One Year of Marriage

One year ago today, I married my husband. I refuse to use the trite saying that I married my "best friend" because, although we do everything together and tell each other everything, I simply don't believe your husband can be your true best friend.

 

Best friends do not purposely push each your buttons to get a rise out of you because they think it's cute when you're angry. Best friends will always (albeit, sometimes grudgingly) go shopping with you. Best friends KNOW what to get you for any gift-giving occasion. Best friends will be there for you when your husband just sometimes falls short of being a good husband.

This does not mean I appreciate my husband any less than my best friend.

 

This past year has been one of the hardest of my life. One week after returning from our honeymoon, I was laid off. There we were, a newly married couple, with a married couple's bills and stresses, trying to make it work on ONE barely-above-minimum-wage salary. At first, it didn't seem like it would be a problem. I have a college degree, I have an amazing resume for someone my age, I have excellent recommendations from some prominent people, I'm young and up-to-date on technology. Surely, it wasn't going to be long before I had another job.

 

As job rejection after job rejection flowed in, I tried to keep an upbeat attitude - I was never at a loss for interviews, so I could always convince myself that the next interview would lead somewhere. Eleven months went by before I finally had a full-time job. Eleven.

 

The one person who I didn't feel ashamed to cry in front of after each rejection letter? My husband. Sure I could've gone to my best friend, or even my mother-in-law, with my stress and feelings of worthlessness, but I didn't. I went to the one person who I knew felt every rejection as keenly as I did. My husband.

 

This is another reason my husband will never be my best friend. You can show your best friend an upbeat attitude when you feel nothing but worthless, and you may not hide it completely, but they know not to talk about it. You can't hide anything from someone who truly shares a life with you. And if your significant other is anything like mine, they won't let it go until you tell them everything.

 

My husband's support in all this is what kept me going, kept me applying for jobs until I landed one, and one that is absolutely perfect for me in every way. And for that, there are no words of gratitude I can give.

 

One year ago today, I married my husband. And that has made all the difference in my life.

Political Responsibility and the Internet

It's been awhile, I know. To be honest, I had a very busy month of July, with out-of-state friends visiting and quite a few job interviews. The whole time, I was creating this epic blog about Ramen noodles in my head. Then August came around and things started to get political. This threw me into a whole new mindset, not by choice, but because of certain tweets made by internet-famous people I follow. It's taken me some time to calm myself down so that I can write this out plainly and without overreacting emotions clouding what I'd like to say.

I hate talking politics. I think that if you let politics define you, then you're not someone I'd like to know. Now, I don't mean your political ideals or beliefs. I mean politics. If that's all you can talk about, then I have nothing to say to you. Trust me, this was a difficult mindset to have when I was working for the Governor, but I managed.

I am a self-described moderate Republican. I think that's important to say because of comments I will be addressing later. I don't vote along party lines, I vote for what I believe in. For example, I don't believe in extensive government programs, I do believe in gay marriage. Conservative, liberal. Hence, moderate. I do not understand what I consider "political extremism" - like, the Chik-fil-A fiasco of a few months ago. Why were people surprised that the CEO of a company closed on Sundays because of Christian values is against gay marriage? To be honest, I didn't think he was out of line to simply state his opinion when asked. It's not like he went out there and started railing against homosexuals. The aftershock, with one set of people boycotting and another having a "day of support" was the most ridiculous thing I'd heard of in a long time. There are no less than 5 Chik-fil-As within a 10 mile radius of my house. I've never seen a line of cars NOT wrapped around EVERY store at practically any time of day. I don't think boycotting them is going to hurt them, and I don't think a "day of support" really means anything to them either. They are a company that does well. That's just the way it is. Why would you choose to eat or not eat at a place because of the political beliefs of a CEO that isn't involved in politics? (I'll state here, I personally don't eat at Chik-fil-A because I find their food greasy and gross. The only things I actually like there are their Oreo shakes and their fresh chocolate chip cookies. Oh yeah, and the COWS, gawd, I love cows. It really blows my mind how much people like their food.)

So, that is the clearest way I can describe my personal stance on politics.

Now, this is the part where I have to take a deep breath because I can already feel my heart rate rising. In August, one of my favorite webcomic artists tweeted something along the lines of "all Republics deserve to have a rocket shoved up their ass and die." And the person clearly meant it, as evidenced by many of the liberal tweets in the past and directly following that one. I am not putting the exact quote or saying the name of the person because I don't want people to look it up and bring even more attention to it, and I don't want any recriminations against the person. That is not my goal here. Rather, I wish to state that this was an awful, hurtful thing to say, and yes, I felt personally attacked.

