Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Back in Time
So it must be admitted at this point that I am watching season three of Felicity for some reason. Well, "watching" is probably not the right term, as I am doing other things while it is on in the background. And as far as the reason, does one really need a reason to revisit the early zeros? Chunky sweaters, sensitive singer-songwriters with acoustic guitars, hyperarticulate white people -- it's all fairly amazing.
Something must be said, of course, about the hair. She really did look like a chia pet when she cut it short. But Wikipedia tells me that people are wrong to blame the drop in ratings on her hair: the ratings drop actually occurred earlier when it moved from Tuesdays to Sundays. Still, it didn't look good. And the mannish outfits didn't help.
The University of New York seems like a pretty great fictional college, actually. The professors don't mind listening to students whine endlessly, probably because they have sick offices with giant windows. The student body is filled with diverse obsessives of every race and creed. And the student apartments are gigantic, though you can't ignore the chance that you'd be forced to live with Megan.
The most amazing thing to me is that I can remember the critics totally loving this shit at the time. Like, there was awards talk. TV has come a long way since then. Although strangely, Julianna Margulies is still on it.
So it must be admitted at this point that I am watching season three of Felicity for some reason. Well, "watching" is probably not the right term, as I am doing other things while it is on in the background. And as far as the reason, does one really need a reason to revisit the early zeros? Chunky sweaters, sensitive singer-songwriters with acoustic guitars, hyperarticulate white people -- it's all fairly amazing.
Something must be said, of course, about the hair. She really did look like a chia pet when she cut it short. But Wikipedia tells me that people are wrong to blame the drop in ratings on her hair: the ratings drop actually occurred earlier when it moved from Tuesdays to Sundays. Still, it didn't look good. And the mannish outfits didn't help.
The University of New York seems like a pretty great fictional college, actually. The professors don't mind listening to students whine endlessly, probably because they have sick offices with giant windows. The student body is filled with diverse obsessives of every race and creed. And the student apartments are gigantic, though you can't ignore the chance that you'd be forced to live with Megan.
The most amazing thing to me is that I can remember the critics totally loving this shit at the time. Like, there was awards talk. TV has come a long way since then. Although strangely, Julianna Margulies is still on it.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Sunday, Sunday
It probably says something about the way my Sunday is going that I was actually kind of sad just now when the Shark Vacuum infomercial ended. I guess I'm just a sucker for people discovering a lower-cost, high-suction option for all of their pet hair removal needs. Also the background music is really catchy -- it sounds a bit like the very end of the Beverly Hills, 90210 theme on repeat.
It was an early Sunday, as Ian was running the half marathon and I had to drive down to pick him up. Yes, I am complaining not about the exertion involved in running a half marathon, but that involved in driving a car to the location of a half marathon. I was also involved in the carbo loading the night before and the brunching afterwards. It is quite grueling, obviously, but someone has to do it.
I guess my real problem is that I am heading into month three of my allergy season and I neglected to take my meth precursor this morning. And so I feel as though I am sanding two by fours with my face. (I can't take the pill in the afternoon or I will be up all night flitting around the apartment like a tiny hummingbird.) I don't know exactly what it is I am allergic to, but at this point I would not object to the eradication of every form of plant material in the greater Cook County area. Except for, like, wheat, because I'm pretty fond of carbs.
It probably says something about the way my Sunday is going that I was actually kind of sad just now when the Shark Vacuum infomercial ended. I guess I'm just a sucker for people discovering a lower-cost, high-suction option for all of their pet hair removal needs. Also the background music is really catchy -- it sounds a bit like the very end of the Beverly Hills, 90210 theme on repeat.
It was an early Sunday, as Ian was running the half marathon and I had to drive down to pick him up. Yes, I am complaining not about the exertion involved in running a half marathon, but that involved in driving a car to the location of a half marathon. I was also involved in the carbo loading the night before and the brunching afterwards. It is quite grueling, obviously, but someone has to do it.
I guess my real problem is that I am heading into month three of my allergy season and I neglected to take my meth precursor this morning. And so I feel as though I am sanding two by fours with my face. (I can't take the pill in the afternoon or I will be up all night flitting around the apartment like a tiny hummingbird.) I don't know exactly what it is I am allergic to, but at this point I would not object to the eradication of every form of plant material in the greater Cook County area. Except for, like, wheat, because I'm pretty fond of carbs.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Broken Promises
Well, I said I'd be blogging my Amtrak on Sunday, and I totally lied. But to be fair, Amtrak lied, too. I couldn't get the wireless to work at all on the way back. But it was way worse for me than it was for you, believe me. I couldn't even play candy crush. And I had already read most of my New Yorkers, so I was stuck reading the truly skipable parts. We're talking the Night Life section here, people. When am I ever going to take in a cabaret in the Village?
