Made it as far as Downtown Disney :)

[ladyofavalon77]

Well, we got up early to head out to Holyland USA but Mom decided she wanted to wait till tomorrow because her legs were still hurting her and she wanted to rest.  Instead, we decided to just drive around and check on tickets.  Since we were waiting on doing an amusement park today, we decided to go to a dinner show...Arabian Nights.  We got the tickets for only $24 each...normally they cost at least $50 :)  We still had some time to kill so it was off to Downtown Disney.  I love this place because it has Virgin Records because it has a HUGE selection of music and movies plus a GIGANTIC Disney store as well as a huge movie theater :)  

Well, Mom brought sandwiches she made so we could save money so we ate them in the parking lot before venturing out.  They had a Haagen-Dazs on site and I was in the mood for some ice cream since it was warm.  Brother and I split a Mint Chip Dazzler that was way too big for the two of us.  Then Mom and Dad headed to Shades of Green for discount tickets while we stayed to see a movie and explore Virgin Records.  I was determined to get the latest Entertainment Weekly magazine :)  So we bought tickets for The Pursuit of Happyness.  David wanted to see that movie rather than Happy Feet or Casino Royale again.  Then headed to Virgin Records to kill time...and what did we discover? They still hadn't gotten in the latest Entertainment Weekly magazine...I could have killed myself right then.  What was it going to take for me to get that magazine?  Anyways...I did buy an Evanescence CD and a Nickelback CD (the former has My Immortal and Bring Me To Life while the latter has If Everyone Cared, Far Away and Saving Me).  Then it was time for the movie and my parents were able to meet me in time :)

So here is my little review of the Pursuit of Happyness.  

Just like one of my friends here on LJ said, it was really really good!  I was expecting some lighter, inspiring fare but instead it went for the jugular and hit you in the heart.  Thandie Newton did a GREAT job playing the hardened wife who just can't take anymore of the poverty and lifestyle her husband is trying to piece together.  Will Smith is determined to keep his son no matter what and though he makes some mistakes like leaving his son alone for periods at a time when staying at a homeless shelter or at the playground, his determination to be with him as much as possible is so beautiful to behold when so many fathers abandon their sons the first chance they get.  Though you know the movie will end happily from the movie poster outside, I still found myself crying tears of joy when the executives told his character that he had the job as he started to cry himself at the news.  The character had been through so much (such as staying overnight in a subway bathroom because they have no place to go as he holds his son in his arms and holds back someone beating on the locked door with his foot....truly Oscar worthy!).  

It's a great movie and I recommend it to anyone who's down and out and has a dream of making it...no matter what!

After that we had a few minutes to kill before the dinner show so I had them drop me off at the computer room (yes, I finally found where it was!) so I could look into the LJ entries I missed over the weekend.  And what did I discover?  The first four episodes of 24 were leaked all over the internet and my flist had all types of entries up on how good they were and best of all!!! KAREN AND BILL ARE MARRIED!!!!!!!  Not only that, their scenes onscreen are electric...even if it's only by phone calls.  I can't wait to see them on Sunday night! EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Of course, this would all happen on the week I'm away from my home computer *pouts*

So we went to the Arabian Nights dinner show and it was pretty good :)  Some of the lines were too cheesy and predictable but the outfits were stunning and I bought a program to remember the experience.  The horses were so beautiful...especially the stallions.  I liked their use of smoke machines and well known song writers like Enya.  Some of the tricks weren't that impressive but there were a few that took your breath away like jumping through a hoop of real fire while standing on a moving horse as well as having six people jump on two moving horses around a ring :)  My favorite moment was the drunken horse who kept getting the best of his trainer as he pulled the blanket off his back and hit him in the head.  It was hilarious!  Very entertaining indeed and my vegetable lasagna wasn't half bad either :)

Once we went back to our room, I decided to watch another two hours of Season Five (Episodes 5.15 & 5.16).  Well, this was basically a Jack/Audrey episode as they prepare her for interrogation and poor Jack has to try to stop it.  I still don't like Kim Raver as an actress and the reason is simple: she doesn't show the same devotion for Kiefer that he does for her.  There's something about when a woman looks at a man you can see in her eyes what he does for her and Kim doesn't have the ability to portray that. Jean can do it and Charles does it, even Kiefer is capable of doing it but not Kim.  The scene was pretty gripping nonetheless when he slams her to the wall and almost chokes her as well as when he rescues her from the interrogator/torturer near the end.  I liked seeing Karen and Bill disagree, especially Karen saying "I think she broke him instead of the other way around."  I liked how Bierko's men get their transportation to the gas plant by staging a fight and then turning on the cops that show up :)  Shari showing up and giving Miles the eye was so funny and I loved the confrontation between him and Chloe when she tries to defend Shari.  The whole explosion at the gas plant was great and classic 24.

For 5.16, it's time to start finding who really is behind everything.  Jack admits to Buchanan that there's something larger at work.  Meanwhile Aaron returns to the Retreat with Wayne in tow where Wayne tells him that Evelyn knows something about what's going on.  They both go to confront her and discover that Henderson is holding her daughter hostage until she gets a piece of evidence to him that night.  Meanwhile back at CTU, Karen is reluctant to take over CTU but the VP forces her hand.  They however need someone to admit that things were handled improperly so it will go much more smoothly.  That ends up being Audrey since she realizes she can keep Chloe on to help Jack by signing an affidavit that says Bill handled things poorly.  When they exchanged glances as he was leaving, I was thinking "Just trust me Bill and I'll explain everything later." I loved Miles telling Chloe that she can stay and why hehe.  He's such a snake.  Back at the Retreat, Wayne and Aaron bring Jack into the circle of trust to help get Evelyn's daughter back.  They go with Evelyn to the meeting spot and are able to rescue her daughter though she is shot in the leg during the exchange of gunfire.  And what do you know? Logan has been behind everything all along...That's my man!