I have supported this person from almost day one, when this person's art was little better than something I drew when I was 10 years old, and when this person's story telling was so awful, I'd have to scroll back and forth between previous posts several times to get a single joke. I have purchased T-Shirts, prints, and printed copies of the online material. I view this person's website at least once a day and do not have ad blockers. Basically, I am one of the people that allows this person to stay at home and draw webcomics for a living, a dream for many webcomic artists out there. Am I saying that this person owes me something? Yes, I am. This person owes me respect. Lumping every single person in a political party together and talking about how much you hate them and you wish they all would die is a wonderful way to alienate probably half of your reader base.

Am I going to stop reading this person's material? Probably not. It's been a routine of mine for so long that I'm not sure I could stop myself from doing so. However, I did lose respect for this person as an individual. I know that I will never go to a convention and seek this person out. I know that I will be much more hesitant about spending my limited funds on this person's products. To be honest, I am much less likely to recommend this person's comic to others, as I have done in the past. I also know I'd really like to punch this person in the face if I should ever happen to pass them on the street.

With all that being said, I must say there is a silver lining. The wonderful Angi Mauri (@angichan), the author/artist of Devil's Cake had what I can only assume was her own political battle on Twitter. She posted a link to a YouTube video and simply said "Wow, Romney fails again, as usual." To me, this is a perfectly acceptable tweet. She is not raging against Republicans as a whole, but rather one person. She's also not mad just because he's a Republican, or because he has different beliefs than her, or because he supports something she doesn't (although the last one is perfectly acceptable in my opinion - being mad at what someone supports is the way politics SHOULD work). She then followed this tweet up with two more: "Btw guys, you can say you don't like something without insulting people who do. #NoNeedToElaborate #NotTryingToConvertYou" and "I'm just saying, that I respect what you like, unless it's harmful, so why the ragging?"

Could it be put any better than that? That whole exchange (and I only saw one half of it!) heightened my respect for her tenfold. This is political responsibility. If you are an internet-presence, who has people who follow what you say (be it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, or WHATEVER), you have a responsibility to not spread all the hate that is all too present in the news and political discussions on TV. The hate needs to stop. People need to realize that without one or the other party, we could be living in a dictatorship, without being allowed to have our own opinions. Political discussion is necessary and right (but not when it's all you can talk about). Political hatred and vile recriminations are not. No party is perfect. No political viewpoint is without flaws. Only by combining all of our beliefs and values together can we achieve a working country that doesn't run itself into the ground.

Game Review: Skyborn

Let me start by saying this: I usually spend 2-3 days on single-player RPG games before quitting them. The only games excluded from this statement are from the Pokémon series (I can't help it with those games, I just GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL). Enter Skyborn, which has taken some of the things I hate most about RPGs and completely changed them.


There are no random enemy encounters. I'll say it again, there are NO random enemy encounters! I see a treasure chest and want to go grab it? I know I can get there without having to battle six more baddies I may or may not defeat.  The enemies float around the screen with a set path - you can openly ignore every battle but the boss battles should you choose to do so. Or, if you know the enemies are tough, but you just want to see what else is in the area before you go back to an easier area, you can do so. It's absolutely refreshing.


Then there's the female lead. Not only is she pretty, she's smart and capable, and honestly could fight through the complete game without the help of anyone else, if she so chose. She's pretty clueless about the whole political atmosphere that makes up the entire game, so it's pretty neat to see her learning everything at the same time the player is, too. You feel the same level of injustice and surprise that she does. I also liked the fact that she's a little hard-headed, albeit kind to most everyone, and she takes the whooooole game to finally forgive someone who's been helping her since the beginning, all because of a small (?) slight.


The game instruction isn't forced like most RPGs. In a quick "hey, come to my tavern and I'll show you some moves" demonstration, you learn everything you need to about walking around, talking to people and, most importantly, the different types of treasure chests scattered throughout the world. Most RPGs just assume you'll know, and the ones that don't draaaaag explanations out, but not so with Skyborn.

The story line is extremely engaging, and I found myself excited for the next time something would be revealed and the characters would discuss it. I must say, I did find it a little offensive that your brother tries to sell you as a wife to the rich guy at the very beginning of the story, but hey, you spend the rest of the game in constant repartee with the handsome rich guy as battle partner, so all is not lost. 

