Crafty Times...
Posted: Sunday, November 14, 2010 by A. in
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Impatient.
Posted: Wednesday, October 6, 2010 by A. inI hate waiting. Waiting causes me to be bored and boredom leads to me being unhappy. Unfortunately life is filled with waiting, and now that we are approaching winter it just gets worse.
At Work:
Waiting for scripts
Waiting for confirmations
Waiting for approvals
Waiting for booking sheets
Waiting for deal points
Waiting to go home
Waiting for this show to end
Waiting for the next show to start
At Home:
Waiting for dinner
Waiting till the last minute so we don't pack things we might need to use before we head home for the weekend
Waiting for friends and family to confirm plans
Waiting for Carey to get responses on his work
Waiting for Carey to give me responses to my questions
Waiting for Thursdays plans
Waiting for Fridays plans
Waiting for Saturdays plans
Waiting for Sundays plans
Waiting for Mondays plans
Back to work:
Repeat all
Waiting for the weekend
Overall:
Waiting for my allergy shots to come in
Waiting for Halloween
Waiting for Birthdays
Waiting for Christmas
Waiting for the next career move
Waiting to move into a bigger place
Waiting for Summer
Waiting to move forward or move on
These are all the things I am waiting for yet I don't just sit and wait. I do things to pass the time, to drive things forward, to make it more rewarding when it comes.
I don't like to wait. Ask people and they will tell you that I get bored and anxious and start to have mood swings. I like to takes steps to make things happen, move on to the next thing. I get very impatient with people who aren't like that, the people who just sit and wait. Waiting feels lazy. Life is too short. If you wait too long you might miss something.
Yet here I am, wasting precious moments blogging about waiting, and why? Because my hands are tied and I can't make my next move till others make theirs. So I need something to do while I wait.
My thoughts on Fall TV and what I think you should see...
Posted: Tuesday, October 5, 2010 by A. inA few weeks ago, while having dinner at my grandparents house, my mother asked me what new television shows would I recommend to her this season. Obviously she had asked the right person, but at the time I was kind of blanking. I had only checked out a few by that point and it had only been one week into premieres. I was not confident enough in my own future with these shows, let alone confident enough to recommend them.
Throughout the summer I had watched trailers and sneak peeks for many new shows. Anything that sparked my interest was added to my sidereel tracker. These are the shows that were at the top of my list and after 2-4 episodes I now feel comfortable deciding what their future will be with my calendar. Some of the shows I am about to discuss are actually ones that I have followed for several years. A new season is a new slate, and the first few episodes can easily persuade me to postpone my viewings or quit altogether.
Sunday
If you watched the last season then you definitely tuned back in for season 5 of DEXTER. The highly acclaimed 4th season was almost undeniably the best season to date. John Lithgow frightened us to our very core, so much so we threw awards statues at him in self defense. The finale left us in a cold, dark place that had us wondering if we would ever see light again. Okay, you can probably sense that I am being a little over dramatic. I am basing that last part on the comments that flooded facebook within seconds of the end credits. Personally, and not to give anything away, I was quite pleased with where the story went and I was filled with hope for the story arch this next season would bring. Well it has arrived, I have watched two episodes and I am going to insist that fans continue to follow it. You might as well strap in because even though we are off to the usual slow start, it is compelling enough to keep you along for the ride.
If you came into our apartment you would know right away that we have been anticipating the arrival of BOARDWALK EMPIRE for a very long time. God forbid we only have one piece of poster art for each Scorsese film. I have actually given away Taxi Driver posters because we do not need, let alone have room for, 6 or 7 of them... Anyway, Carey wants to bare Martin Scorsese's children, and I just downright love HBO. We were not at all disappointed. This show is fantastic. It looks incredible, the writing is genius - and I say this in reference to Michael K. Williams' scene this past week in which he still speaks like he's in B-Mo and I questioned this for the time period. I was having a real hard time getting past this, I was no longer listening to what he was saying. Carey tried to apply the reasoning that "Omar" transcends time. Then Steve Buscemi cleared it all up for me in one line that allowed me to laugh it off and focus on the scene again. The cast is a joy to watch. I am really excited for the rest of the season and I think it may be my favorite new show.
Monday
If you have been following HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER this whole time then you are obviously invested in finding out who the hell married Ted and had Bob Saget's children. If you haven't been following then you probably have no idea what I am talking about and your life will continue unaltered and lacking a bit of flare. This show is not always amazing and a lot of episodes may seem rather pointless - but if you have a group of friends who are dear to your heart, and your little group is made unique by it's own ridiculous language, rules, crazy stories and inside jokes - then you will be able to appreciate the genius beneath the surface. I think this show is hilarious and so much of the nonsense discussed has at one point come out of my mouth when no one was listening. If you follow you can continue because it's the same ol' antics with the promise of getting some answers this season. If you don't follow but would like to, please start from the beginning.
Side note: There is nothing I love more than writers who will put something that is almost meaningless in one episode and then 3 seasons later remind you of it and use it to drive the story. How I Met Your Mother does this quite often. Seinfeld used it in a running joke capacity. Either way it is something I really appreciate as a viewer.
