What I'm Into (October 2015 Edition)

Ack!  I haven't been on here since FEBRUARY!!! Which is super bonkers because I've probably been writing more this year than in other years, just not for here...  Had a few minutes to kill so hopping on to Leigh Kramer's What I'm Into for the month.

Loving me some October this month, cannot take enough pictures of trees, but they never look that good.  I need a better camera.  Had some good travel this month, and all around busyness, but the good kind.


Read and Reading: 

Finished all of the Harry Potter books in September, so been trying to cash in on my reading momentum to keep going.  Still haven't read as much as I'd like to, but have done okay.  As always I have 2 or 3 more that are mid-read.

Enjoyed Mindy Kaling's newest book, maybe not *quite* as much as her last, but she cracks me up and had a great overall message.

Finally read Bob Goff's Love Does which I've been carrying around for years.  Having seen him speak a number of times some of the stories weren't new, but had the added benefit of me really being able to hear his voice while I read it.  A great, fun read for someone ready to take their faith from head to action.

I also finally picked up Serious Dreams, compiled by my friend Byron Borger of Hearts and Minds Books.  It's a compilation of graduation speeches from mostly Christian colleges which was a GREAT read.  Having been out of college for [a number of] years, I still found it motivational as if I was starting from scratch.  a GREAT gift for any recent graduates, those career searching, or someone working in Higher Ed.  High recommendation - I'm going back this weekend to buy more to give away as gifts!!  Also, epilogue written by my dear friend Erica, who shares a tale from her own frosty graduation morning, which happened to be mine as well.

        


TV: 

Must-see TV: To be honest, there isn't much new stuff on the dvr these days that I'm totally captivated by.  If I have a full dvr the first things I watch are Brooklyn 99 and You're the Worst.  I try to keep up with The Good Wife live as I love following the live-tweeting as well.  Almost everything has fallen to the back burner.  Still enjoying Big Bang and Undateable (the live experiment has been entertaining thus far).  Having a hard time remembering to watch Mindy on Hulu with the weekly releases.  I don't think I'm loving it as much as the previous seasons, but like what they've been able to do without the network ties.

New shows: The only new shows I picked up so far this year are Life in Pieces and The Muppets.  They both have potential but have not gotten me to a point where I can't miss them.

Streaming: Watched the first 2 seasons of Maron in about 4 days. It's pretty crass and not for everyone, but I have not laughed so hard and so consistently in a long time.  His sarcastic wit and collection of cats makes me wonder if he is my spirit animal.
  Finally started Mad Men - tried a few years back and couldn't get into it, powered through the slow, dark beginning and I've really loved seeing what they've done.  I have 1.5 seasons left.
  Continuing to rewatch FRIENDS - I find myself LOLing throughout - it's STILL funny after all of these years!

Music: 

No new music this month... been really tweaking some playlists of my old stuff to give it a new experience, which is always fun.  Been listening to a lot of Wilco since their anniversary & new album stuff came out, and loving the newest Dawes.


Podcasts: 

My love of The Relevant Podcast continues (I might need to write a whole thing about that).  Also been trying to get caught up on Undisclosed, which is 3 lawyers discusses the Sayed case from Serial.  Super interesting.

Things I love:

Have not spent a whole weekend at home in 2 months, which has been exhausting, but so fun.  This month I could be found: in Philly with a former roommie & her kids for a lazy pj weekend, at the National Apple Harvest Festival w/ my college roommie & her kids, Applebutter making at a former roommie's family farm w/ LOTS of old pals, in California for a work trip & extended wine country travels with my cousins. It's seriously been loads of fun.   (I had fun pics of these to upload, but the photo editor won't let me.  Oh well)

Fall foods are so great: apple products everywhere, lots of homemade chilis, stews and breads.  YUMMMMMM

Am missing warm weather, but LOVE fleece, sweats, hoodies, puffy vests, and smartwools, so I'm making due.

Was supposed to run a 5k for the Four-Diamonds Fund for Pediatric Cancer along with a friend whose baby is undergoing treatments.  We had a GREAT fundraiser, but sadly the race got cancelled due to huricane, which was probably a blessing for grossly out-of-shape me.

Heat: had to turn it on.  I wouldn't have battled through until November (my standard rule), but with going out of town and having a student stay to cat-sit I took pity on her and turned it on.  Plus, then I can enjoy it without guilt.

Best Instagram:

Gotta go with this - wine, cheese, mustard, views: a perfect depiction of my whirlwind weekend in CA.  Cannot complain about that!  So good!

That's a wrap on the month, probably see you in 3 months.....