Anyway, I did make it back, and then I pretty much left again right away. Oral argument in beautiful McHenry County. My destination was fifty-eight miles away and it took me an hour and a half to get there thanks to morning rush traffic. On the plus side, that gave me plenty of time to skip over George Michael's "Careless Whisper" on my iPhone repeatedly. How do these things get on my iPhone? I blame Obama, of course.
But McHenry County has now been made safe for electronic harassment statutes, and so I can rest easy in Chicago for a while. At least until next weekend, when I head to Decatur for my fifteen-year college reunion. Has it really been fifteen years already? It feels like just yesterday, but that's probably because I now watch Dawson's Creek every morning while I get ready for work. God, those sexy teens had such important problems.
Well, I said I'd be blogging my Amtrak on Sunday, and I totally lied. But to be fair, Amtrak lied, too. I couldn't get the wireless to work at all on the way back. But it was way worse for me than it was for you, believe me. I couldn't even play candy crush. And I had already read most of my New Yorkers, so I was stuck reading the truly skipable parts. We're talking the Night Life section here, people. When am I ever going to take in a cabaret in the Village?
Anyway, I did make it back, and then I pretty much left again right away. Oral argument in beautiful McHenry County. My destination was fifty-eight miles away and it took me an hour and a half to get there thanks to morning rush traffic. On the plus side, that gave me plenty of time to skip over George Michael's "Careless Whisper" on my iPhone repeatedly. How do these things get on my iPhone? I blame Obama, of course.
But McHenry County has now been made safe for electronic harassment statutes, and so I can rest easy in Chicago for a while. At least until next weekend, when I head to Decatur for my fifteen-year college reunion. Has it really been fifteen years already? It feels like just yesterday, but that's probably because I now watch Dawson's Creek every morning while I get ready for work. God, those sexy teens had such important problems.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Amazing News
The Amtrak from Chicago to Quincy now has free wireless. So I can actually liveblog the stampede for stale Fritos and tiny bottles of Chardonnay as it happens. I can give you the "you are there" feeling with regard to the screaming children running up and down the aisles and rubbing sticky hands on things. I'm not sure I can effectively convey the condescending sarcasm of the Amtrak employee repeatedly reprimanding passengers for standing in the not-at-all-line-like formation that the previous Amtrak employee carefully placed them in, but that's really on me, not the technology.
Less amazing news, I think, is that I decided to schedule myself for a Quincy visit for the weekend occurring but one day after my drive to Springfield and back for an Illinois Supreme Court argument. And but two weekends before my drive to Decatur for a college reunion I am coordinating but so far not attracting any of my actual friends to. So basically I'm scoring a hat trick on small Illinois towns with nice people and high numbers of buffet restaurants per capita. Sports analogy!
Anyway, I am actually kind of looking forward to a potentially restful weekend. I may do some light lifting for my mother, but aside from that my plans are basically not much. Until I get back on this fabulous Amtrak on Sunday night. Get ready for some excitement!!!!
The Amtrak from Chicago to Quincy now has free wireless. So I can actually liveblog the stampede for stale Fritos and tiny bottles of Chardonnay as it happens. I can give you the "you are there" feeling with regard to the screaming children running up and down the aisles and rubbing sticky hands on things. I'm not sure I can effectively convey the condescending sarcasm of the Amtrak employee repeatedly reprimanding passengers for standing in the not-at-all-line-like formation that the previous Amtrak employee carefully placed them in, but that's really on me, not the technology.
Less amazing news, I think, is that I decided to schedule myself for a Quincy visit for the weekend occurring but one day after my drive to Springfield and back for an Illinois Supreme Court argument. And but two weekends before my drive to Decatur for a college reunion I am coordinating but so far not attracting any of my actual friends to. So basically I'm scoring a hat trick on small Illinois towns with nice people and high numbers of buffet restaurants per capita. Sports analogy!
Anyway, I am actually kind of looking forward to a potentially restful weekend. I may do some light lifting for my mother, but aside from that my plans are basically not much. Until I get back on this fabulous Amtrak on Sunday night. Get ready for some excitement!!!!
Monday, September 14, 2015
A Word From Our Sponsors
As a general matter, I don't see many commercials, since we watch almost everything on DVR. So people will make reference to, for instance, Jan the Toyotathon Lady, and I have no idea what they are talking about. I actually think the people making these references have far more reason to feel bat about this than I do, but regardless, I'm not exactly current.