The best thing in the world, however, is the "bonus experience" sparkles you can find sprinkled in the oddest places. They are placed there specifically for people who enjoy exploring maps. They even state this specifically. For anyone who has ever played a multi-player RPG with me, you understand that this element fits me perfectly. I like to go to every single corner of a map. I like to walk into every door. I will spend hours walking back and forth across a screen to make sure I've seen everything, and this game is giving me extra levels for doing so. How awesome is that?

Now, onto the not-so-cool stuff.

First of all, I did not understand the weapon creating at all. There was, in actuality, very little ore you could mine yourself (as someone who explored every part of every map, I'd know), so every time I went to create something, I found myself pausing and thinking "is this really worth it?" In the end, no, it wasn't. I had so much gold, it was ridiculous. And you can't make anything better than what you can buy...so that certainly confused me. It seemed like an unnecessary element to the game. Perhaps it was thrown in there because the heroine is a mechanic/creator/inventor-type person?

You could only hold a limit of 20 for each item, which could get more than a little annoying since, later in the game, it became extremely necessary for me to use the resurrection items during fights. You couldn't get to the cities at all during most sections of the game, so if you ran out...you were out, and you'd have to hope you find a nodule that gave everyone full life before long.

At one point, you find a little "earthbound"-elf-girl to join your party and she's...unfortunately pretty useless. You can't even upgrade her weapon until MUCH later in the game (and then, only through the very special treasure chests), so her hits are very weak compared to your other characters and her special abilities are completely lackluster in battle. If she wasn't so adorable, I'd probably ragequit the game just because of her existence. It's a chore to keep the girl alive.

There is also no map. I mean, of course, one you can pull up to see where you are and where you've been. For the most part, this wasn't too bad, but there were a few areas where I walked in circles trying to figure out if I had been there yet or not, and whenever I was in town, it was so difficult to find where the vendors were or where I needed to go to progress the story. This caused more than one headache because, as much as I love exploring, I hate not repeating my steps on the constant.

The last matter I have an issue with is perhaps my own fault. It was stated clearly that I was on the last leg of the game, and I wouldn't be able to turn back if I continued on, so I needed to make sure I had everything. I, having battled every baddie and explored every experience sparkle, was pretty confident and plowed on ahead. I was doing great until the last boss. Clearly I did not have the proper equipment level needed, and after losing horribly quite a few times, I closed the game in frustration and anger. There is no way for me to go back and modify my gear to be more helpful, because I only had the one save file. There is literally no option for me to beat the boss as I currently stand (he can, and does, one-shot 3 of my characters every time he attacks - no amount of life-giving branch-things will keep my characters in the game, and even those are dwindling with the amount of times I've attempted to beat him). My only option is to start over again.

On the one hand, this idea fills me with dread. I hate playing these types of games over again. Nothing new happens. You fight the same people, your characters say the same things, you're on one set path with absolutely no deviation. Why would anyone want to play that over again? But on the other hand, I really want to beat this game. Almost more badly than I want to gather all the Pokémon in the world. It's almost a compulsion because I like the story and the characters so much. So I really can't decide what choice is better for me at the moment. I might have to convince my husband that he needs to play the game, just so I can jump in at the last part and see what happens. Or, one of you could play it and record the last parts just for me ~_^

Until next time!

Movie Review: Tristan & Isolde (animated)

Let's ignore for a moment the absolutely terrible CGI animation (the age of the movie is no excuse, as it came out after such CGI masterpieces as Shrek, Toy Story and even Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within), and the truly laughable voice acting (Isolde switches between an American, Irish and even Swedish accent with every other sentence). Let's also ignore the "plucky" animal sprite that can see the future and spouts words like "nuclear" and "supersonic" and uses phrases like "law of gravity" and "law of physics" while simultaneously ruining the main hero's chances of handling ANYTHING on his own.

Let's instead focus on the fact that Thierry Schiel and Mike Carey completely butchered anything relating to the actual "love story" of Tristan and Isolde. In this story, Tristan volunteers to save his uncle's kingdom from Isolde's "evil" father, not realizing that the man was his uncle at the time. This, of course, ruins the actual bad guy's plan of killing the king and taking over the kingdom. Not only does Tristan prevent the kingdom from going to war, he also presents the threat of being the one to take over the kingdom should the king die (ridiculous, since Tristan's father is alive and well...interesting that NO ONE in the kingdom seemed to know this...and Tristan's father is some sort of lord or king (it's not explained too well) not too far away).

