FRIDAY FAST ONES

1.)   Like many people, we are riveted by the last episodes of Breaking Bad - which we have watched and loved since the first season.  Can't say the same about Dexter which is also coming to an end.  It was once as well written and engaging, but is limping to a close.

Don't see anything that is going to take the place of these shows - I'm looking forward to one more season of Mad Men starting next year.  I like Homeland but Tom can't get past Carrie's twitchiness.  He likes Survivor and I won't watch it.  I don't know when Downton Abbey starts up again but will be watching that for sure. 

I don't see anything on the fall lineup to bring me back to network TV, so more time for the internet and reading, I guess.  Or maybe I'll finally watch some of the shows and movies I have recorded on the DVR!

4.)  Tom is thrilled that AMC is going to make a spin off called "Better Call Saul" about Walter Whites sleazy lawyer.  He and his attorney buddy are always talking about going for it and advertising like Saul.

3.)  I grew up at the foot of Mt. Diablo which has been in the news due to a wildfire burning there this week.  I now live about 20 miles south of the mountain and get to gaze at it everyday as I drive to work.  They have controlled the fire and no homes or major structures were lost.  It has been weird to see the smoke, have the helicopters (which scoop water from a nearby reservoir and carry it to the fire) and air tankers flying over us all week in the efforts to put the fire out.  It has been even more strange to read and hear comments from people all over the country talking about the event with so much misinformation and nonsense being spouted. 

The worst part of the story was that 2 fire stations were broken into and personal belongings of the firefighters were stolen while they were out working.  Really.  That happened. 

4.)  Gov. Jerry Brown and the leaders of the California state Legislature have passed a bill that would raise the state's minimum wage to $10 an hour.

“The minimum wage has not kept pace with rising costs,” Brown said in a statement. “This legislation is overdue and will help families that are struggling in this harsh economy.”

I know a lot of people think $10.00 is much more than businesses can pay - however, the city of San Francisco has had a minimum wage in excess of $10. an hour for several years (it is now $10.55) and while there is complaining, there seem to be few businesses who have not managed to meet the cost.  

Ten dollars an hour is still not a living wage - at least not in this very expensive part of the country, but it will make it more possible for people to pay their bills and maybe have some spending money to spread around and support the local economy.

5.) My Nook is starting to act up - and this is my second one in 3 years.  I am afraid it is going to stop working any time now, right in the middle of the book I am reading.

I am thinking that I may have to give up my ban on Amazon and purchase a Kindle if it happens.  They just don't appear to have the failure rate I am experiencing - and, quite frankly, I really dislike the Barnes & Noble website.  Plus the Amazon e-books are less expensive.

 I guess this is yet another downside of the e-readers - having all these books that can not only be shared with other people but can't be transferred to other devices.  I know a lot of people have tablets they use as readers, but I am not sure I can afford one of those. Time to start researching, because I recognize the signs of Nook failure in the works.

DOWNTON ABBEY - FINALE SPOILER!

First off - somehow I didn't realize that Sunday night's episode was the season finale, second I had heard at some point that Dan Stevens wanted off the show.  So last night when I was watching my recording, and I saw him speeding down the country road, giddy with happiness, I said "Oh no!" so loud that it brought my husband into the room. 

I read a few reviews and blogs on the subject of how the writers handled this season and I disagree with the idea that Matthew could not possibly be taken over by another actor.  I never found Dan Stevens appealing.  I liked the character of Matthew, but the actor playing him, not so much.  For me placing a new man in the role would have been just fine. 

However, and maybe this is because of the way the writers handled the season leading up to the crash; what would his character done with himself going forward?  Would being a gushing dad and having Robert on board with the modernisation of Downton been enough?  There could have been some drama if he insisted in going out to work as a lawyer again.  Perhaps the exit - though really too much on top of Sybil's death, was the best way to move the story forward.

I can't say I am all that interested in Rose entering the picture, though I think seeing her home life makes her more sympathetic. It does appear that they were setting up O'Brien to take off with Shrimpy and Susan to India, but other than that downstairs isn't geared up to be all that interesting, either. They say that the producers are casting a new romantic partner for Mary, so it looks like we are in for a leap to the future...

I guess we just have to wait until January to see if the storytelling improves - and to see what the Dowager has to say next.

SURPRISED MYSELF

I have made it a point in the past 5 years or so not to add any new shows to my TV viewing - unless it is something out of the blue amazing like Downton Abbey or Homeland.  I don't like being in a rut of nightly tv viewing. 

