Reviews and More

If you’ll recall from last week’s Grey’s Anatomy episode, we were left hanging with not one, but two marriage proposals in the balance. So when I sat down to watch episode 3×14, called “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” I found myself “wishing” and “hoping” that the writers would resolve those issues and not let them drag out for another week. And what do you know — that’s exactly what we the viewers got! Here’s what happened.

George/Callie: This episode takes place 8 days after the last one, and in that time, George and Callie managed to go off to Vegas to get married. When George made the announcement to everyone in the new clinic, there was shocked silence until Alex blurted out, “Dude, she’s Callie O’Malley!” Love. Him.

Later on, Callie gets miffed that when they were alone in Vegas together, George was 100 percent sure that marrying her was the right thing to do. Then, as soon as he gets around his “weird, judgy” friends, he starts doubting his actions. George realizes that Callie is right, so he finally sticks up for her in the locker room, saying that if the other interns push Callie away, they’re essentially pushing him away as well. (Wait, didn’t he make a similar speech when he first started dating Callie?)

Meredith/Ellis: Ellis was suddenly lucid for this episode, which apparently sometimes happens with Alzheimer’s patients, but she doesn’t remember anything about the last five years and thinks she’s only been out of it for a couple of months.

Everyone tells Meredith that this lucid interval is a “gift” and that she should take advantage of it by spending time with her mother and talking to her as much as possible. Of course, Ellis makes this damn near impossible by jumping all over Meredith and berating her for being “ordinary” when Ellis raised her to be “extraordinary.” Ellis can’t even bring herself to be happy for Meredith when Mer says that she’s happy because of Derek. Instead, Ellis says that the relationship has made Meredith lose focus.

By the end of the episode, Ellis slips back into her usual state — just when Meredith made a big speech about the real reason she is “ordinary.”

Addie/Alex/Mark: There were obviously more serious things going on in tonight’s episode, but I have to say my favorite scenes were the ones involving these three. Addison couldn’t take her eyes off Alex, but she won’t allow herself to sleep with “the help” so she has to make do with… Mark! That’s right, the end of the ep found those two in bed together, even though Addison said earlier that she never even thinks about Mark anymore. While with Mark, she made it CLEAR that she… wasn’t… thinking… about… him… even then. Wow, I have to admit that was a very steamy scene!

Burke/Cristina: Cristina struggles with Burke’s proposal throughout the episode. She’s afraid that if she gets married, she’ll lose her drive and ambition, or that Preston will ask her for sacrifices that she can’t make. But in the end, she accepts, and the two share a great moment in their kitchen, where they actually show some emotion for once.

Izzie/Bailey: The free clinic opened in just 8 days. I think that’s got to be some kind of record. Anyway, Izzie spent most of the episode being a complete idiot (are we supposed to believe that this is an intelligent surgeon-to-be?) yet again. I really liked Izzie in Season One and most of Season Two, but her character bores me to tears now. CHANGE HER BACK!!!

Bailey was awesome in the way she dealt with that young, sexually active girl. I was wondering if Bailey would tell the father or not, and was actually a little surprised that she did.

My reaction: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Meredith had the most compelling storyline of the night. Ellen Pompeo was simply spectacular in her scenes with Kate Burton, and I’ll be the first to say that that girl can act! Wow, I had no idea it was in her. The Meredith Grey character is sooo much more interesting when she’s not merely a Derek Shepperd appendage. Please get her out of that relationship!

I thought the whole storyline about the toxic blood was pretty outlandish, but I liked the way the doctors’ respective characters came through. How about Addison charging into the OR when she realized the patient was waking up? That was fantastic! And I know a lot of people probably thought Sloan was just chickening out when he said he couldn’t go in, but I happen to think he was absolutely correct. There’s no way all the top docs at the hospital should have been exposed to that unknown toxin.

Looking back, this episode was actually very disjointed and choppy; yet I liked it very much. I don’t watch previews, so I don’t know what’s coming next week, but I hope it’s more Addie and Alex lust!

Credit cards may have started out as a mere convenience that allowed consumers to make purchases without having any cash on hand, but these days a lot of people have come to view them as a necessary component of their financial well-being. Have you ever taken stock of the way you use credit cards? If not, maybe it’s time for you to do so.

The first thing you should do is make sure you compare credit cards before signing up for a particular one. There are obviously differences between interest rates, credit limits, and perks, so check out several cards and go with one that has the features you want right from the start.

For example, if you’re going to be using plastic anyway, you might as well make sure that you’re getting the most out of them. One way to accomplish this is by signing up for cash back credit cards that reimburse you for a small percentage of each purchase you make. The amount you get back usually isn’t very large, but it adds up over time and could end up being worthwhile if you spend a lot.

Another smart thing to do is use 0% balance transfers to your advantage. If you can’t pay the full balance on your account every month (which is by far the smartest way to handle the situation), then 0% balance transfers are the next best thing. Why get hit with exorbitantly high interest rates when you can just get a new card, transfer your balance, and pay no interest for six months or a year?