Tristan fights and defeats the champion of the opposing nation, only to get himself poisoned. The animal sprite is quick to send him on his way to Irlandis, to Isolde, even after telling him to avoid doing this exact thing. Tristan fakes a name when he finds out that Isolde is the niece (a far cry from the fiance in the original story) of the man he defeated. Of course, this happens as he's LAYING NAKED in Isolde's bed, a fact that she mentions laughing and he confirms by pulling up the sheets and looking disgustedly at his naked form (...this is a children's movie?). His visit ends with him being healed and breaking into a completely random romantic song with Isolde in her garden, before being banished...because the animal sprite, in an effort to "save Tristan from himself," forces her to realize Tristan is the man who defeated her uncle. As a lover of musicals and Disney movies, I was surprised by the song simply because it is the ONLY song in the entire movie. There isn't even real battle music during the fight scenes! This scene also killed me as Tristan called her "Is-old" several times, when she is referred to as "Is-old-ah" for every other scene.

Tristan returns home to a parade, and to find that the king has been convinced by his evil adviser to marry Isolde himself. He's sent back to Irlandis to obtain Isolde and a peace treaty, even though he has a bounty on his head. Apparently Tristan is too much of a chicken to talk to his uncle at all about the fact that he's in love with Isolde AND he's going to be killed if he returns to Irlandis. Of course, fate steps in and instead he restores Isolde's father to king-status by killing a dragon and stealing back the crown of the former king. A completely irrelevant plot point with the exception of the fact that it gets him in good with the man who had banished him.

Here we're introduced to the only female character besides Isolde and her maid. What I can only guess is her mother, as she's wearing a crown and is referred to as Queen by the maid she is conspiring with, interferes with everything by handing over a love potion intended to clearly muck up the works even more, making Isolde fall in love with Tristan's uncle. Then she disappears...and Isolde's entire kingdom becomes an afterthought to everyone BUT the evil bad guy. And of course, Tristan and Isolde end up drinking the love potion...causing them to fall in love even more? Or something? What was a valid plot device in the original story (Isolde and Tristan hated each other after all) becomes useless and unnecessary. I honestly don't know why they even kept it in the story after all the OTHER changes they made.

From here, the story reaches its expected end, with the great battle between Tristan and the actual bad guy (let's see, the champion, Isolde's dad, the dragon and now this guy, he sure is accomplishing a lot in a short period of time), the uncle coming to his senses and Tristan and Isolde living happily ever after. Not that I expected them to keep the original ending (very Romeo and Juliet with everyone dying), but this sugar-coated nonsense was a little ridiculous. If the king hadn't come to his senses, and actually confronted Tristan about his feelings, the poor would-be-hero would still be floundering about trying to talk about anything other than becoming a knight.

I'm not sure why the French decided to make this animated monstrosity, but I can see why it wasn't released into the US until 8 years later, straight onto DVD. American audiences would've laughed this out of the theater and I'd be surprised if it sold more than a handful of copies here at all. It almost hurt to watch, and I'm sure I could've produced something better for half the cost.

Until next time!

Being the Wife of a Part-Time Performer

My husband and I have many similar interests. We love video games, baseball, and cats. We enjoy movies and board games of all kinds. 80's and 90's TV shows? We eagerly await each new DVD or Netflix release. However, there is one area where we differ vastly. My husband is a social butterfly and I am...whatever the opposite of a social butterfly is. The more people at a party, the happier he is - while I very much prefer a night of drinking with one or two friends while watching a movie, if not an evening by myself reading.

When Adam learned there was an active open-mic comedy group around our area, he was ecstatic. It was something he had always wanted to try. For me, just the thought of HIM being on the stage is nauseating, let alone the thought of ever doing it myself. It wasn't long before he had gotten in good with open-mic crowd and was attending open-mic nights in Virginia Beach and Richmond by request. He was very good with very little work.

I can't say this hasn't caused a little jealousy among the other local comedians. Some of them do this sort of thing, in their minds, full time - working meaningless jobs at McDonald's or Target, making just enough to get them from one comedy house to another. Adam works a corporate day job, thinks up a couple bits over a few days, and performs once or twice a week. And yet, within the first month, he was already being asked to do paid performances, every comedian's ultimate goal. Not that it's been "good" money, definitely not something he would ever consider quitting his day job for, but enough that it's made some people angry and jealous.

