the ocean

 -- The Bravo Vault. I'm telling you, some of these old seasons of Top Chef really slapped hard. And it's fascinating just to remember how reality TV was before 95% of the people on it came with a plan for how they should produce themselvers.

-- The Top Model Documentary. Honestly, for those of us who have devoted serious scholarship to ANTM, there was nothing all that surprising. Except maybe Tyra's decision to dress as Carmen Sandiego for her interviews. We always knew it was a fairly demented enterprise.

-- The Oscar Race Continuing. We are up to 8/10 best picture nominees, with a week to go. I enjoyed both The Secret Agent and Sentimental Value despite having to read subtitles for several hours. I'm typically more of a "just listen to the movie while doing other things" kind of guy.

-- Travel Mishaps. Two weeks ago I was stuck on the tarmac at Reagan National for 45 minutes because they didn't have a gate available for us. Apparently, two inches of snow is enough to ground flights in DC. In Chicago we keep flying until there is actively an abominable snowperson clutching the wing of the plane.

-- Fake Spring. It's going to get up to 60 degrees in Chicago today. And then by by Thursday we'll be back below freezing. I'm not falling for it this year. 

-- Nostalgia. As I prepare for my '90s show next month, I've reviewed my old high school yearbooks. Man, we had some hairstyles back then. But no social media, so I guess we win.