And now for another chapter of "If I Should Lose You"  This chapter is from Aaron's point of view as he wakes up under a doctor's care and realizes Martha has been taken.  He also realizes that something else is at work because of how prepared the terrorists were...

CHAPTER 2

His first sensation was a sharp pain coursing through his back and then disorientation as he struggled to return to consciousness. Something was wrong. He couldn’t quite determine what but he knew someone needed him. That something had happened to completely turn his world upside down. And then he heard a policeman on his radio sending a report to headquarters…

“Motorcade was completely destroyed. All but one agent survived the attack and he is still in critical condition. Recovered the bodies of President Suvarov and his wife from the wreckage. Still no sign of the First Lady. Sending out search parties now. Will report back with update on situation every fifteen minutes. Rodriguez out.”

No sign of the First Lady…No sign of the First Lady…The words continued to echo in his mind as he first felt relief that she had not been killed in the attack but soon turned to fear for her safety once more. Why had they taken her? True, she was a valuable hostage but these men were professionals. He could tell from the weapons they carried and the way they had planned the attack. And professionals leave no witnesses behind. Hostages are a liability and not worth the trouble of taking once an objective has been completed. And he was convinced their main objective was assassination, not kidnapping. Something had changed…

 

“Agent Pierce…can you hear me? Agent Pierce?” a steady female voice addressed him as someone continued to dress his wound. Struggling to open his eyes, Aaron found himself looking into the relieved smile of a female doctor of Hispanic descent.

“Yes…I…hear you,” he replied carefully as he regained control of his limbs and his mind began to focus. There was a mild ache in his back right shoulder but the pain was dulled by morphine they had given him.

“We thought we might lose you, sir,” she informed him gently. “You’re the only one who survived the attack.”

“I need to contact Secret Service. They need to know-” he immediately told her, attempting to rise from the gurney they had put him on and wincing as the pain in his back returned. Evidently, his body was still healing and completely under his control yet.

“What you need is rest, Agent Pierce. The bullet passed through your shoulder cleanly but it damaged a lot of muscle in the process. If you move too quickly, you’ll tear open the stitches we put in place.”

“Ma’am, I’m not worried about that right now. The First Lady is missing and it is my duty to make sure we find her. Now if you’re not going to give me something for the pain, please move out of the way.”

“That won’t be necessary. Secret Service is already on site. I’ll call one of the agents over now,” the doctor finally told him and left the ambulance to do so. Satisfied with this response, Aaron allowed the other medic to continue working on his back while he gritted his teeth against the discomfort. Thousands of dollars in painkillers in his system and they still couldn’t block out the ache in his heart. He had lost her. It was his job to protect her and he had lost her…

“Aaron?” a familiar voice broke into his train of thought and he looked up to see the worried but relieved face of his fellow agent, Stephen Lee. A little wet behind the ears but a good agent nonetheless. Waving off the two medics, Aaron stepped out of the ambulance with Agent Lee for some privacy. They could finish patching him up later, this was more important.

“What’s the situation, Stephen? I overhead that the First Lady is missing. No one saw anything?”

“I’m afraid not, Aaron. You’re the only witness we have. We’re searching the area for any clues but all cameras were knocked out before the attack began. These men knew what they were doing. They got in and they got out. The only thing we don’t know yet is why they killed the Suvarovs and took the First Lady. Surely it would have been easier to just get rid of all witnesses.”

“My thoughts exactly. There’s more to this attack than we’re seeing right now. Something tells me this is just the first in a chain of events planned out long ago.”

“Did you see the men who attacked you? We could get a sketch artist down here and come up with some mockups to run across the terrorist database.”

“Sadly, no. I was shot from behind. But you have the bodies of the men I took down before the second wave came in. That should be enough.”

“Yes, we’re running their fingerprints through the system now. Should have a match within the hour,” the agent replied, wiping a hand across his mouth as he watched another fire truck pull in to assist the clean up efforts. “You know what has me puzzled? What I can’t wrap my mind around? How did they discover the route of the motorcade in the first place? I mean we even changed the direction at the last minute because of that unforeseen delay at the Retreat.”

“I was thinking the same thing.. The way the attack was planned…a backup team in place in case the first one couldn’t get through…specific weapons tailored for this type of operation. No, they received their intel first hand…from someone on the inside.”

“But who? Everyone who had access to the information has had a thorough background check and a long history of dedicated service to this country.”

“I don’t know, Stephen, I don’t know…but I plan to find out,” Agent Pierce replied, the determination mirrored in his eyes and the grim expression he wore as he headed toward one of the parked SUV’s.

But before he began his investigation, he needed to tell the President what had happened. He surely knew about his wife’s capture from the Secret Service but he wanted to still make his report in person. If she had been his wife, he would have wanted someone who had been there to explain the situation. Someone who had seen his wife for possibly the last time. Someone who would assure him that they would not rest until they found her. That is…if she had been his wife.

Speak softly and carefully...my wife is listening...