What I'm Into (January 2015 Edition)

Well, here I am again.... I read Leigh Kramer's post each month, but don't make the time to contribute to the conversation.  As always, trying to spend more time writing and reflecting, so here I go....

January - It's cold and dreary in Pennsylvania (and Maryland), but my favorite thing about it is that it gives you a legitimate excuse to not leave the house, and hunker down on the couch in my sleeping bag (my favorite winter activity).  So, I'm into a lot of inside things, and I am okay with that....


Read & Reading: 

No surprise:  terrible reader here.  I like doing it but just don't make the time.  This month I read Amy Poehler's "Yes, Please."  I liked it, especially her detailed experience as a woman making her way through the world of improv, but I didn't connect with it quite as much as I did with Mindy or Tina's.  But still, enjoyable and enlightening.

Most of my "reading" actually gets done in the form of "listening" these days, as I'm in the car for about 2-3 hours per day and audio is the easiest way for me to catch up on books.  I went through a real David Sedaris kick in the fall, listening and re-listening to all of his stuff.  I'm currently listening to Orange is the New Black, the memoir by Piper Kerman that inspired the Netflix series.  It's fascinating.

Really interested in what I'm (minimally) reading?  Check out my goodreads...


TV:

Okay, now this is something I make time for.

Current shows include: The Good Wife, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Mindy Project, New Girl, About a Boy, Modern Family, Big Bang Theory, Scandal

This year there are a few new shows I've been trying out.... I haven't been thoroughly convinced of any of them yet, but they come from reputable sources, so I'm giving them the season:  Marry Me, Mulaney, The McCarthys, Mom (this is technically in season 2, but I'm still watching it on probation)

January meant the end of a favorite (Parenthood) and the return of some other faves, 2 of which we say goodbye to next month (Parks and Recreation, Cougartown, and The Americans)

And then there is my streaming side projects.  January was spent finishing Veronica Mars, watching all of The State (only 20 years late), and am currently working on The Wire, and Burning Love.  The latter here is a silly Bachelor-mocking show from the E! network, but is produced by Ken Marino and written/created by his wife.  Most of the players from The State make appearances.  It's a riot.  I'm thinking about keeping better records of my streaming projects.... so you might hear more soon.

Movies: 

Seriously don't think I saw any this month.....

Music:

Haven't listened yet, but The Lone Bellow released their 2nd album last week, and I am looking forward to it.

Things I love in January:

• Starting with New Year's Eve, I have participated in about 5 or 6 game nights with various groups of friends.  I had forgotten how much I loved playing group games with pals, and had some of the best nights of laughter in a LONG time as a result of these nights.  Hope to keep that going in 2015!
• The Golden Globes - in my top 2 for awards shows - is always a good time: watching, keeping up on twitter, and reading reviews.  This year I've partnered with a new friend to watch awards shows (this was our 2nd) and it was really fun to share the experience with a friend who loves TV as much as I do.
• I have a new nephew!  My sister had her 2nd boy, and it's been fun to see him a few times, and watch my older nephew (2) learn what it means to be a big brother.  
• My new couch & old sleeping bag.  I have spent most of my January time when I am not at work on my new couch (got in November) in my old sleeping bag (NF Cat's Meow - a classic).  It is the greatest and coziest way to spend these cold winter months and I love it.
• #SoftPants.  One of 2 words for 2015, they are my favorite things. 
• French Press coffee. Bought a french press a few weeks ago and started using it last week. I am obsessed!! 

Challenges:  

Sometimes celebrating the good means acknowledging the difficult, and I am okay with that.  There's the melancholy of January in general (I hate taking down my Christmas decorations), coupled with some hard things with work, friends and family that make you realize that life isn't always easy, but it is still good.

I've also accepted a role on my church council (like elders for your presby friends), and as the chair of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee.  My church is in a valley and after only 3 weeks I can see that this will be a challenge (I made a 3 year commitment), but am doing my best to seek good wisdom and be faithful in these challenges.

All in all, not a bad month, considering it's right in the middle of the dumbest of all seasons.


Check out Leigh's post and others' for this month as well!

 

#2015

It's a new year!  Time to set goals and be contemplative over the previous 12 months!  Goals & resolutions are not really my thing, but it's hard not to use January 1 as a definitive marker in time allowing you to look both backward and forward simultaneously.

Last year some friends and I decided that we'd make 2014 the year of #newthings (I think this actually carried over from 2013, but I still used it for 2014).  Hashtags are fun, and it was a lighthearted way to look at something and think "this is something I wouldn't normally do, but I'll go for it because....#newthings."  I can't speak for anyone else, but I think it got me out of my comfort zone a few times - in work, life, relationships, and adventures.  Sometimes these #newthings were successful, sometimes they were duds, but still, it served as some motivation and it was fun.

