Ramble Ramble

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love TV. I watch a disgusting amount of TV–during my maternity leave it was really bad, but even when I’m working full time, I’m a TV junkie.

However, I don’t always get turned on to great shows right away, often not even getting my first viewing until after they’ve gone off the air (long live Netflix & television shows on DVD!). Just recently as an example, N.C. and I have started watching and become addicted to Battlestar Galactica. Like I said, I can be a little behind the times.

So here’s a list of my ” a little late to the party” viewing habits:

1. Battlestar Galactica–as mentioned above. I heard all kinds of great things about the show (the re-imagining that ran from 2005-2009, not the older version), so we added it to the Netflix list long ago. When it finally came up, we were luckily in the mood to give it a shot, and I have to say that so far, it’s one of the best TV shows I’ve ever seen. I want to know what the budget for each episode was, because each on screens like a movie! Granted, we’re only in the first season, but from what I understand the quality holds up over the long haul.
2. Veronica Mars–I think I started watching this one a full 3 years after it went off the air, and was hooked pretty much right away. Kristin Bell was awesome in that role, even if it was a little silly sometimes!
3. The Office–ok, this one is kind of sad. I never could get into The Office when it first came out. It was just so…painfully close to real life. And painful. And awkward. And did I mention painful? But then they started showing reruns on TBS, and I’d catch part of an episode here, or the end of an episode there, and I slowly got interested. Now we’re starting the series from the beginning (even though I think we’ve probably seen a good 1/2 of them in reruns by now). Plus, who can resist Jim and Pam?
4. How I Met Your Mother–another one I am entranced with after catching a few reruns. I don’t know why I didn’t watch from the beginning, other than it probably conflicted with other stuff I watch on Mondays (why is Monday such a TV night for me? Can’t they spread the love out?), but now that I have a DVR that can record 4 shows, I’m loving this one!
5. Arrested Development–I’m sad to say that I got into this show about 4 episodes before it ended. Of course. The Bluth family though is worth my time on DVD!
6. Scrubs–This one I blame on the endless reruns on Comedy Central, TBS, and it seems like every other channel that runs syndicated shows. But I’ve sort of got a crush on Dr. Cox now, so it was meant to be.
7. Dexter–I probably would have kept up with this one, if I paid for premium channels. But, since I don’t, I didn’t come around to it until the middle of the second season. I’m a little disturbed by my enjoyment of this show, but have to admit that Dexter is one compelling serial killer.

The nice thing about getting into a show well into it’s run, or even after it has gone off the air, is that you get instant gratification–no waiting for the answer to cliff hangers and season ending surprises. Of course, you end up totally out of the cultural loop, but better late than never, right?

P.S. Today is my first day back at work, and I’m pretty heartbroken. I’m trying not to focus on it (hence the completely random TV list), but could really use some smiles and distractions today. Sooooo, I’d love to hear about shows I should be watching, or Netflixing! What are your favorite shows, past or present? Why? (or if you just want to leave me a happy, smile inducing, non-baby related comment, I’d love that as well!)

And, as always, more lists can be found over at Anna’s at abdpbt!

Ah, three day weekends. So glorious, yet the return to the “real world” is always tough.

We had a fantastic weekend, full of productive things, relaxing things, and general goodness. There were trips to the beach, and plants bought, and baby things discussed, and friends we hung out with, and coveted items purchased. Oh, and plenty of good food was eaten as well.

I think what I love about weekends like this one is that feeling that it was productive but not a whirlwind, busy but not insane, relaxing but not lazy. We accomplished many things this weekend, but we also enjoyed ourselves. Somehow it seems harder to do both with only two weekend days!

A few random tidbits from the weekend:

• I officially don’t care that I look and move like a beached whale when I’m at the beach. I do, however, wish I could lay on my stomach.
• Apparently, I married a gardener, something I’m not sure I would have ever expected when we first got together so many years ago. It was so cute to see his face light up like a kid in a candy store when we went to the local gardening center.
• I am a person who covets THINGS. I want things, so many things, and so many things that cost money. I’ve never been a spender when it comes to clothes and shoes and the like, but sadly the things I covet tend to cost more than those items anyway.
• My list of “foods I’m going to enjoy thoroughly once this baby arrives” haunts me. In general, most things are fine in moderation, but there are some just flat out no-nos, and of course, those are the things I want.
• The new Terminator movie is really, really silly. And that’s a nice word to use.
• It’s a shame when a restaurant with good food is marred by bad service. Or weird servers who are bad at their jobs.
• I really love weekends!

We’re at that time of year that always makes me a little sad. A time when I revel in the good memories, and wait anxiously for a time when new memories can be made.

That’s right, it’s season finale time on TV.

Ok, yeah, so maybe I watch too much tv. But seriously, the months of June-early September are dismal in TV land. DISMAL I say. Though there are a few exceptions (hello, Burn Notice!), the summer months are mostly a wasteland for television.

N.C. and I tend to use the summer months as a good time to catch up on series or shows we may have skipped before (the joys of Netflix!), which is all well and good, but I miss the characters I spend so much time with over the year. I’ve always gotten attached to characters (the end of a good book has long saddened me–I hate not getting to know more about the characters I’ve been reading about), and my current TV landscape is no different.

