2007's Bests & Favorites

In my opinion:

Best New TV: Man vs. Wild (favorite episode is the one where Bear catches a salmon in a stream, and takes a raw bite while it's still wriggling in his hands -- now THAT's sushi!)
Best Reality TV: Survivor (it never gets old)
Best Drama TV: ER (ok, maybe it's old, but I still LOVE it)
Best Comedy TV: The Office (I've never been so delighted to cringe, and that Steve Carell is swoon-a-rific)

Best Movie(s): Once (heartbreaking romance and music); La Vie en Rose (I cried from how beautifully acted it was); Juno (refreshing and lovely and inspiring)
Best Netflix: Big Love, season 1 (Mormon fundamentalists on TV? Righteous!)

Most satisfying album: Raising Sand by Alison Kraus & Robert Palmer
(download "Gone Gone Gone")
Dirtiest single (in a good way): Icky Thump by The White Stripes
Coolest new discoveries: Dr. Dog (download "Worst Trip"); and Lily Allen (download "Smile")

Jewelry trend: huge rings (bigger is definitely better)

Favorite dessert: Tres Leches cake at Casona in Collingswood
Favorite entree: Pulled pork with peanut bbq sauce at Tortilla Press in Collingswood

Best concert: Soweto Gospel Choir in Verizon Hall (they come back next year, and I can't suggest strongly enough that you DON'T MISS IT)
Best theater: Wicked at the Academy of Music (gotta love a good prequel)

City Survivor?

I'm a huge fan of "Survivor". I've written about it before. It's a great show. And I'm thrilled and excited about tonight's premiere, Survivor: China. It's a beautiful country, rich in aesthetically-pleasing traditions. But enough with the picturesque landscapes! When will Mark Burnett, Jeff Probst and the gang bring it to the streets?? I want Survivor in the city.

Survivor: Soup Kitchen
Survivor: Broad Street Concourse
Survivor: Crack House
Survivor: Subway

The possibilities are endless! And talk about challenging. The smells, the bodily fluids, the trash, the pigeons, the rodents, the locals, the commuters -- it would be a challenge just to watch!

Yo, Survivor: Philly. You got a prollem wit dat?

Catching up

I swore I wouldn't let my blog postings lapse as they have been. Not because my deluded mind thinks I actually have fans ... but more just because this is a great place for me to unload my thoughts so my brain doesn't get too heavy carrying them around.

Anyway, here's a short recap of a few things that stood out over this past week, in no particular order:

1. I found out that Charlie dies BEFORE watching the finale of Lost. Bummer. But it's the price one pays for making other commitments on the night of a great TV show!

2. It felt especially great to throw pots this week. I made a bunch of stuff, mostly gifts for specific people, but also a mug and pitcher for myself. Hopefully they'll all turn out.

3. Because of the above, along with some other recent purchases, I have about a third of my Christmas shopping done already! What a nerd I am.

4. I can now say I'm a veteran of the Collingswood May Fair. Wow, it's a big event for our little town! Lots of booths (selling mostly junk), lots of food (some GREAT, some bad), lots of people (the people watching is unparalleled), and lots of fancy cars (everything from souped up dune buggies to vintage VW bugs to Ford Falcons and Caddys). Such fun to walk around with my neighborhood peeps too! I'm a true local.

5. Franklin Mills. Wow. I had somehow never been there until the other night. I didn't buy much, but the reason for going wasn't about me. My friend Alison needed a new wardrobe, and boy did she get it! So fun to see a friend try on clothes I picked out for her. Very gratifying. And she looks terrific in everything she bought.

6. The air conditioners in my place are officially on. The heat and humidity this morning got to me, and I broke down. The unit in my new apartment is loud, but it cranks. Yay! Of course, I say that now, but let's see how my next PSE&G bill looks.

Sometimes I just don't feel like it

There's always tons of stuff I should be doing when I'm home. And I'm not just talking about vacuuming, doing dishes, laundry, etc. The stuff I mean is the project stuff. The creative stuff. The stuff I'm supposed to enjoy doing in my free time.

The list includes—but isn't restricted to—jewelry making, blogging (ahem...), opening an etsy.com account, working on my newly-acquired skill of making pop-up cards, cooking (for one), and reading (a friend recently sent me a copy of "Eat Pray Love" and I haven't cracked it yet).

All of that sounds terribly interesting and fun, right? But sometimes I just don't feel like it. I'd rather watch "Sheer Madness" reruns on Bravo, or play Spider Solitaire, or smoke a cigarette! Is that so wrong?

My brain needs time to turn off. To not be "on" and energetic and fabulous. The problem is that I end up feeling like a schlub when I'm not using my precious free time doing interesting things. I guess I just need to find a way to be ok with it ... because sometimes I just don't feel like it!

Thursday night TV

Ever since I was a kid, Thursday nights have been THE night for planting yourself on the couch. According to Wikipedia, "Over the course of two decades, NBC's Thursday lineup featured such popular shows as Hill Street Blues, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Night Court, LA Law, Frasier, Seinfeld, ER, Friends and Will & Grace." Other channels have gotten in on the act too, with Scrubs, CSI, Without a Trace, Gray's Anatomy, and my personal favorite SURVIVOR.

It's the one show I can't miss. Ever. I don't care what else is going on, or who offers me what should be a better, social alternative. I gotta be home for Survivor. Yes, there are times I have to tape it, but those times are rare. It's never the same taped. Like watching a football game taped. No good. You want to feel the action while it's happening.

No matter how many seasons have passed, and how many reward challenges, and how many times Jeff Probst says the same stuff over and over (his most repeated phrases include, "c'mon in guys," "wanna know what you're playing for?" and "I'll go tally the votes")... none of that calms my fervor.

The show is so much more than just a reality show. It's about as true a social experiment as you can get on TV. These people have seen the show, some of them have studied the show thoroughly, yet they still do the same things every other alliance has done in all preceding seasons even though it doesn't work. It's fascinating!

May 13 is the 3-hour finale, and I've already posted it in my calendar so I don't make other plans. Woo hoo! Can't wait!!

Ode to the Rerun

We all have favorite TV shows. Shows we can't miss. Shows we make dates to watch. Shows we discuss and dissect with friends. Shows we tape/Tivo/Netflix /on-demand. It's usually important to watch such shows in sequence so that the trajectory of the story is cohesive. This makes reruns frustrating and annoying when you're dying to get to the next plot point.

When I got hooked on Six Feet Under, the show had completed its run on HBO. I had heard it was good, so I Netflixed the first few episodes ... and was immediately and forever hooked/devoted/fanatical. The goings on of the Fisher family consumed my waking hours for weeks. (To this day, I get wistful when I drive by a funeral home with a residence attached.) If I had been watching while it was airing, reruns might have rendered me insane.

But now I've seen every episode in proper sequence, and the Fishers' lives have been resolved in satisfying narrative. I even know how each of them dies. No unanswered questions. What a relief!

This makes reruns (now airing on Bravo) sweet, because I'm no longer desperate for the next development. I can relax and enjoy the nuances of Ruth's self-discoveries, Claire's drug experimentations and Keith's anxieties about becoming a parent (not to mention the exquisite camera work, the clever turns-of-phrase dialogue and the ingenious casting of guest stars whose characters are not long for this world), while not freaking out about what the hell happened to Lisa.

All this to say, hoorah for the rerun -- in its place. It can bring a whole new level of appreciation to already beloved shows. AFTER we know what happens, that is.