I decided I'd come up with a hashtag for 2015.  My first idea was #SoftPants.  This is not serious and will not better my life in anyway, except that I will be massively comfortable the more I wear things with elastic or drawstring waistbands.  Many thanks to my good friends' 2 year old for this description that is my new favorite word.  But, let's be serious.  (Though I'm still using this all year)

My serious hashtag for 2015 is going to be #RiseAboveTheAwkward.  I avoid a lot of things in life because I want to avoid an awkward situation, but have recently come to realize, it's only me that is concerned about the awkward or even the only one experiencing it.  I need to be better at just saying "Life is going to be awkward, but I'm going for it anyway."  I already had a #RiseAboveTheAwkward experience once this year, and I'm extremely glad I did it.  I didn't let my fear of the uncomfortable keep me from doing something fun, and I had a great time in the process.

I hope you all join me in opportunities to #RiseAboveTheAwkward in 2015.  May your life be more fun and less awkward and all those other good things.

Also, may it be abundantly full of #SoftPants.  Because they are the greatest.

September: My favorite month

There are many things about September that I love:  It's mostly still summer.  That crisp (but still warm) fall air that starts to come in.  Flip-flops are still okay, but you can also sneak in a hoodie, a puffy vest, and some smart-wools.  Pumpkin: flavored coffee, spiced lattes, scented candles, and the actual thing to sit on my stoop!  Baseball is still happening, but college football has started (O's and PSU!)  My birthday.  

And, of course, the kick off of the new TV Season.

As I frequently am asked what I'm watching and looking forward to (probably because people don't really know what else to ask me about....), I thought I'd draw up a quick outline of what I'm most anticipating in both returns and pilots.  I usually do a lot of reading around this time in preparation, but work has been so crazy busy that it hasn't happened.  So most of these opinions are based solely on my viewing of a preview.  I could be very, very wrong.

New shows:
To be completely honest, there aren't any new shows that I am highly anticipating.  Usually there is something that catches my eye early on and I can't wait to see.  

This year, not so much.  I plan to give at least 1-2 viewings to the following (in order of most to least interested)
Marry Me (I loved Happy Endings & am hoping with the same show runner & some actors this will be just as enjoyable)
A to Z (I enjoy Ben Feldman & Cristin Milioti, which is mostly what's driving this)
How to Get Away With Murder (Shonda - yes!  Matt McGorry - YES!)
Gotham (I love Batman stories, I love Ben McKenzie.  Nothing else is needed)

Want to draw attention to 2 that I started this summer on FX: Married and You're The Worst.  Both enjoyable, but YTW might be my new favorite show.  It's excellent.  I give Married a B and YTW an A.

(Might also check out: Red Band Society, Mysteries of Laura, Selfie, Manhattan Love Story, Bad Judge, McCarthys, Mulaney - but will likely wait and do some reading to see if they're really worth my while)

Returning Shows:
What I'm still watching (again, in order of most anticipated to least)
The Good Wife
The Mindy Project
Parenthood
The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
New Girl
Scandal
The Millers
About A Boy
Mom
Grey's Anatomy

Things that will be back later but I can't wait for: Parks & Recreation, Americans. 

What are you watching? Can't wait to talk about these once they get going!!

Binge Watching TV: A Year in Review

Around this time last year I posted about the series I watched over the summer while new tv wasn't on. A year has gone by and I have continued with my current shows, and spent even more time binging.  Do me a favor - don't add these up. 

As new TV is just around the corner, it seemed like the right time to think back on the year and what I watched.  During the year is always slower, but I still managed to view a lot.  I took September off from streaming shows, as it was a full time job to catch up on the dvr.  Here is a summary of what I watched and what I thought about it....

What are you streaming??

Breaking Bad - I'm drawing attention to this even though it's been about a year.  I finished all of the streaming episodes just in time to watch the last 4 new with the rest of the world.  It was a really fun experience to be able to talk about it live with friends and twitter, and made the completion of the series even better.  JESSE FOREVER!!!!

Scandal - I was looking for something fun to start, and my step-sister insisted I would love this.  It's definitely a guilty pleasure kind of show, a little ridiculous at times, but I watched the first 2 seasons rapidly and was caught up with the live broadcasts by October.