(I do know who Flo from the Progressive commercials is, though. And let me just say that if an asteroid were to strike her dead, I wouldn't exactly have to wear black for a year in mourning.)
The really strange thing, though, is that I'm intensely familiar with the type of commercials that air on the Hallmark and Lifetime networks, since I tend to have them on in the background while I'm doing other things. So if you want to know about a mini catheter, adult incontinence products, or how to get life insurance to cover your funeral costs without a medical exam, I'm your man.
Oh, and that extended Nutrisystem commercial with Marie Osmond? The one where they bring out a "regular person" to talk with Marie out how losing weight has impacted her self esteem and how she still likes cookies? Pretty much know that one by heart.
I'm not sure that I really have a point here, but if there is one, it's pretty much that I'm wasting my life.
As a general matter, I don't see many commercials, since we watch almost everything on DVR. So people will make reference to, for instance, Jan the Toyotathon Lady, and I have no idea what they are talking about. I actually think the people making these references have far more reason to feel bat about this than I do, but regardless, I'm not exactly current.
(I do know who Flo from the Progressive commercials is, though. And let me just say that if an asteroid were to strike her dead, I wouldn't exactly have to wear black for a year in mourning.)
The really strange thing, though, is that I'm intensely familiar with the type of commercials that air on the Hallmark and Lifetime networks, since I tend to have them on in the background while I'm doing other things. So if you want to know about a mini catheter, adult incontinence products, or how to get life insurance to cover your funeral costs without a medical exam, I'm your man.
Oh, and that extended Nutrisystem commercial with Marie Osmond? The one where they bring out a "regular person" to talk with Marie out how losing weight has impacted her self esteem and how she still likes cookies? Pretty much know that one by heart.
I'm not sure that I really have a point here, but if there is one, it's pretty much that I'm wasting my life.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Hey, Neighbor!
So we were awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of someone banging on something repeatedly. I thought maybe someone had gotten crafty at 4 AM and was hammering. Or that the concert at Wrigley had really devolved. But then that sound stopped and instead I heard the sound of things hitting the railings of the back decks repeatedly. At which point I looked outside and saw a man dressed only in boxer briefs using a broom to fling trash at the first floor deck. As I did not recognize him, I thought it best not to engage. And indeed all noise ceased shortly thereafter.
Today I came to find out that this near-nude individual was in fact a new neighbor. Our downstairs neighbor (the one with the pot and the super loud bass) had taken in a new roommate, who promptly locked himself out in the middle of the night and decided trash flinging was the means of his salvation. And when that failed, he broke the lock on the door from the garage into the building. So yeah, now we're down one door, but at least we have a nice collection of trash on our back decks.
It occurs to me that moving might not be the worst idea ever. Wrigleyville was super fun when I was 27, but it turns out I'm not 27 any more. I blame science, frankly.
So we were awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of someone banging on something repeatedly. I thought maybe someone had gotten crafty at 4 AM and was hammering. Or that the concert at Wrigley had really devolved. But then that sound stopped and instead I heard the sound of things hitting the railings of the back decks repeatedly. At which point I looked outside and saw a man dressed only in boxer briefs using a broom to fling trash at the first floor deck. As I did not recognize him, I thought it best not to engage. And indeed all noise ceased shortly thereafter.
Today I came to find out that this near-nude individual was in fact a new neighbor. Our downstairs neighbor (the one with the pot and the super loud bass) had taken in a new roommate, who promptly locked himself out in the middle of the night and decided trash flinging was the means of his salvation. And when that failed, he broke the lock on the door from the garage into the building. So yeah, now we're down one door, but at least we have a nice collection of trash on our back decks.
It occurs to me that moving might not be the worst idea ever. Wrigleyville was super fun when I was 27, but it turns out I'm not 27 any more. I blame science, frankly.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
This Is Entirely Normal
And it doesn't mean that I am at all crazy that I am having an active freak out because my phone for some reason won't let me access my games right now. I have been getting an error message for like an hour and half. And this may have caused some acerbic commenting on my part. Slash low level shouting.
It's not that I'm obsessed, really. It's just that I hate it when things don't work. I even googled the error message I'm getting to see if anyone had any useful tips for resolving it. Strangely, pbjman53's comments failed to get to the heart of the problem. Nor did trying to earn cash from my home seem like an appropriate solution.
I know that I should just walk away and do something else for a while. It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, I should be outside playing with my friends and all that. And yet, I can't focus on anything else. Not even the Hallmark movie with the ungainly woman who bonds with a little girl over the fact that they both have deceased parents. And no one calls the police. What is this world coming to?