Some people think that credit cards lead to nothing but trouble. But if you’re smart about how you utilize them, then they can provide you with an incredible amount of financial flexibility.

When I first started making my way as a freelance writer a couple years ago, nearly every writing-related message board and resource I checked said that I absolutely had to have a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White (yes, that E.B. White, of Charlotte’s Web fame). So I dutifully purchased one and read it from cover to cover.

The book is divided into five different sections:

• Elementary Rules of Usage
• Elementary Principles of Composition
• A Few Matters of Form
• Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
• An Approach to Style

I found the last two sections of the book to be the most useful to me, as they contain several excellent suggestions that can be employed right away. Sure, you probably can’t tell from my writing that I’ve actually read the book since Strunk & White advocate precision whereas I tend to be wordy, but there you go.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get as much use out of the sections dealing with grammar tips and guidelines. There was simply no way I could ever remember them all, which means I always have to keep Strunk & White nearby for reference. That works out just fine, as the volume is quite small, compact, and unobtrusive.

If I had to point out one negative aspect of the book, I would say that some of the grammar explanations left me scratching my head in bewilderment. The examples weren’t always clear, and I frequently came away more confused than when I went in.

Overall, The Elements of Style is definitely worth having on your bookshelf within easy reach. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself referring to it at least twice a week!

Yesterday I told you that I’m thinking about getting some business cards printed so that I can present a more professional front to potential clients. Well, I’ve been looking around and I’m not sure what I should do. There are lots of websites that handle business card printing online, but I’ve never used these places before so I don’t know what kind of quality I’d be looking at. I certainly don’t want to get stuck with paper-thin cards just because I was attracted by a good price….

I thought the last episode of CSI was pretty weak, so I was hoping for a much better showing this time around and I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed. Here’s what happened in episode 7×14, called “Meet Market,” a classic CSI episode with both an “A” and “B” storyline.

Keppler/Nick: Nick seems to have gotten over his anger from last week when Keppler and Catherine kept the rest of the team in the dark. Or maybe he was just mad at Catherine for not trusting him. At any rate, he didn’t seem to have problems working with Keppler on what appeared to be a case of arson. During the autopsy, however, Doc Robbins discovers that the guy who burned in the fire had actually died a week before. To top it off, his whole body had been stapled shut with a staple gun and he had a broom handle and umbrella in his legs instead of bones.

The subsequent investigation leads Keppler and Nick to a company that does bone and tissue transplants. They eventually figure out that the mortician who was supplying the company with body parts was actually forging death certificates. Many of the people he harvested parts from actually died of cancer or other diseases, which obviously put the patients on the receiving end of the transplants in danger. Fortunately, Keppler and Nick get the evidence they need to put an end to the operation.

Sara/Warrick: Sara and Warrick investigate the murder of Margo Dorton, who was found bludgeoned to death in her home. Her husband Bill seems to be the only suspect, but there’s no evidence tying him to the crime. Sara and Warrick find a valet parking stub on Margo’s keys, and that leads them to a place called the Over Under Club. There they discover something called a Host Club, where women pay men for “companionship.” Sara finds a host named Jesse, and interviews him because a stripper from downstairs said that Margo spent a lot of time with that particular host.

Since the writers don’t really bring any other suspects into the picture and since there’s so much focus on Jesse, it doesn’t take long for viewers to figure out that he was the killer. The only remaining question is why, and of course that gets answered before the final credits roll.

Odds & Ends: We get a very short scene of Grissom (with a full beard again) writing a letter to Sara. The cameras linger on a line that says he misses her. But when Grissom goes to address the envelope, something causes him to stop midway through. We get the feeling that he won’t be sending that letter after all.

Another strange little incident involved a card that Keppler received in the mail. It had a picture of a young girl named Amy on it, and it clearly indicated that she had died in 1985 at the age of 16. The card was for a “celebration” in observance of the anniversary of her death, I guess. There was a handwritten note on the back that said “We missed you this year” or something to that effect. It was signed “Fr. Anthony” and came from New Jersey. I’m guessing Amy was Keppler’s sister.

And at the end, Keppler went into the morgue to finish up some work. Margo Dorton was on the table, but in Keppler’s mind, he sees Amy there. Then a creepy voice behind him calls out “Keppler…” and we fade to black. Hmmm.

My reaction: Even though I didn’t think either case was all that interesting, I still liked the episode as a whole. I enjoyed seeing Warrick and Sara working together again, and it was good to see the Keppler/Nick dynamic as well. I appreciated the fact that there was minimal Catherine in this episode too.

I was checking some CSI message boards earlier this week and was surprised to see that a lot of people don’t like the Keppler character at all. I guess I’m in the minority, then, when I say that I would rather have Liev Schreiber up there every week than William Petersen. I’m tired of Grissom; he hasn’t been a good character since the end of Season 4, in my opinion.

Oh, well. I’ll just have to be content with my one more week of Keppler, I guess.