The West Wing - At 155 episodes, this was the largest streaming show I had ever taken on, and it definitely took some time, but was well worth it.  I fell in love with ALL of the characters (Especially Josh Lyman), and over and over found myself saying "WHY did I not watch this when it was new?!?!?!"  I also got a friend into it and we were poised to finish around the same time, so I drove to Philadelphia and we watched the last  episodes together, which was a really fun experience (and one you don't get a lot when you're solo-streaming.  The downside of watching a show that is 10+ years old - the community viewing experience is never the same)

House of Cards S.2 - This came out right around the time TWW finished, so it was a quick weekend binge (and was darker and crazier than the season before)

My So-Called Life - I had never watched this back in the mid-90s when it came out.  I remember my friends talking about it, but it aired against Mad About You and a little new show I was in to (FRIENDS), so I missed out.  So glad I finally checked this out.  I'm not sure 14 year old me would have been ready for it (even though I was roughly the same age as main character Angela, her life was a little more racy than mine.  SPOILER ALERT: There was a not a Jared Leto type pressuring me to have sex as a teen).

Freaks and Geeks - Inspired by many many tv-spirit guides to watch this, it seemed like the perfect transition after MSCL, to continue in the ways of teen angst. Totally worth it.  Main character Lindsey was highly relateable, and made me wish I had been a teen in 1980.  And I LOVED seeing all of these actors in their early years, and got me really interested in checking out some of their, and Judd Apatow's early stuff.

Rehab Addict - for something different, I got into a DIY show.  Friends had told me about this and I checked out the new ones on live tv, and then had to go back and watch the first 3 seasons.  Love Nicole's philsophy of restoring old homes "to their former glory."  Made me want to do all kinds of stuff to my house!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - this was new last year but I hadn't watched.  After it won the Golden Globe I decided to check it out, and streamed the whole season as it was wrapping up live.  Actually much better than I expected and really enjoyable.  Lots of LOLs.

Undeclared - This was a one season comedy on FOX that Apatow did after F&G.  Not nearly as captivating, but was more entertaining than I thought it would be. 

Sports Night - I had always heard about this as one of the greats.  Never watched it when it was on, but my newly developed love for Sorkin, coupled with my mourning the loss of Josh Charles' Will Gardner made this the perfect time.  It was full of actors I love (and really fun to watch them in their younger years when they were all my age or younger), and of course, really well written.  The hardest thing about all of these one or two season shows that I checked out this year is the constant heartbreak of never seeing their stories come to fruition.  But, still enjoyed watching.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - Another 1 season show from Sorkin (with Bradley Whitford AND Matthew Perry - hello sarcasm dream team!!!).  This was another show I'd read a lot about, so came in with my view a little tainted.  I could see all of the great things and most of the criticisms I'd already read about, but echo my earlier comment that it was sad to not get to see what happened with these characters after 1 year.

My Boys - This was a TBS show from a few years ago.  Friends had told me it was entertaining, and I will admit it was knowing Reid Scott was one of the stars got me motivated to start (What?  Dan Egan as drift-about punk-loving dj?  I'm in!)  This was definitely harder to watch after a year of some more quality produced shows, but it was still entertaining.  I want PJ's life!

Orange is the New Black - Didn't get to this season's til recently - but it was just as good, if not better than the year before. (still not sure I'd qualify it as a "best comedy")

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - still working on 

this, probably will slow down with new shows starting, but am about half way.  I've seen many episodes here and there, but it's fun to watch them straight through.  These 4 are a constant mess, but I love it.  The ridiculousness abounds. 

Sporadic Rewatches:

Sometimes I don't have the energy to focus on something new, and want to watch something I've seen before.  It's the comfort food of tv.  This year I've sporadically rewatched:
Sex and the City

New Girl

Felicity

The Mindy Project (I did this all one weekend recently when I was sick. I maintain there is no other show on tv right now that makes me laugh harder or louder)

Well, that's it.  I watch a lot of tv.  

 

                            

My votes for the 2014 Emmy Awards

The other day I posted what shows/actors I would nominate and award if I were the Television Academy.  But I am not.  Today I'm pretending I actually get to cast a vote for the current nominees.  I'll also take a stab at predicting what might actually happen tonight.  I look forward to seeing what happens. 

**my vote

my prediction

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama

Bryan Cranston as Walter White** 

Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood

Jon Hamm as Don Draper

Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy

Woody Harrelson as Martin Hart

Matthew McConaughey as Rust Cohle

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley

Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick**

Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison

Robin Wright as Claire Underwood

Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson

Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman**

Jim Carter as Mr. Carson

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

Josh Charles as Will Gardner**

Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson

Jon Voight as Mickey Donovan

(I vote a tie.  There's no way I can decide between these two.  I think they both gave amazing performances this year, and it's the last year either can be nominated for these roles.  They both need to win. But it will probably go to Aaron Paul b/c there is no love for TGW)