Adam had been doing comedy clubs for a little over a year and a half when he was asked recently to take over a trivia gig for one of his comedian buddies while he was out of town. Two months later, when his friend returned, the owner of the company gave Adam his own locations three nights a week, going so far as to sign a new bar to a contract just so Adam could have a third night. These are simple gigs: he shows up at a bar, sets up his sound system, and reads questions. Adam, being who he is, riffs off the questions, the energy in the room, and the people participating in the games. Everyone has a fun night, and Adam walks away with at least $75 a night, more than he made when he'd host big name comedians that came into the local comedy club for weekend shows.

On the one hand, this has been fantastic. It's added to our income to the point where I don't need to go back to work, Adam has his need for performance satisfied, and I don't have to listen to him try out new bits on me every time we talk (honestly, there'd be times where I'd stop him mid-story and ask if it was a new bit...when he'd respond yes, I'd tell him I'd much rather talk to my husband and not the comedian). On the other, I am home alone...a lot. During the days while he's at work, he'll pop in to share a 10-minute lunch with me, but three days a week, that's all I'll see him until close to midnight. There are times when it becomes almost unbearable, and I enjoy being alone.

It makes me wonder about those wives of travelling comedians or musicians, ones who are in a new city every night. They see their husbands even less than I do, so what on earth are they doing to stay sane? Is it perhaps our opposite personalities that cause this feeling? If I was a more outgoing type, the type that would be comfortable going with him and working the crowd while he's performing, would the situation be easier? Or perhaps if I was better at making friends through more than the computer?

Sometimes it's very hard to be the quiet little wife of the man on stage, the one promptly forgotten by everyone as soon as he steps into the light. All-in-all, I'm really proud of my husband and I'm glad that people seem to love him as much as they do, but I won't be too sad when he hangs up his part-time performance hat and settles down into the corporate lifestyle he also fits so well.

A No-Love Letter to Foot Locker

Dear Foot Locker:

I have never been into running, in any sense of the word, but I have recently decided to try again anyway. The last time I bought any sort of athletic shoe was in 2004, and my PUMAs don't look older than 6 months, but they don't fit the way a running shoe should. So I went into your store yesterday with the sole purpose of buying a new running shoe, one that would be good for both treadmill and trail running.

First of all, I was appalled at your choice of shoe colors. I understand that this isn't your fault, but don't you think a muted shoe color (that ISN'T black) should be available? Can't you suggest that to shoe manufacturers? Not everyone enjoys running around in neon pink, green, purple, etc. There was ONE shoe that I could even see myself in: mainly grey with some dark orange laces and detailing. This was, in fact, the shoe I was immediately drawn to in the neon swirl of colors that made up your limited female selection.

Sadly, this particular color was unavailable in 7 1/2, my desired size choice. It was available in neon purple, so I put it on, only to be disappointed that it was a full size too big. I tried on the grey/orange size 7, and it seemed to fit, although a little tightly. I discussed this with your boy on the floor, and when he saw how I was ready to buy a shoe that day, he eagerly went about grabbing a size 7 in every female shoe you carried. Almost all of them were a little tight, just enough to be uncomfortable when I walked. while the 7 1/2 sizes were, for the most part, too large. Your boy then told me that this was just how shoes fit nowadays, because of the new "minimalism" belief when it came to running shoes.

Since I was assured that most of these shoes were designed to be worn without socks, and I was not about to try on a shoe with no sock, I purchased the original grey/orange pair that drew me to begin with. I was told repeatedly that the New Balance Minimus Trail shoes were supposed to be worn without socks, and that was why they were a little tight. And the fact that it said "Winter Run" inside the shoes? A complete non-issue according to your boy! That just means that they don't slip on ice, but they're perfectly acceptable as a summer running shoe!

Goodness, I really wish I hadn't been so eager to purchase a new running shoe. Wearing them about town was fine (although the promise that they don't slip on ice proved to be untrue when I almost took a tumble on a normal linoleum floor), and I was happy with the feel and weight of the shoe, so very different from my 8 year old PUMA clunkers! I decided to really break them in, I should take them on the short circuit of the nearby Nolan Trail. Just a short, walking jaunt with the dog, nothing extreme.

Almost immediately, I noticed that my feet were hot. Disgustingly hot. Like they couldn't breathe at all. Then, the dog and I were not even halfway through the 1.5-mile short circuit when I started to feel a twinge in my right foot. A very painful twinge. I was forced to turn around and limp back to the car when the twinge became full out pain in two different places on my right foot.

