is dedicated to Breeze, who I miss everyday.

Konnie

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, by BOPAndOthers

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Current Most Played Songs

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October Goals

Recently, I've been trying to get either daily tasks or weekly tasks for myself. Let's just say they haven't gone all that well. So I am going to write and post a set of goals for myself for the next month! Hope this works!

1. Play the ukulele more.

Over the past couple of days, I've brought my ukulele back into my life. It used to mean so much to me, and then for some reason I just stopped. I haven't touched it for the past 2 years? Gotta say it took me a while to get back into it. I also forgot just how loud they are! But I love my uke. I used to take it to school everyday, so I could play with my best friend. Those were some of my best memories. Even though, I was the weird kid walking around school with a ukulele, and more often than not, tennis balls in my pocket! I was the coolest kid around ;-)!

2. Keep my room clean.

I've just re-done my room. I got a new bed, changed the colour scheme, and got new furniture. There isn't much you can really do with my room, it's quite literally a box, however it's lovely! I'm so pleased with it. I will admit I hate having a messy room, but having to clean my room everyday is not something I want to do. I either get distracted or frustrated, there is no in between.

3. Do more exercise.

I do workout, but it's usually little at home ones. I want to start jogging, and cycling, I want to start going out on longer walks and start to tone up my arms, legs and stomach! Anyone got any advice?

4. Man Remi completely.

I feel like I am making progress with my little man, but sometimes I feel it's not fast enough. Manning is a long process. Especially with a Parent Reared bird. I just can't wait for him to properly recognise me as 'Mum' or as a friend. He's already my little baby, I just need for him to accept this fact. The birds needs always come first, and I hope Remi comes around soon, so we can start training asap!

5. Be happier.

Being happy is something that I sometimes take for granted. My life may not be perfect, in fact it's very far from that. However I want to remain positive. I feel like I owe it to myself to try and see the positive in a situation. You always have a choice. You have the choice to let the negativity of something bring you down, or make you try to either advance or grow from it. I think this Blog has definitely made me happier. It's given me somewhere I can write about the happier things, it's given me an outlet.

Happiness is a choice - Shay Carl

I know this may seem a bit late, I mean it's the 9th October! But I felt like I had to take some time to think of what stuff I want to achieve. Do you set yourself goals? If so, what kind? Daily, weekly, monthly, annually?

Konnie

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, by BOPAndOthers

Sit Back Sundays

Autumn is upon us. I don't know how it happened, but it has. In the UK, it has started to get much more chilly, which I love and hate. I'm a big person for long sleeved shirts, layers, and scarfs/snoods! However it also means, unless I want to freeze to death, I can't always sit outside with the birds.

Sundays are, as I've stated before, my favourite day of the week. It's the day to relax. It's the day I like to just take out and look at other things to do. I find new apps to try, new music to listen to, new films to watch and new blogs. Sunday is also the day Once Upon A Time is on, as well as - with the Season 2 premiere tonight - Madam Secretary!!!

Sunday is a day to reflect on your week.

My week has been hectic. I've been trying to get Remi out on the grass or on the fist as much as possible, to help the manning process. Over this past week, I feel like we've bonded a lot more, he lets me stroke him, he talks to me. He's a lovely bird now, but I know that I haven't yet earned all his trust, not quite yet.

I've been out driving this week, with a passenger that isn't just my mum. On Wednesday, I drove us to my grand-parents house, which is about half an hour away, and although I did stall a couple times due to being in the wrong gear, I think it went pretty well. We were going through town, at around half 4, so it was pretty busy! But we survived!

Thursday, the 1st October, was Jasmine's Birthday! She turned 16, and unfortunately, we didn't get to spend that much time with her! She only had a half day at school, but had to be back up at 5pm for Open Evening. I saw her for roughly 3 hours throughout the actual day, my mum saw her even less. She's such an awkward person to buy for, so we decided money was the better option. She had already decided to go shopping on Saturday with her friends!