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

Anna Gunn as Skyler White**

Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham

Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates

Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister

Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart

Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris

Outstanding Drama Series

Breaking Bad**

Downton Abbey

Game Of Thrones

House Of Cards

Mad Men

True Detective 

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper**

Ricky Gervais as Derek

Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc

Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan

Louis C.K. as Louie

William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath

Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn

Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton

Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman

Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope**

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

Andre Braugher as Captain Ray Holt

Adam Driver as Adam Sackler

Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett

Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy**

Fred Armisen as Various characters

Tony Hale as Gary Walsh

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler

Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy**

Allison Janney as Bonnie

Kate Mulgrew as Galina "Red" Reznikov

Kate McKinnon as Various characters

Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer

Outstanding Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory

Louie

Modern Family

Orange Is The New Black

Silicon Valley

Veep** 

If I were an Emmy voter

The fresh new year is here.  Not back to school, but back to tv.  My favorite time.  As the Emmys are almost here, I got to thinking about who I might have nominated if I had a vote.  No mind that I'm not considering this based on what was actually submitted, but just my favorite performances and shows from the past year.  The only qualification?  Something I watch.

Some categories only got 4 nominees.  It's all I could come up with.  Additional items of note:  

• A few categories I would have added additional nominees (Outstanding Supporting Actor in both Drama and Comedy)  
• Some categories/nominees I don't necessarily agree with, but I went with what the Academy had already categorized. 
• Turns out I don't watch too many dramas.  At least not many that I consider award-worthy. 
• Stay tuned for my choices for win based on actual nominees. 

What would you pick? 

*actual nominee

my choice for win

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series - 2014

Julianna Margulies* - The Good Wife

Robin Wright* - House of Cards

Keri Russell - The Americans

Kerry Washington* - Scandal (nominated mainly for her delivery of "What did you do?!"

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series - 2014

Bryan Cranston* - Breaking Bad

Kevin Spacey* - House of Cards

Matthew Rhys - The Americans 

Tony Goldwyn - Scandal

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series - 2014 

Christine Baranski* - The Good Wife 

Monica Potter - Parenthood

Lauren Graham - Parenthood

Annet Mahendru - The Americans 

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series - 2014 (I'm awarding a tie)

Aaron Paul* - Breaking Bad 

Josh Charles* - The Good Wife

Peter Krause - Parenthood

Michael Kelly - House of Cards

Jeff Perry - Scandal 

Outstanding Drama Series - 2014

The Good Wife

Breaking Bad*

Parenthood 

The Americans 

House of Cards*

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - 2014

Taylor Schilling* - Orange is the New Black (still not sure this is a comedy, but I'll allow it)

Amy Poehler* - Parks and Recreation

Julia Louis-Dreyfus* - Veep

Mindy Kaling - The Mindy Project

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series - 2014

Jim Parsons* - The Big Bang Theory 

Chris Messina - The Mindy Project

Andy Samberg - Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Bradley Whitford - Trophy Wife 

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series - 2014 

Mayim Bialik* - The Big Bang Theory

Julie Bowen* - Modern Family 

Margo Martindale - The Millers

Retta - Parks and Recreation 

Malin Ackerman - Trophy Wife

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series - 2014 

Ty Burrell* - Modern Family

Tony Hale* - Veep

Ike Barinholtz - The Mindy Project 

Reid Scott - Veep 

Nick Offerman - Parks and Recreation 

Outstanding Comedy Series - 2014

The Big Bang Theory*

Veep*

Parks and Recreation 

The Mindy Project 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine 

What I'm Into (July 2014 Edition)

So, apparently I write on my blog once every 6 months when the stars align and I'm inspired by Leigh's "What I'm Into" posts.  So, here I am.  July is always one of my favorite months - it's always so busy (as most of my travel hits during that time), and I feel like it's the best time to bask in the glory that is the summer.  But this year it seemed even more hectic that normal.

I started a new job the last week of June and am commuting a considerable distance, which I think really put a cramp on my summertime fun.  But, worry not.  Good times are still being had!

Read and Reading:
Summer is the time of year when I get back in to reading.  I actually finished a book I started last summer (have read a few in-between as well), and then blaze through books while I'm poolside or on the beach (yay!)  I'm also trying to listen to more audio books while I'm commuting, to take advantage of that time.  I'm trying to keep my books up to date on my goodreads account as well.

This month I read 5 books and am working on 2 more.  I read Emily Giffin's newest The One and Only, and Jennifer Weiner's newest All Fall Down.  Both enjoyable.

One day on vacation I read Michael Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer.  I haven't read a book that intense in awhile, and it had me so spooked I was awake one night until 4am.  I finished it quickly the next morning so that wouldn't happen again.  (btw- rented the movie this week, and as predicted, not NEARLY as good as the book).

TV:
Not much new on tv in the summers, but keeping up with Hollywood Game Night on the dvr (I love watching celebrities play games about celebrities.  It's hysterical).