Look, I know I watch too much TV. I know that it’s ridiculous that I’m writing a blog post mourning the season finales of fictional people in a little box. I should read more, exercise more, go out and play more, etc. I know this. But honestly, I like my tv. I like good storytelling. I like relaxing after work with everything from mindless drivel to insanely mind-bending philosophical writing (um, Lost anyone?) that is presented to me in one hour increments.

And let’s be honest–I’m probably going to have to forgo some of my tv obsession this coming fall (or at least postpone it until such a time when I’m not sleep deprived). So join me in mourning the end of the TV season, as I say farewell to my favorites and hope beyond hope that I get to see them again come fall. Or whenever (damn you Lost and your “we’re not coming back until 2010″).

And let’s hope the upcoming episodes of Burn Notice are enough to tide me over.

This weekend was full of fun and excitement. We spent the weekend in LA, but this time it wasn’t for art. Instead, it was for college football. My alma mater was facing off against the UCLA Bruins Saturday, and after 3 long years of being unable to watch games in person, we were gladly spending our Saturday tailgating and cheering. (Warning: All the photos for this post look like crap. There are 3 reasons: I was using my old point and shoot POS, I was more interested in having fun than perfectly capturing the shot, and probably most importantly…I had sunscreen all over the lens. Eh, what can you do?)

Unfortunately, the game started at noon, so tailgating began around 9am, and included bagels & cream cheese, quiche, pastries, fruit, and a few other little tasty treats (no grilling for us so early in the morning).

I have no idea what he's doing

Oh, and booze, for one of the only times that I’ve ever had booze that early in the morning. Some in our group drank mimosas, some vodka tonics, some cranberry & vodkas. And then there was this:

mmmm, breakfast of champions

Someone in the group named it the bloodweiser. (Scarily, not a horrible drink).

Anywho, after a few hours of tailgating, it was time to head to the game. None of us were getting our hopes up about the game (we’re Arizona fans, we’re pretty much used to sucking at football). We were just there to have fun, see old friends, and hopefully not get totally embarrassed by the team performance.

Never thought I'd get to see Arizona at the Rose Bowl

The game actually ended up being great (as an Arizona fan). We saw scores in our advantage, which was a nice change from the past few years. Even though we were in a section that was full of Bruins, we also had some other Arizona fans around to cheer with. And, for the most part, the Bruins and Wildcats were getting along pretty nicely–there was some taunting from both sides, yes, but everyone seemed to agree (in our section at least) that it was all in good fun.

Calm before the storm

Of course, there are douchebags everywhere, and this game was no exception. Combine a long morning of drinking, hot sun, more drinking, your team losing, and my husband the smart ass, and well, things can go south pretty quickly. Exhibit A:

There was a group sitting in front of us–they came in late and were pretty unpleasant from the moment they arrived. Throughout the game, this jackass and his friends/family were verbally sparring with our group. It seemed pretty harmless, with everyone throwing friendly little barbs (most not even having to do with the game or the teams). But apparently at some point, asshat couldn’t keep up anymore. It’s no wonder, he was drinking this throughout the game:

Aftershave or alcohol?

While it looks like aftershave, it’s actually “Icelandic schnapps”. Anyway, the guy was wasted, his team was losing, and he couldn’t keep up with the witticisms around him. One minute, everyone’s joking about the cheerleader waving the “of” flag, and next thing I know:

Cute

Luckily, my husband’s temper thought the whole thing was kind of ridiculous and so decided not to come out and play. Because the group I was with had cooler heads, we were able to keep captain fabulous and his drunk friends from turning one bad move into something really bad. We were surrounded by people (both Bruins and Wildcats) who were itching to kick this guy’s ass–he apparently is a season ticket holder and a complete jerk every time he comes–so had it gone much farther, there probably would have been a melee.

Other Bruins fans were telling us we should press charges on the guy. Instead, we just got him and his friends kicked out of the game, and we worked with the staff at the Rose Bowl to maybe get his season tickets revoked. Ah, the joys of being sober(er) and smarter than the guy who decided to mess with you. Granted, my husband looks like this right now:

I keep calling him Rocky

But since he was the one who acted with self-restraint and didn’t allow some jackass to provoke him into a fight, we think it worked out ok.

In the end:
Tickets to football game: $43 dollars
Booze for tailgating: $25 dollars
Watching your team win after a run in with a Bruins fan who can’t use his words: priceless

Vindication

I watch waaayyyy too much tv. So the fall tv season is both a blessing and a curse to me–I get entertainment back after the drought that is summer television, but I now also have a “real” reason to stay home and watch tv rather than attempt a social life (what? My Tivo can only record one show–double booking is hard!).

So now, all my friends start to come back (well most of them) and we get to catch up and fall right back in that comfortable relationship. There are new shows to meet, and see if you’re on the same wavelength. Some of those end up being a great addition to the group. And some, it’s kind of like dating…you give it one, maybe two tries before you realize that while they’re perfectly nice, they’re not doing much for you in that way. Others, you know just from looking at them that they’re that obnoxious douche-bag at the bar that you’ll never be willing to spend even a second with.

Of course, just like with your real relationships, there are those in the group that are known for being fun but without much substance, those that just straight up make you laugh, those that make you examine your relationships, and those that are way smarter than you, but you still like hanging out with them cuz they’re kinda cool under that layer of dork.

Right now, I’m sadly excited about the return of all my little friends, with all their personality quirks, dramas, insane stories, and beautiful people.

I obviously need a life.