I am surprised and a bit sheepish to say that I watched 2 new sitcoms and laughed out loud and will continue to watch them.  One of them is Go On with Matthew Perry.  Even Tom liked it; we dissected it a bit to determine why it was so appealing - good writing, charmingly wacky cast and thoughtful set-up - the grief group.

The other show follows it, The New Normal.  From the commercials I thought I would hate the character Ellen Barkin plays - a bigoted, ultra bitch conservative.  But the writing is good and there is some balance to the show which I like. (Please note: I would not watch a Seinfeld episode if George was in it because I couldn't stand him. So we will see how I feel over time.)

It's been a while since I had guilty favorites.  Watching any of the new shows?

TOURING THE CHANNELS

Tom is beside himself with joy over the Tour de France having started.  Partly because he is a huge fan and lives out his cycling fantasies following the guys on the tour. 

Also partly because even though we have something like 100 channels to watch, he seems always to be channel surfing or watching something he has watched before.  The joke around our house is:

"Sue*, guess what's on TV!"

"What Hon?"

"Air Force One!  Should I tape it for you?"

If you don't get the joke - you may not  spend much time surfing through the channels.  Air Force One is on a channel somewhere in the lineup at every hour of the day.  We decided there must have been an act of Congress which mandated it.

*Tom is one of the few people to still call me Sue.

RESOLUTION - TO KNOW LESS

Christmas has been put away so I guess it's time to get focused on the year ahead.  As trite as it is, resolutions or any other sort of plan makes sense.  Otherwise, the year just seems to pass with no markers, no successes or failures to recognise.

This past year I was pretty much adrift.  There were milestones in the family, but for myself, with no set goals except to be employed full time and get those damned benefits, there was nothing else on my radar.  The get myself together and lose weight thing is perennial.  Will the fact that my 40th high school  reunion is this year make a difference?  It didn't for the 30th...

No, it is time to move on to bigger things. Things with more weight than my ass. I read about the dismantling of  women's reproductive rights and I get mad, but don't do anything - and that is why those rights are eroding - we who believe sit and don't do anything about it.

It ticks me off that I know about the damned Kardashians even though I have never watched their show(s) on TV.  I am sick of reports about Dancing with the Stars on the morning news shows.  And why is Entertainment Tonight reporting on political scandals?    In my line of site at the gym is the Maury show which is apparently a program "helping" women determine who is the father of their baby.  I don't plug in to hear the show, in fact I have taken to using my exercise machine with my eyes closed rather than see the daily parade of sloppy, swearing, angry, tacky and defiant people on the screen. And worse yet, the cheering and jeering audience.

On The View a while back Whoopie Goldberg said instead of petitioning to get the Kardashian show off the air (which some people are trying to do) just don't watch the shows.  Well, I don't watch a lot of shows that I end up knowing about.  I end up knowing about "celebrities", toddler beauty shows and dance moms.  I hear about weddings, divorces, bankruptcies, thefts, car crashes, hook ups, break-ups, trials,  text messages,  and tweets.  I wonder how far underground I have to go to avoid Snooki, the bachelor, the singers, the housewives, the losers and the makeovers?

So this year - that is what I plan to find out.  It means I can't watch The Today Show which I have enjoyed for years - or at least up until the past 4 or 5 years when seems to have left the news department. If another show I happen to be watching - like The View - starts in on the gossip or features people from those tacky shows, I will turn them off.  It means no more Bravo because the programming I watch isn't worth seeing the commercials for the shows I don't.  I can record the shows and speed through the crap commercials when Project Runway, Work of Art or Mad Fashion is on. 

On the internet I will stop reading the Huffington Post, Jezabel and avoid clicking on  many of the links I run across here and there.  There is so much smart content out there I will have more time to seek out.

My resolution this year is to become more ignorant of some things in the world around me - but it is also to get involved in the stuff that matters.  That part I'm not so sure about, aside from blogging (preaching to the choir for the most part) I will need to explore ways to make a mark and make a difference.

That and reduce the size of my ass.

TEE VEE TIME

We have been debating about our cable TV bill, well, really, about our cable TV in general.  Because I work nights I don't see much TV during the week.  I DVR the shows I especially like and usually watch them after I get home until I am sleepy and go to bed. 

I don't watch all that much TV during the day - though I admit I watched the better part of an old favorite (An Unmarried Woman)  this afternoon before I went to work.  I sometimes like having the TV on when I am alone in the house and doing things in the kitchen.  I can turn the sound up really loud and hear it through the noise of housework.