Just started 2 new FX comedies that are in their 3rd week:  Married and You're the Worst.  I went in really thinking I'd enjoy Married, which isn't bad, but I think You're the Worst is downright hilarious.

Emmy noms came out this month.  I was generally disappointed.  Really enjoyed this blog by tv writer Ken Levine about the situation of the noms.

Still burning through a lot of streaming shows.... new post on that forthcoming.

Music:
Just purchased Bleachers debut cd, have been enjoying their single for a few months, can't wait to start listening to this.

Saw Jeff Tweedy in concert in June, and have been really enjoying him again (or, as always).  Took a friend to the show who wasn't familiar with him, so I made her a sweet Tweedy/Wilco mix which was REALLY fun to go through their catalog and choose the best of the best for a newcomer.

Travel:
Big month of travel:  Laird Family Reunion and Duck, NC family vacation.  Lot of driving, but lot of fun!

Things I Love:

• 4th of July BLAST in my hometown of Jacobus.  Always a classic way to spend the day.
  
  
• getting to sit in the front row behind 1st base for my nephew's first O's game!!  
• My new job!!! Still learning, but enjoying what I'm doing so far.
• Vacationing with my niece and nephew.  They are a riot together.
• Summer Beer
• Random phone calls with old friends, there have been a few this month that were great
• The generally NOT sweltering heat this July. 

Thanks, as always, to Leigh for the inspiration!

What I'm Into (February 2014 Edition)

Hey, remember when I wrote things on my blog??  Me either.

Leigh Kramer does a monthly "What I'm Into" & reading hers always makes me want to update mine.  So here I go.

Read and Reading:
Story of my life - I'm terrible at reading.  I am that person who says "Who has time to read?!?!" and then comes home at night and watches 6 episodes of something on Netflix. I'm currently reading Cats & Daughters by Helen Brown.  It's the follow up to Cleo, which I read this summer and loved!  I will say, another book that I'm still talking about months after I read it (and never mentioned here b/c I haven't blogged in 4 months) was My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me by Hilary Winston.  It was given to me as a birthday present.  It took me a little while to pick it up, but once I did I was so glad!  I laughed, I cried, (I didn't hurl).

TV:
TV has been on a bit of a hiatus for the month of February due to the Olympics.  I watched very little of the Olympic coverage.  Any time I did it was with friends; I realized I enjoy the coverage as a shared experience, but don't care enough to watch on my own.  Plus - it gives me high anxiety to watch all of these near-death endeavors.  I'm too scared.

Currently airing "Must See TV" (or tv I can't wait for it to come back):  Parks & Rec, The Big Bang Theory, The Good Wife, HYMYM, New Girl, The Mindy Project, Modern Family, Parenthood, Scandal (I know - it's a lot!)

Just back:  The Americans.  Returned last night.  Love Love Love.  So intense!!

On Netflix, spent last week on the return of House of Cards.  Man, that is some crazy television.  Finally, I've been hooked on The West Wing.  I've often heard it mentioned as one of the greatest shows of all time, but had never watched.  I totally get it!!  Also, I've developed a bit of a crush on Bradley Whitford's character - Josh Lyman.  Obsessed!

                                     

Movies:
I don't remember the last time I watched a new movie.  I'm just so in to serialized television right now.  I just love a broad story arc.

In the vein of nostalgia, I've been getting out a few of my old VHS tapes.  (Ironically Phil Dumphy mentioned his "farewell to VHS" tour right after I did this.  Watched "Forget Paris" last week.  When I put it in it wasn't rewound.  I cursed 12-years-ago me for that.

Music:
Been listening to a lot of Dawes since seeing them in concert in the fall. Just getting into The Lone Bellow, will be seeing them next month when they are in town. I also finally picked up Fun.'s first album Aim And Ignite.  I might like it even more than Some Nights. 

What I love:

• My new pink coffee maker for the office 
• My 2 year cativersary 
• The occasional warm day of weather to remind me that spring is coming
• The ongoing quest to finish the case of winter seasonal beers that I bought in December before the spring
• Using getting snowed-in at a friend's as a reason for a spontaneous wine and cheese night.
• Netflix and Huluplus (obviously.  I love this always) 

In the Blogosphere:
Have come across a few fellow single ladies who blog about life.  Enjoy that.  Most recent blog I've started reading is thesinglewoman.net - she's got some good stuff.

On The Blog:     
I'm the worst at writing.  I think about ideas I want to write often, but then never actually get pen to paper.  Or fingers to keys as it may be.  Although, blogger just informed me this is my 100th post.  (you know, in like 7 years....)