90210 - I do not recommend this show. I love it and I hate myself for it and I wish that feeling on no one. There is nothing unique or special about it. It is exactly what you think it is - don't let it suck you in. On another note it showcases a lot of young Canadian talent...which is really why I watch it... do you buy that?
I love Laura Linney. I always have. She is not a high profile celebrity. She is usually the dominant female in a male driven film. She is subtle and funny and makes you feel right at home. THE BIG C is about a woman living with cancer. It is very very funny, and I imagine this can be a hard sell to some. I am really enjoying this series and I am very curious to see where is goes at the conclusion of it's first season. Also starring Oliver Pratt, whom I also adore, and has Idris Elba and Gabourey Sidibe recurring. I am not so fond of Gabourey. She reads very green, for obvious reasons. She seems to have gotten better in the last couple of episodes... at best her inexperience is no longer dominating her scenes. It has not been very promoted from what I have seen, so I wonder how many people actually know that it is on. I say watch it.
Tuesday
The GLEE club is back and I'm starting to think that their placing at regionals was deserved. Is that a spoiler alert? Oh well. I loved this show when it debuted and continued to love it until it's hiatus. Then it came back and disappointed me. The rest of the season was hit or miss with me and hitting those notes is a pretty important thing on this show. It seems to be doing well with it's other viewers but for me, I don't know. I will keep watching it, and I recommend at least the first half of season 1 (the finale was pretty good too). But I will have to keep you posted on this. Also, it is really bothering me that their other dancer guy is gone. It is really annoying to just watch the one dude dance all the time.
We wanted to check out RAISING HOPE based solely on one thing - Garret Dillahunt. When you do that you are pretty much going in blind. He is not the star of the show, but it is okay because the rest of the cast isn't bad. This show is very cute and if you liked My Name is Earl then you will probably appreciate this show's aesthetics and vibe.
THE GOOD WIFE (Season 2) - The main character's name is Alicia. I instantly feel like I am appreciated when I watch this show. How ridiculous is that? I like this show. Do I think Juliana Margulies deserved any awards? No. But I do think it is meatier than your average courtroom drama. It is well written and is executive produced by Ridley and Tony Scott. It's here to stay. If you like courtroom dramas, political scandals and affairs then you will probably really enjoy this one. I hope she goes crazy and kills everyone. It hasn't happened yet but I will wait.
This show is about...well exactly what the title says - PARENTHOOD (Season 2). If you are a fan of Ron Howard's work than this is an instant win for you. It's about you, your kids, your parents, your generations, your everyday lives. It's not much more complicated than that. It's recommended for those who have thick enough skin to withstand a good heart-warming without potentially exploding. I personally watch it for the acting, with a cast like this you can't not be curious.
Wednesday
Everyone's favorite new show is MODERN FAMILY. If you didn't catch it last season then you must be curious as to why it cleaned up at the Emmy's. Check it out. Strong recommendation for this show and for Phil Dunphy for father of the year.
If you watched the Emmy's you may have been one of the many viewers wondering why, during the Bruce Springsteen opening number, did they not pull Courtney Cox on stage? I can't answer this. Probably because they didn't think she was there. COUGAR TOWN is easily lost in the shuffle because it is not very good. It takes the dynamic of How I Met your Mother and adds in a little Desperate Housewives. This show will not appeal to everyone which is why I don't recommend it to everyone. I watch it for some of the silliness that I also get from How I Met Your Mother. If you don't like silly then you will hate this.
Side Note: Cougar Town introduced us to a new game which we have found ourselves playing on Facebook - Movie Mash Up:
Synopsis: Barbara fights for her life against corpses as they rise from their graves, graves like the one Sean Penn is fearing as he faces his last days on death row. "Their coming to get you Barbara...you too Sean"
Answer: Night of the Living Dead Man Walking.
Thursday
Obviously GREY'S ANATOMY is on my list. I was hanging on by a thread through seasons 5 and 6. I could have dropped it at any time. But I am very glad I didn't. I absolutely loved the finale last season and I am determined to see this next one through. I recommend seasons 1-3 for sure if you are a Grey's noob. If you were a fan and went your separate ways, come on back and see it through. You know you want to.
PRIVATE PRACTICE - Drop it. I love Addison, I followed her to L.A., I was with her through all the crap and now I've had enough. I don't recommend it.
If you have been a fan of THE OFFICE from the beginning then you will continue on for now. Will you continue once Steve Carrell departs? That I do not know. I like The Office, I recommend it, but I don't judge you if you want to jump ship.
Friday Night Death Slot
As a fan of NYPD Blue, I approach all cop dramas with caution. There are so many on and it is overwhelming and sometimes quite annoying. Carey has written a cop drama and honestly I laid into it pretty hard. I tore those first few drafts apart with the same hard criticism I give to all other cop shows. That is what I was expecting to do this week when we watched the first three episodes of BLUE BLOODS - previously known round these parts as "Reagan's Law" - But I was pleasantly surprised. I quite liked this show. Now I dont know if that had anything to do with my expectations being lowered by the epic failing of Detroit 1-8-7, but I am sticking with it. Donny Wahlberg is impressive - I often forget that he was in Band of Brothers (only because there were so many characters and they were all phenomenal). Three generations of cops in the same family, fighting crime in NYC. It feels like it's been done before but give it a shot because it is actually quite enjoyable. I opt to move it from the death slot and give it a nice spot of 10pm on Mondays (replacing Chase).