And it doesn't mean that I am at all crazy that I am having an active freak out because my phone for some reason won't let me access my games right now. I have been getting an error message for like an hour and half. And this may have caused some acerbic commenting on my part. Slash low level shouting.
It's not that I'm obsessed, really. It's just that I hate it when things don't work. I even googled the error message I'm getting to see if anyone had any useful tips for resolving it. Strangely, pbjman53's comments failed to get to the heart of the problem. Nor did trying to earn cash from my home seem like an appropriate solution.
I know that I should just walk away and do something else for a while. It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, I should be outside playing with my friends and all that. And yet, I can't focus on anything else. Not even the Hallmark movie with the ungainly woman who bonds with a little girl over the fact that they both have deceased parents. And no one calls the police. What is this world coming to?
Monday, September 07, 2015
Belabored
This is the first Labor Day weekend in like a decade that I've spent in Chicago. When my dad was still with us, I used to always go down to Quincy for the weekend, where we would celebrate by walking dogs and half-watching Mythbusters marathons. Last year, we went to Minnesota for our amazing state fair experience, the heartburn from which I am still experiencing today. But this year we decided to focus the weekend on eating and drinking more than any human could reasonably be expected to survive, so basically it's just like any other weekend but with an extra day. It's been fairly amazing.
Friday we hung out with my mom and finished season six of Mad Men, so we are finally current with the pop cultural world of 2013. Spoiler alert: it turns out that Don Draper really is a brilliant but troubled man. Saturday we went to the dog beach, or rather the dog went to the dog beach and we watched. She was very excited about how this opened up the possibility of playing with aquatic trash as well as land-based trash. That night we went to our friends' place and watched a movie in their back yard. The back yard part ended up being better than the movie part, but the vodka part was the best of all. Yesterday we went to a friend's barbeque, where I ate the larger part of an entire container of taco dip. And today we went to brunch at my sister's place, an affair dominated by the dog trying to put her face in my mother's soup.
It really has been a whirlwind weekend. So much so that I'm actually kind of ready to get back into my routine. I'm sure I'll be equally ready for next weekend, though, don't worry.
This is the first Labor Day weekend in like a decade that I've spent in Chicago. When my dad was still with us, I used to always go down to Quincy for the weekend, where we would celebrate by walking dogs and half-watching Mythbusters marathons. Last year, we went to Minnesota for our amazing state fair experience, the heartburn from which I am still experiencing today. But this year we decided to focus the weekend on eating and drinking more than any human could reasonably be expected to survive, so basically it's just like any other weekend but with an extra day. It's been fairly amazing.
Friday we hung out with my mom and finished season six of Mad Men, so we are finally current with the pop cultural world of 2013. Spoiler alert: it turns out that Don Draper really is a brilliant but troubled man. Saturday we went to the dog beach, or rather the dog went to the dog beach and we watched. She was very excited about how this opened up the possibility of playing with aquatic trash as well as land-based trash. That night we went to our friends' place and watched a movie in their back yard. The back yard part ended up being better than the movie part, but the vodka part was the best of all. Yesterday we went to a friend's barbeque, where I ate the larger part of an entire container of taco dip. And today we went to brunch at my sister's place, an affair dominated by the dog trying to put her face in my mother's soup.
It really has been a whirlwind weekend. So much so that I'm actually kind of ready to get back into my routine. I'm sure I'll be equally ready for next weekend, though, don't worry.
Wednesday, September 02, 2015
Show Me State
We just finished watching Show Me a Hero on HBO, and it was pretty amazing. I've never really watched too many miniseries, unless you count the fake ones like American Horror Story, but I was drawn to this one by the involvement of David Simon. As you've probably noticed, I am one of those people who will back you into a corner at a party and tell you all about how great The Wire is. Plus the reviews were good, and in my experience critics are never wrong about anything.
I have to admit that it started out a bit slow for me and I had trouble getting used to the fact that I actually had to pay attention at first. I'm pretty accustomed to being able to eat a sandwich, work on my computer, and knit a fantastic sweater while watching television. But as it went on, I got really hooked. The performances are all pretty strong and there are probably a dozen compelling little stories that weave together to create the narrative. Yes, there is an Angsty White Guy that sort of serves as the central character, but they've made him so flawed and complex that he's fascinating, and all of the other characters get their due as well. By the last two (of six) installments, I was actually becoming somewhat emotional, and not just because I'm on Zyrtec-D right now, which totally messes with my brain.
Anyway, if you're looking for something to watch, it's good and not a major investment of time. Which is vital, because god knows we are all very busy and important these days.