Thanks, Leigh, for the "What I'm Into" Inspiration!  

The Summer of George (on binge watching tv)

It seems appropriate to start a post about TV with a quote from TV.  It's how I do.  As anyone who knows me knows, I love television. Good television. And I am particular about how I watch it.  My coworkers/friends are always asking me "hey did you see that commercial?" and the answer is almost always no, because I never see commercials.  I almost never just sit down, turn on the tv, and find something to watch.  All of my tv viewing is pre-planned and calculated, and either pre-recorded or streaming online, so I'm just watching the content I want. I love it.

During the year, I have a variety of shows that I'm watching throughout the regular season.  However, there is very little out there for me in the summer.  I don't really like reality TV, and most scripted TV that comes out in the summer is not to my liking.  This makes the summer perfect for season/series catch-ups, or, binge watching, as it's come to be known.  This is when you watch a lot of something in a small amount of time (just to be clear, there is no purging associated with this, unless you count the purging of valuable braincells that I'm no doubt losing from all the tv I'm consuming).

This summer I took on 5 full series and dabbled in a few others during regular season hiatus.  A few shows are starting to come back on, so I've slowed down, but we'll see how far I get.  In case you're interested in what I've been watching, here it is, with the miniest of reviews.

Friday Night Lights - this was the first series I took on this summer.  I had seen the movie back when it came out, and had heard really great things about the series, but I had just never gotten into it.  I posed the question on the old FB this spring for summer-series-viewing-suggestions, and this got a lot of chatter, so I decided to try it.  LOVED.  It's the perfect combination of good writing, interesting characters, excellent music, and high school/relationship drama. (if you hate the latter, you might not like this show, but if you enjoy a little drama to get caught up in - I highly recommend).  I watched 76 episodes in 10 days.  It was glorious.

Arrested Development - after FNL I needed a comedy purge for my brain.  This was a good choice.  I heard a lot of bad reviews about S4, but decided to try it anyway.  I liked it, it had its high points, but I wasn't as compelled by it as I was the first 3 seasons.  But I finished it anyway and was glad I did.

House of Cards - back to the serious tv.  This show was dark (a friend advised me, "you might need to shower between episodes," but it was. so. good.  Well written, well cast, well acted.  I didn't care how dark it was, I kept wanting more. And that Kevin Spacey - MAN he's good.  Took me 3 days to watch all 13 episodes, could have easily done it in less, but tried not to totally isolate myself from life.  Heard they're shooting season 2 now in the area, fun to see b.more sites popping up.

Breaking Bad -  Okay, the same friend who told me I should watch H.O.C. also told me to watch BB.  In fact he said "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT WATCHING BREAKING BAD?!?!?!  IT'S THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION!!" So, based on his highly enthusiastic recommendation I decided to give it a try. (and he has yet to fail me in the 15 years I've known him.  In fact, he's who introduced me to imdb circa 2001, so clearly, he knows what's up).  I have to be honest, the first "season" (only 7 eps due to the writers strike of 2008) didn't really grab me.  I might have given up after 7 if he had not so strongly recommended.  So I kept going.  SO GLAD I DID!!!  Oh my gosh.  It is dark, and twisted, and gruesome at times, but it is so fascinating and well done.  I blazed through Seasons 1-4 in about a month, and was majorly bummed to find the Pt 1 of Season 5 was no where to be found in all of my streaming mediums.  So, I got sad and moved on.  THEN they released S5 part 1 and I caught up in time to watch the final 8 live w/ the rest of the world. So glad I am caught up to join in the hype.  It's super fun (and I can't wait to see how it ends, though I'm already going to miss it!)

Orange is the New Black - Took this on in my sadness to fill the Breaking Bad void.  I really enjoyed it as well - super well done, and I love the depth they give not only the main character but all of her prison-mates.  Again, 13 eps in 1 weekend - it watches really fast, and I have to say that the 2 Netflix-run dramas I watched the summer were probably the 2 most captivating shows.  With both after I finished ep1 I couldn't wait to dive into the next.

Portlandia -  I've seen so many of these sketches online, but have started working thorugh the full eps when I need a humor break (as all the shows I've been watching have been SOOOO dark).  This is super entertaining. 

Mad Men - So many people have recommended this and it's gotten so much buzz over the years and I've never seen an episode, so I decided to start.  However, I have only gotten about 3 episodes in and I got distracted and haven't gone back.  A lot of my friends have given it mixed reviews on whether it's worth sticking out - any suggestions??