Side Note: Carey took the criticism well and cut a lot of the crap and added more quality. He now has two episodes of MEASURE OF MEN written and has a solid arch outlined for the rest of the season. It is very well done and I am extremely proud of him. It will not be another run of the mill cop drama.
Honorable Mention goes to MIKE & MOLLY - an overweight cop meets an overweight teacher at an Over-eaters Anonymous meeting and they fall in love. It's funny and adorable and was picked up for a second season. It does not fall as a high priority for me but I enjoyed it and will probably watch it casually.
Move bitch get out da way: OUTLAW - Sorry Jimmy, you tried, I know you did. You are just not strong enough to hold a show on your own and unfortunately that is what you are doing because everyone else is lackluster. So you had a good run on Season 3 of Dexter. It's over. Maybe if you're lucky they can give you a guest spot on Blue Bloods, I'm sure Nick Turturro would be happy to see a familiar face.
DETROIT 1-8-7 I almost don't even want to talk about it. Seriously? You can't try to be The Wire and at the same time treat your audience like idiots. We don't need basic terms explained to us. We get it. Move on with the story. Of course the new cop gets shot on his first day at the same time his phone rings to tell him his wife is in labor. That last scene was all you had going for you and it wasn't enough. Please kill James McDaniels off so that he can also join the cast of Blue Bloods and not have to go down with your sinking ship. PEACE OUT.
I'm am still very much looking forward to THE WALKING DEAD which premieres on Halloween and also the HBO series LUCK which will premiere next year and is written by David Milch.
So that's it. Stay tuned, or don't, it's up to you...
So this morning I woke up in a Jello factory, covered in lime Jello and fighting my way through zombies.
It's been days. At least I think it has. My once-white tank top has been soiled brown by a mixture of unknown fluid spatter. I am drenched in sweat. I notice this because it looks awesome on my perfect dream-world biceps.
I have a shot gun, and admittedly I have no idea how to use it. I seem to remember Carey screaming at me to turn off the safety when we were previously under siege. I did not know where the safety was so I just used it like a baseball bat to beat them all down. I have continued with this method and right now he doesn't seem to be complaining.
Carey is running quite a ways in front of me. He is hitting the zombies down as he goes. He is yelling at me to catch up but I am distracted by the thought that I am forgetting something important. Is it a way out? Was I told and now I can't remember? I don't remember why we are going in this direction and it is confusing me. I just hit Shira's face into a wall. Was that Shira? It felt like Shira but didn't look like her. Actually, all the zombies feel like people I know, but they dont look like them. I guess that's what it would feel like in reality.
Carey runs to a large steel door. There are people inside and they are screaming. He is trying to open it, but it must be locked. I see a zombie that has my blackberry. It is mashing all the buttons and trying to to make a long distance call. I can't afford this so I run at him...but I trip and fall. The gun goes off and the zombie's head explodes. That was pretty cool, but now my phone is in a million pieces. I am furious because I have just lost all my contacts. I whine at Carey - "How is Joanna supposed to bbm me now?!". He tells me to stop dicking around and yells at me to bring him the fire extinguisher off the wall. I can't figure out how to get it off the wall. I'm laughing because this is ridiculous but he doesnt find it very funny. He comes over and gets it himself then violently beats the door with it. Finally the door opens.
At least 20 people are inside and try to run out. They are all screaming. Carey sees a pack of zombies, doubling our numbers, heading right for us. He yells at us all to get back in the room. A blonde girl runs out and right into the pack. They begin to eat her in slow motion. I watch as Carey forces everyone else back in the room. Then suddenly I remember. He tells me to get in and I tell him no. He asks me why and I say it's because I'm the one who locked them in. He asks me why I would do that, I tell him it's because these people are stupid and I don't like them. He says "Oh". He closes them in and I press a button that incinerates them all. This distracts the zombies and they start moaning something about barbecue ribs.
We run and find the exit. We step outside and are about to run to freedom when I stop and inform him that I have to go back. He replies "What?! Are you crazy? Why the hell would you have to go back?".
I forgot my shoes.
For Shira
Posted: Friday, July 2, 2010 by A. inI sit here at work daydreaming of you and I,
fighting crime in future spacetime,
slaying our opponents and getting oozed in our face,
in our attempt to free the enslaved alien race.
Then it's back to our cave for a celebratory soiree,
drinking future beer we taze each other til the light of next day,
but the war is not over-though we fought the good fight,
we will sleep with one eye open on every future night.
Sara,
Everytime you come into my cafe my heart stops. A lump forms in my throat, I can't swallow... Although that may be Wayne's cinnabuns... but I don't think so, it is you.
Sara, you look so good, when you come in and order your coffee... with your hangover and grumpy face...I just want to say I love you.
Have a nice lunch. I'll be dreaming of you devouring me like a sundried tomato,
--Kevin
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This was found in a desk at work.