Longing for the way things once were....

So we've been watching a lot of Scarecrow and Mrs. King lately. It's actually a show Dad will watch and like, so we've all been enjoying it together and that's been really nice. It's a very sweet and suspenseful show, probably one of the last clean shows out there. I do prefer the other seasons over 1, which isn't unusual. Usually the first season is never my favorite for a show because it's so raw and the characters act different and aren't as close and such. That's how it is for both Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Knight Rider. And many others. (But season 1 is my favorite Pokemon season. Go figure.)

Anyway, so there's one episode in season 3 where Amanda is sick and Lee is on a mission with Francine. Apparently they used to team up a lot. I go back and forth on how I feel about Francine. Usually I like her, but sometimes she can be a little mean. Like in this episode, when she talks to Amanda on the phone and is gleefully telling her all the things she's missing out on and exaggerating what's happening, including her and Lee dancing and such. But then at the end of the episode she's all enthusiastic and talking about how much she enjoyed being on a case with Lee again "just like old times" and is hoping they can hang out and do something fun now that the case is over. But Lee is missing Amanda and seems to just want to get home to see her. Which is sweet, definitely, but Francine looked so down when she realized. Then she quietly and gracefully bowed out.

Honestly, I really felt for her there. Who hasn't been happy when things seemed like old times between themselves and an old friend? And who hasn't longed for that experience? I definitely felt sad to see Francine brushed aside by the writers there. That moment when you know you're not really that important to someone anymore, even if you've been fooling yourself otherwise, is such a first-rate bummer.

I also started watching some Knight Rider again. It feels good. But oy, I was so frustrated by a season 4 episode I tried. I know most people don't like season 4 or RC, and I actually like RC, but I was bummed when in this episode it seemed like he was taking the place of KITT in some ways. Like, he showed up to help Michael out of a jam, whereas in the past Michael would have just jumped in KITT and that would have been that. I don't remember RC taking the place of KITT in other season 4 episodes I saw, though, so maybe it was an isolated incident. But I must admit that I haven't liked any of the season 4 episodes I've seen, save for one where KITT is reprogrammed and goes berserk, but after seeing that done differently and more squeefully in season 1, I might not like the season 4 episode anymore. Yeah, I don't like season 1 so much either, since they usually insist that KITT doesn't have feelings even though he does, and yet my favorite episode is in season 1. Go figure.

Funny thing is, I think my favorite Knight Rider season is 2, which is probably the other one most people hate because there was a different technician for KITT. But I had no problems with her, honestly. I thought she and Bonnie were both just great. I would have been happy if they had both been around and maybe alternated episodes or something.

Season 3 is usually pretty nice too, though. I saw one yesterday that was pretty sweet. It included KITT helping a kid get excited about school. And season 3 had that episode where the girl kept trying to pose on KITT in skimpy outfits and he didn't like it at all and kept having to rout her away. LOL. It also has the Halloween episode, which was a lot of fun. I'll definitely want to watch it for the season.

Dilemma solved?

So I think my main frustration with those dolls is that, at least for Sweetie Drops, I just don't like the Everfree release of her. The clothing she's wearing is so strange. I've never seen anyone other than a kid wearing something like that. At least, if I'm clearly seeing what she's wearing. The style isn't appealing to me at all. Not that I like everything the dolls I have are wearing, but Sweetie Drop's thing just really rubs me the wrong way. I also don't like that Lyra doesn't have bangs, but her clothes are pretty cool, so I'd probably be fine with either doll of her.

But I decided randomly to see what Amazon was charging for the Rainbow Rocks releases, because I previously thought it had been a lot, and it's not bad. They're around $10-11 each. More importantly, the Friendship Games dolls I wanted of Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare are wonderful prices. Sunny Flare is even an add-on item. I wish I'd known that earlier and I would have added her to the Pokemon DVD set. Not having known and just having discovered it today, I've been debating all day whether to do another Amazon order and get the dolls or not. I thought I had to already have $25 in the cart before adding an add-on, but when I tested things and added products, it looks like they'll let me get it if the add-on just barely pushes it to the $25 amount.

So now I'm considering that since I really wanted the Friendship Games dolls, and I like the Rainbow Rocks release of Sweetie Drops but either Lyra is okay, that maybe I'll do an order with three dolls, just barely pushing it to $25, and leave Lyra out of it for now. Then I'll decide what to do about her after my birthday. I want to make sure I have plenty of money for the shopping spree, so getting anything past the $25 limit doesn't seem like a good idea right now. Of course, it would probably be better to get nothing until after my birthday, and maybe I'll still decide that, but the problem is that the prices fluctuate so much that by then they might not be as good. The other problem is, what if I find the dolls somewhere on my birthday for a better deal, like at T.J. Maxx or something. However, I'm pretty sure they've moved past this doll line and probably are on Everfree, so it's highly unlikely that would happen.

I'm thinking I probably wouldn't do anything right now if it wasn't for the Friendship Games dolls. I really got excited to see them at good prices and I don't feel conflicted about this order like I felt about the Everfree doll order for weeks. Usually when I finally don't feel conflicted, I've finally hit on what I want (even though I'm prone to waffling about it after ordering many times). So unless I change my mind in the next bit, I'll probably try placing this order.

... On the other hand, while I'm not conflicted about wanting these dolls, I am conflicted about whether ordering them right now is the best option. I'm still trying to help with groceries, so there's that in addition to wanting to have money for the shopping spree. I've been getting steady work from a client on Textbroker, which has been epically awesome, but I don't know how long that will last and I'm trying to be pretty careful with money even though right now things are pretty good for me personally. So ... the debate goes on.