Prison Break - So, the reason I got distracted from Mad Men was Wentworth Miller.  I was so into him when this show first came out - and it was probably one of the first shows of its kind that I got super into and watched religiously (other than Alias).  I even had W.M. on the desktop of my computer for years.  That's how into him I was.  I've long heard the rumors of his sexuality, but when he officially came out last week I was both moved by his boldness, and totally bummed out.  (I had literally just had a convo days before with a friend about who would be on "my list," and I had still included him, seeing as he wasn't officially out).  So, I got to reminiscing about Prison Break and decided to go back to it.  Still awesome.  And even though I watched every ep when it aired, I'm still on the edge of my seat.  There are so many intricate details that I clearly don't remember them all.  I remember broad themes, but in many ways, it's as exciting watching again as it was the first time.

So, that's how I spent my summer (when I wasn't working or at the pool).  Whew, it was hard work (and this was long....) but it was fun!!!

Just a few more weeks til new shows are back on!

What I'm Into (August 2013 Edition)

Linking over to her for the 2nd time this week, Leigh Kramer does a monthly "What I'm Into" and I thought that might be fun!

Read and Reading:
I've been truly delinquent on reading this summer, which is really unusual for me.  I guess I'm just in a different rhythm this year.  I did read one book this month, Cleo: The Cat Who Mended a Family, by Helen Brown.  It's a heartbreaking and touching story about, well, a cat who mends a family.  As a recently (1.5 years, but it still feels new) cat person, I really loved it.  She has a second book that is next on my pile!

TV:
Currently airing shows for the summer I got in to: Celebrity Game Night (it's like they're inside my head), the return of Guiliana & Bill (I'm convinced we'd be friends) and newly added love: BREAKING BAD!!!

I watched the whole series this summer and am SO GLAD I DID, not only because it's a great show, but it's really fun to be a part of all the excitement of the final 8 episodes. (and the coolest thing ever happened to me yesterday, see below).

On Netflix, I've been inspired to rewatch Prison Break, after Wentworth Miller being back in the news.  It's as intruiging as it was the first time, I thought I'd remember all the twists and turns, but it's been so long I'm just as captivated as I was the first time (and Wentworth is just as smoldering as he was back in 2005 as well).

Movies:
I saw no new movies this month, but did decide that I wanted to finally see the full Dark Knight trilogy.  I had seen Batman Begins when it came out, but for various reasons hadn't seen the 2nd two.  I bought them for a steal at Target this summer.  My plan for last weekend was to hit all three (I love a trilogy weekend), but got called into work so only was able to watch the first.  Maybe this weekend I'll finally complete the series.

In the vein of nostalgia, I bought Mall Rats on dvd this month and watched it for the first time in years.  Just as good, if not better, than the first time I saw it in 1998.  (bit of trivia, it was one of the first two VHS tapes I bought as I was heading to college)

Music:
I've spent a lot of time this summer getting back into music.  Saw a few concerts in June & July (The National, fun., My Morning Jacket, & Wilco)
Been really enjoying Dawes this month, and am hoping to see them when they come to town in September.

What I love:

• Number one thing I love?  Oh, you know, just getting a direct tweet from Aaron Paul yesterday after I responded to one of his tweets. (I totally geeked out).  Here is why he is my favorite right now:  He is one of the hottest actors on probably THE hottest show right now, and yet doesn't seem to let it go to his head.  He seems truly in awe of all the fans and support he's gotten.  It's really touching. I mean, who else does this kind of stuff?!

• Really been getting into Podcasts, a nice way to break up my commute and laugh and learn. Current favorite: "By The Way" with Jeff Garlin.  Hilarious, and really has some great guests.

August was a busy month with a lot of highlights.

• I coordinated a wedding that was maybe the craziest I have ever done in the 7 years I've been doing this.  I live tweeted the weekend, it was super nuts.  Feel free to scroll back to my twitter for Aug 2-3 if you want to see some of the crazy.(@beckeye)

• My family took a beach vacation to Rehoboth for the first time in 3 years (and the only 3 years of my life we hadn't gone).  I was only able to get away for the weekend, but it was fun to be back and to see my cousin who lives in Texas with his two boys, who weirdly are turning in to great young men.

• I spent a day in Central PA with some very old friends, and remembered how good that girl time with people who've known you for years can be.

• I returned to working in the cupcake store for the first time in close to 3 months.  At first I felt like a fish out of water, but was surprised how quickly it all came back.

• I took on some more responsibility at my day job last month, and am getting to know my responsibilities and starting to find my groove.  It feels good.

In the Blogosphere:
Don't have a great way to organize my thoughts on what I'm loving out there, but will work on that for next time.


On The Blog:     
I'm back on my blog after a nearly 2 year break.  So far it's fun.  I've written about coming back, my neighborhood, and my favorite shows of all time.

Thanks, Leigh, for the "What I'm Into" Inspiration!