What Tom really wants is to watch less TV.  He feels he is watching too much.  He is unsatisfied with the offerings, but he watches anyway.  When he broached the idea of reducing the channels, I thought "Not Showtime!"  That means Weeds, The Big C and Dexter.  Back to having to wait nearly a year for the seasons to come out on DVD!  He claims we can watch them on the computer sooner, but I have never had any luck with that.

When we looked at the channel line-up packages, we both agreed we couldn't go without Bravo, Lifetime and AMC.  That means Top Chef, Project Runway, Mad Men and Breaking Bad.   So that takes us up a tier and the cost is amazingly close to the cost we are paying now for all the channels.  That's how we ended up here.  Those cable people really know which channels we actually watch - they say we get 600 channels, but we only watch about 10 of them - they know what they are doing and  toss them in the more expensive package and then sweeten the deal with super cheap HBO, STARZ and Encore.

Oh no, if we drop HBO I'll miss Boardwalk Empire.  Damn. 

I am making the call tomorrow.  I may just have to drop it all down to basic and see how painful it is. 

Maybe basic plus Showtime...

FRIDAY FAST ONES

1.)  Had a review and got a nice raise at the hotel.  Very helpful at this time -well, any  time. That plus switching to Monday through Friday is going to be very nice. 

2.)  Got our check-in time for Ally's tonsillectomy - I'll manage about 4 hours of sleep before we have to leave to drive there, but I will have 6-8 hours to chill until we head home.  Hopefully I can find a spot to snooze a bit. (I promised her I would not leave the hospital.)

UPDATE:  Everything went well - Ally is recovering at home with Mango Sorbet, Jello and Vitamin Water.
3.)  I have been reading about the big stock market fall trying to understand why it happened after the agreement on the debt ceiling and assorted fiascoes.  One pundit said it had to do with investors suddenly looking at the problems in foreign markets, most said we were just due.  I have to admit that as someone who has no money to invest and no 401k taking a beating, I feel lucky to be broke!  I also read that interest rates will fall because of this - which is good for people in debt, who want to borrow money or get a better mortgage.  So, good news for a change!

4.)  Jen wrote a fun post about mascara yesterday, discussing products and technique.  Like her I don't leave the house without mascara.  But the extent of my completely made-up face includes not much else - eyebrow pencil, blush and sometimes some eye shadow.  Most of the eye shadows are from giveaways.

I just read  a British study claiming 57% of women would rather "leave their man" than give up make-up!  That's hard core make-up love (or is it insecurity?)  The study claims that the average woman has over $800.00 worth of make-up at home and another $100.00  in her purse.  I have a couple of Burt's Bees lip glosses in my purse... 

5.)  I am enjoying this summer with my TIVO.  I have So You Think You Can Dance winding down, but Project Runway just getting started.  Breaking Bad is back and so are Weeds and The Big C.  Just enough shows to watch here and there.

CBS = GREED OR WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS?

I was never going to write about C****** S****.  I don't even talk about him, except briefly with my husband in the privacy of our home to bemoan the ongoing media coverage.  My husband made a goddesses joke.  Once.  He got my wifely stony response and that was the end of that.

So why do I mention "he who has been over covered" here?  Now?  Do you know that CBS is actually trying to hire him back?  I am writing because I think it is time for a complete boycott of CBS if such a craven, money mad thing is actually  true.

I am sorry if you watch Survivor or The Good Wife or something else on CBS.  Perhaps it is easy for me to suggest such a thing because I no longer watch anything on CBS. (The Amazing Race finally got too repetitive for me.)  But really.  How low can a company go?  How low do they think viewers in this country will go?  Maybe that is really the worst part...

AWARDS SEASON

It is the beginning of awards season - I enjoy watching most awards shows

because it is an opportunity to see the fashions and celebrities in different circumstances.  It was more fun back in the day before they had so many professionals advising them and there were many more questionable fashion choices, but it is still fun to watch and to pour over the photos online in the next  few days.

But something is happening.  I will look through 30 pictures and recognise barely half of the people photographed. And it has nothing to do with plastic surgery gone bad - it has to do with...youth.  There are all these very young people I have never seen or heard of.  I googled a few of them and found out which TV shows they were on, shows on channels not watched in our home, apparently.  Hellcats?  Really?

And lest you think I am just an old bag, forever attached to the classic actresses of my day - I'll have you know I could spot Leighton Meister a block away, I think Selena Gomez is darling (though the Beiber thing is creepy) and I adore Emma Stone.

But who the hell are these people?

Really, it is just a rhetorical question...  I do have a teen in the house who watches Pretty Little Liars, but goes to her girlfriend's house to watch watch it every week.  Show me the cast of Twilight and I am in the know.