I have learned two things about this shoe. Clearly, Winter Run means just that, for running in the winter. By no means should these shoes be worn in the overly hot summers in Virginia. I can't *believe* how badly my feet were sweating the moment I stepped outside. It's also pretty clear that these shoes should be worn with socks, and your boy on the sales floor sold me shoes that do not fit my foot correctly. I have three very painful blisters, one on my right foot pinky toe, one on my right foot heel, and one on my left foot arch. I was only walking for a steady 10 minutes before they started to develop, so I know there is no way I could run anywhere in these shoes.

So Foot Locker, I could look past this little predicament, if it wasn't for your store return policy, which clearly only allows *unworn* merchandise return. Thanks to this, and your unknowledgeable sales boy, I now own $100 shoes that I will never wear again. I can assure you that I will take my business to one of the 3 other athletic shoe stores in the mall, and will tell all my friends to do the same, unless they wish to purchase shoes that will completely maim their feet.

Thank you very little for your non-help in purchasing a running shoe.

Love,
Me

Jessica Fletcher Double-Take

To stem the boredom that has been a result of my current unemployment, I recently took up cross-stitching again, a favorite activity that has fallen to the wayside since early in my college years. Of course, it's just not possible to stitch in complete silence (for me, anyway), so I decided to Netflix a show everyone my age has heard about, but few have actually watched. I'm well into the fifth season of "Murder, She Wrote" and it has most definitely NOT been a disappointment.

Now, I will grant you that, given today's abundance of "didn't see that coming"-s in modern television, the very formulaic style used for every episode has become a little tiresome - but that's to be expected of a show produced in the 80s. There have been very few episodes where I haven't guessed the killer within 20 minutes of the episode's beginning (and those that surprise me are always a delight!). There is one episode in the 109 that I've watched that has stuck with me since the beginning.

Season 1, Episode 5: Lovers and Other Killers had a character named David Tolliver (played by Andrew Stevens) that skeeved me out more than I expected. He seemingly preyed on older women with his charmingly handsome smile, and, to be honest, I had him pegged as the killer (of his latest conquest) from the get-go. Andrew Stevens had a way of making the character seem both at once innocent and sinister, charming the hotel maids to let him into Jessica Fletcher's room after she had asked him not to enter unless she was there, but working on typing up her most recent novel (a job for which she had hired him).

I'm happy to admit that I was not the only one fooled by Andrew Stevens, or should I say not fooled? Jessica had no qualms with letting him know that she didn't think he was as uninvolved as he claimed either. It turned out that he truly wasn't responsible for or connected to the deaths of the two women, but the episode ends ominously with the following conversation:

David: You know, I was enjoying the writing. Send me a copy of the book when it's finished?  Jessica: I may do better. You may end up being a character. David: What would I be? A victim, a suspect, a killer? Jessica: I don't know. I haven't made up my mind yet.

The look he tosses at her retreating back was enough to give me chills. Like I said, he already had me skeeved out, thinking he was the killer, and that certainly didn't help. I was so sure he would return to the "Murder, She Wrote" scene, possibly as a killer, or perhaps as another suspect who was relying on Jessica to clear his name.

It only took 104 episodes (and almost 5 complete seasons) for him to return again. But this time, Andrew Stevens was not playing David Tolliver. In Season 5, Episode 19: Double Exposure, he was the unassuming doctor brother-in-law of the victim who didn't even warrant the label of suspect.  Sadly, this background character did not get enough air-time to completely dispel the lurching of my stomach any time his face flashed across the screen. I had realized early on that the show utilized the same actors for different small  roles (I've noticed it especially with the females), which isn't surprising considering there were 258 episodes (just 1 killer and 1 victim each show would require over 500 different people, and that doesn't include the MANY suspects, policemen, and other extras!). I was definitely surprised by the re-use of this actor though. After playing such a prominent role in an early episode, one I was certain would make a reappearance, why would they choose this man to take such a minor role?

His face is burned into my mind, and will be for quite some time, as the almost-killer, the not-quite-innocent, the guilty-of-something. I have assured myself, through use of IMDB.com, that Andrew Stevens will NOT be returning as David Tolliver. For that, I am both grateful and dismayed. No other minor character has stuck with me like his, but to see him in another episode, where his mysterious guilty-innocence could be confirmed as one or the other, might take away the mystique, the staying power of a character so well-portrayed, and that would be a huge disappointment.

Until next time!