Ooh, also on Thursdays now, me and mum will sit down and watch The Mysteries of Laura, and this week also BONES! Aaah! Both of these, are shows we started watching together, Bones, we have now been watching for 5 years, and Mysteries of Laura, only started last year. It's just something nice for me and my mum to share! Thursday is also #TGIT, which if you are in Europe wanting to watch #TGIT with the Americans, it's more like #TGIF! I set my alarm to go off at 1am, so I could livestream and livetweet, however for some stupid reason it didn't go off. I woke up at half 3, like what?! Grey's Anatomy this week, was amazing! Bailey, Jade! Calzona? Japril? Everything was amazing, and as usual Jessica Capshaw and Sara Ramirez looked stunning throughout the whole episode! #WCE

Jasmine had a friend stay over on Friday night, and then we took her and three of her friends shopping in Bicester! If you want a way to annoy your sister and her friends, I've learnt a valuable lesson: Play Combine Harvester - The Wurzels full blast, whilst singing along in a country accent! It's absolutely hilarious! I will admit, it took a knock at my dignity a little, I mean I'm the cool older sister ;-), but I'm a die hard Wurzel fan! I couldn't help myself. We also went for a Toby Carvery, which is the most delicious thing ever.

Today has been the day, when I've been able to lay in bed, and also lay out and enjoy the sun before it goes again! One thing I am not looking forward to, is being able to just go out with a cardigan, instead of a jacket, and being warm enough! Oh, and the fact that it is now getting dark around 7, I am really not a fan of. Not at all!

How's your week been?

Konnie

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, by BOPAndOthers

Spy: Film Review

Ever since I found out all my favourite actors were in one film, I knew I had to watch it. We finally got the chance. Yesterday, we finally all got the chance to sit down and watch it. It exceeded all my expectations.

If you haven't heard about Spy, it is a Action/Comedy movie. It features Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Jude Law (<3), Rose Byrne and Miranda Hart. I know, I bet you are thinking, how the hell are all these people in one movie? I thought the exact same thing!

It's not how I expected it to be. I expected a 'spy' movie spoof. Having Melissa McCarthy and Miranda Hart, I thought it was going to be some stupid movie, that was ridiculously funny because it was crap. However as soon as it started, I knew it was no spoof. It was going to be a genuine Spy movie. Jude Law acted very much like James Bond! Although he is a gorgeous man, like really gorgeous man, his American accent was a turn off. He's known for his strong British accent, and it's so seductive, so hearing him speak with a different accent, was horrible and just...no. Paul Feig what were you thinking!?

Ridiculously beautiful, right ladies?

Although Jude Law is my #MCE, I was more attracted to this film for Miranda Hart and Melissa McCarthy. I found out about this film a couple months back, when I was just scrolling through Melissa McCarthys IMDB, when a link to Spy came up. I was interested more when I saw Paul Feig was directing. Paul is the director of other films such as Bridemaids, The Heat, and some TV episodes. I knew how well his other movies had gone down and how hilarious his recent films are.

The fact that Miranda Hart is in a movie, shocked me. To any Brit, she is the hilarious comedienne we have to thank for the comedy sketch 'Miranda'. I have loved and admired her for years. In fact, she's actually one of my favourite comedians, and Miranda is also one of my favourite programmes. With this fact, I had to watch the movie. I had to know how she was in a movie, if she was going to have a funny role or not. One thing I expected was Miranda to have a small role, like just a couple of scenes. However, I was pleasantly shocked when I realised she has quite a significant role in the film.

The legend that is Miranda Hart.

Melissa McCarthy. What else can I say? She is an amazing actress and comedienne. She is the main character of the film, and she excels. She is amazing, and her one liners, and banter with Miranda, is the best thing. One thing I cannot wait for, is the blooper reel to come out!

Melissa McCarthy is my ideal Best Friend!

One actor I wasn't sure about was Jason Statham. I'm not a big fan of his movies, as they are mostly action, which isn't really my kind of genre. He very much surprised me. I loved his role and his blunt comedy. My sense of humour, if you haven't already guessed, is crap. I have a very dry sense of humour, which is typical of 'Brits' so I'm a sucker for one liners, or just silly moments that aren't meant to be that funny!

If you haven't already seen it, I highly highly recommend it. It's a great spy movie, and comedy. It's everything I wanted it to be and more. The film comes out November 9th in the UK, however it is currently available early on Instant download.

If you have any film recommendations, either tweet me them or leave a comment!

Konnie

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, by BOPAndOthers

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6 Things You Learn Having Birds of Prey

Current Most Played Songs

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