FRIDAY FAST ONES

1.)  I am very disappointed to hear that our military is not actually leaving Iraq.  President Obama has left 50,000 soldiers behind to continue to "train and support Iraq's forces."  This means they will still be not only in harms way, but embarking on combat missions as part of that support.  Which means more deaths and woundings of Americans.  Seven and a half years and counting - How much more money?  How stupid are we to think this is ever going to end well?

2.)  I have been watching Top Chef and Project Runway this summer - not much else is on.  I am really getting tired of the strange decisions of the judges on these shows.  They get rid of people who are good and leave people on for unknowable reasons - well, sometime it is because they are real "characters" and so make "good TV."  I should not look to these shows as reality talent shows, but I was really mad when Top Chef sent Tiffany home on Wednesday.  And making Michael the winner over Mondo on Project Runway was just ridiculous.


3.)  All the hoopla over the allegedly spontaneous and leaderless populist uprising doesn't mention one important thing: the sugar daddies who are bankrolling it, and have been doing so since well before last summer. Rupert Murdoch of Fox News, where both Beck and Palin are on the payroll is one of them. The other two, the brothers David and Charles Koch, are even richer, with a combined wealth exceeded only by that of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett among Americans.

The Koch brothers must be laughing all the way to the bank knowing that working Americans are aiding and abetting their selfish interests.  While Koch foundations donate to cancer hospitals, Koch Industries has been lobbying to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from classifying another product important to its bottom line, formaldehyde, as a “known carcinogen” in humans (which it is).  They were the biggest opponents of Health Care Reform and yet signed up for the first round of  the Government funded  Early Retiree Reinsurance Program under that plan.

Also, Tea Partiers may share the Kochs’ detestation of taxes, big government and Obama. But there’s a difference between mainstream conservatism and a big business centric agenda while dismantling fundamental government safety nets designed to protect the unemployed, public health, workplace safety and care for the elderly.

4.)  I have finally managed to become employed.  I start training on Saturday.  I will be working varied schedules on Saturdays and Sundays and  on Monday nights.  This makes me full time so I will be able to participate in the company benefit package - my husband is happy about that.  I am happy that I will still be able to work with my sister in our new business venture.

Thanks to everyone for putting up with my complaining  and wishing me well all these months!

FRIDAY FAST ONES

1.)  It may not have made a big splash on the national news, but there was a stay placed on the Proposition 8 same sex marriage ruling in CA by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.  This means there will be no marriages performed for the time being.  The court will hear the arguments in early December.

If you are interested in supporting same sex marriage throughout the country, the Courage Campaign has a petition which you can sign here.

2.)  I spent and hour on the phone (I am not exaggerating) with Comcast trying to figure out why I could not log in to the e-mails they occasionally send offering credit for free movies.  They never did fix it.  I got switched to a recording about downloading Norton and the guy never called back and I was just exhausted from the whole thing and gave up.

 

Then The DVR started acting up, so I hoped for the best and called again. This guy couldn't seem to make a connection with our DVR and promised to credit us for the month and told me to take it in and switch it out for a new one.  He also upgraded us *free* to add 3 premium channels, HBO, Starz and Showtime.  

 

I can't believe how much TV has been watched in the week since!  You would think we were shut-ins.  I was excited because I could watch the mini-series they have made of Pillars of the Earth (a book I loved!) but Ally and Tom have been glued to the set!

 

Ok, I admit I also watched the new season opener of Weeds instead of having to wait for the DVD and I enjoyed the new series called The Big C with Laura Linney.

 

3.)  Speaking of TV.  There is apparently a new show in the fall lineup featuring the beloved Betty White.  Someone had the brains to hire her but not the brains to know not to airbrush her face for the publicity photos!  This is really getting ridiculous - no one looks real anymore.  Or should I say no women look real any more.

 

4.)  Sad but true fact for many women of this country, not just actresses...

Actress Kristin Bauer from True Blood was asked "Is there a lot of pressure to stay thin?"

"The other day I realized as long as I'm in this business, I'm going to be hungry."

5.)  I am taking Ally shopping today for some back to school clothes.  I never understood why this was necessary in CA since the weather stays summer like until October or so here but I did notice at registration the other day that many of the girls were already walking around in their winter boots and scarves ignoring the fact that shorts and sandals were more weather appropriate.

As a life long California girl happy in cotton and  flip flops pretty much year round, I just don't get it.  But I know not to say so in front of my 16 year old while she is shopping...Peace.

THE LAST LOST

I am a TV watcher. I am somewhat discriminating, I don't like nastiness, violence or a lot of beeped out swearing. (I will not say negative things about shows I would never watch because I frequently see them on lists of "guilty pleasures" of bloggers I otherwise admire!)

I will say that the top viewed shows are not generally the ones I am watching. I tend to gravitate to the odd or quirky like the short lived Pushing Daisies or Eli Stone. I also like good writing and over the top story lines which is what drew me to Glee, Lost, Gray's Anatomy and House. Good writing plus style like Mad Men and Breaking Bad. I am not much for reality shows with the exception of Project Runway, Top Chef and my favorite, So You Think You Can Dance.

House has lost it's mojo, I still like Gray's, but it, too is losing it's impact. Still loving the AMC dramas and the reality shows - and last night was the last Lost.

I camped out in my room and watched the 2 hour recap and then the 2.5 hour finale, completely enthralled. I think because this show was, from the very beginning, not like anything else ever done on TV. It was strange, full of odd occurrences, some explained seasons down the line, some never explained. And that's okay! Because it was all there to keep the viewers intrigued. To keep the viewers tuned in to see what pieces fit together and what were just stuff that happened that didn't really have meaning. Like life.

And, like life, in the end the viewers were most attached to the people and their relationships over the years. The symbols, the codes, the secrets - not so important. The people. What they went through together, the bonds they formed, the transformations they made were what mattered and what survived. So I had some teary moments during the finale and some trouble falling to sleep pondering if I liked the way it was ended. Which means right to the end of Lost, they did a great job of delivering great TV. I hope it is not the last time it is done.

QUICK TAKES FRIDAY

After reading Suburban Correspondent's posts the last couple of weeks I checked out the site her 7 Quick Takes Friday came from and decided to join in. Everyone who posts a list then links from the site - a fun way to find interesting new blogs.

1.) Driving to soccer practice I saw a big banner stretched across the fence at the Middle School announcing the fall fundraiser. Last year it was cookie dough - this year it is MEAT.

2) We are now at the point where was can laugh about Ally backing into the garage door and damaging not only the truck she was driving and the door but the car inside the garage as well. We are calling it a "Garage Sandwich."

3) I actually won The Women's Colony raffle this week - $200.00 at the Piperlime website featuring shoes and handbags!!! I spent about 3 hours today looking at shoes and drooling all over my keyboard...I'll post what I choose.

4) The September heat has been climbing and will continue through next week in the high 90's and 100's. The brightside is that my tomatoes are finally ripening on the vine. I am looking forward to a Caprese Salad...

5) Has anyone ever managed to pick a really bad watermelon and then taken it back to the store? I am usually an excellent judge of melons, but I just cut my second bad one - it tastes unripe and sort of chemical. I think I will try to return it...

6) Watched Survivor with Tom last night. It isn't a show that I like much and last night reminded me why. There is a new contestant who is so smarmy and sexist that I was squirming in my seat. I don't think I'll watch with Tom again - at least until he is voted off the island!

7) Two soccer games this weekend plus picture day. Only 2 years and I will never have to be a soccer mom again!!!

TV YOU WILL ENJOY

Had a little BBQ Saturday night at my sister's house. Our parents were in town and so we got together.

My dad has become more and more Conservative and cranky over the years and the briefest comment about Bush got his hackles up so we moved on to talk movies and TV. We talked about the heavy schedules of "reality" shows and which ones we watch or wouldn't. Tom and I sang the praises of the best show on this summer - So You Think You Can Dance.

This wonderful show was on for a couple of seasons before I found it. I think the name made me think it was one of those put down shows - that is what bothers me about so many of the "unscripted" shows. The negativity, the bitchiness and the focus on popularity rather than talent. This show is soooo different.

The judges are actually dance professionals who critique the performances respectfully and with

constructive criticism - and the occasional shriek from Mary the ballroom expert. She is a hoot.

They start with 20 dancers, pair them up and have professional choreographers teach them a dance - it could be ballet, hip hop, a Samba, a waltz, modern dance or even Bollywood. This is one of the things that makes the show so watchable. The dancers come from all kinds of backgrounds. Some are well trained from childhood, some are straight from dancing on the streets. Each has their own style, then they are challenged each week to learn a new form of dance. It is amazing what these talented people can do. Not only the dancers, but the choreographers.

I like that there is a combination of votes from the viewing audience and final decisions by the judges to determine who continues in the contest. As of this week, the couple who have been dancing together each week are split up. Now there is a random drawing for partner and dance style. Eventually the votes will come down to one "favorite" dancer who wins.

My favorite couple has been Brandon and Janette. But I have other individuals I have voted for, too. Yes - I actually vote. Something I never thought I would do!

I think the viewing audience wins every week by watching. Tune it in!