Because atheism is SO CRAZY
Posted by Sarah in tv on Oct 7, 2010 | 0 commentsThis week’s Glee narrowly avoided getting it banned. By all means, all the characters should mock or try to dissuade the folk who don’t agree with them. Because it’s SO CHRISTIAN to be intolerant.
I was actually excited when Kurt said he didn’t believe in god because I thought “Whoa! We’re going to have THIS conversation!” Despite Glee fumbling some other storylines (or at least choking a bit) I was pretty hopeful that it might turn out to be good or even great. Sigh.
I’m glad Kurt got to stick to his guns, it’s just too bad it took a full episode of all his peers telling him that he couldn’t possibly be right and that life is too hard not to have god. Also, the only person who agrees with him is THE BAD GUY. Fuck you, Glee writers.
Luckily Kurt can look forward to many, many, many more years of the same treatment since the only religion REALLY tolerated in the US is Christianity. Not that I’m bitter.
Cocaine use =/= a woman’s right to choose
Posted by Sarah in entertainment, internet, media, television on Mar 30, 2009 | 0 commentsI don’t watch The View very often, but I enjoy their hot topics shows because I think they do a good job of covering the gamut of reasonably expected responses (considered/intellectual: Whoopi, Barbara; ignorant/emotional: Sherri, Elizabeth; going for the punchline: Joy). Today they were talking about the rumor of Joe Biden’s daughter having snorted cocaine and one of her dirtbag ‘friends’ shopping it around to tabloids. They were saying that you can’t tie the actions of a child to the parent, with which I absolutely agree.
Kids come into this world with their own personality and ability to make their own decisions. Ideally, the way that they are raised will influence some of their decisionmaking processes but ultimately they are their own person.
That shook round to the political spectrum and how it’s potentialy MORE unfair to hold these kids up because the press implies their parents aren’t good at their JOBS rather than at parenting (which is the more logical conclusion). This, of course, brought up the issue of Bristol Palin. I think there’s a difference in that particular case.
If Sarah Palin had refused to comment about the pregnancy (Biden has yet to comment on the drug allegation), or simply requested privacy, that would have been just fine. Instead she started crowing about how proud she was of her daughter’s “choice” and turned it into a pro-life wictory. This would also be fine, if Sarah Palin wasn’t actively campaigning to take that exact same “choice” away from everyone else. She SHOULD have been talking about how there wasn’t a choice, of course Bristol was having that kid because it was the only right thing to do – because that’s what she believes.. Instead, she MADE it a political issue by discussing it in those terms, precisely because she’s AGAINST a woman’s right to control her own bodily functions, and that is why it became okay to talk about it. You’ll notice that Bristol’s “choice” was a topic of conversation but her decision to drop out of high school was barely a blip.
Being a politician doesn’t hold you to a higher standard of being a parent. It doesn’t hold your kids to a higher standard, because your kids are entitled to make their own mistakes and learn from them. It DOES require that you occasionally shut your mouth and put your kids before your own political agenda.
The View was also hilarious today talking about Twitter. The whole ‘not getting it’ is easy to see. It’s sort of a mindless occupation, though it can be entertaining.
I was kind of interested to see Bill O’Reilly on the show and see if Joy Behar or Whoopi were going to call him out. O’Reilly *did* make a good point about shopping with your dollars – if you disagree with something, use your money to make your impact. It was also hilarious that Bill suddenly wanted to “move on” when they began discussing WHY we were in Iraq. Oddly, he rarely wants to “move on” on his own show. Speaking of which, I wanted to link this particularly heinous story. It’s especially nice because he has frequently spoken out on the rights of ‘celebrities’ to not be stalked. I guess famous people get more rights than everyone else.
Last political note: when the economists say you’ve got to keep spending money in order to fix the problem, people like Bill O’Reilly and Sherri Shepard should STFU. We’ve already spent into what most average people would consider to be imaginary numbers (as in, we can’t IMAGINE how much money it is) so if the people who study this FOR A LIVING think it’s the right path, I’m okay with it.
In unrelated news, I’m finally posting my CO snowpocalypse photos!
The trees outside my house, when I left.
Merging onto I-70, believe it or not.
If you haven’t seen the BSG finale, don’t read this post.
Posted by Sarah in entertainment, media, television on Mar 22, 2009 | 0 commentsUnless, that is, you have no idea what I mean by BSG and in that case you probably won’t WANT to read this post. 
I think the gut reaction for a lot of fans was that I WANT MY KARA/LEE 4EVAH. I’ll admit it – I totally felt it for about 15 seconds. And then I started thinking about the Kara/Lee dynamic and why that ending for them totally worked (because it did).
From the start, Kara and Lee were on separate courses destined for a collision. It starts with drunken flirting and Kara’s admission that she fears “being forgotten” most, while she’s dating/engaged to his BROTHER of all things. Kara is the absolute arbiter of self-destruction. On the other hand, all of her self-destructive behaviors and crazy widespread fallout ensure that she WON’T in fact be forgotten.
Their sexual tension doesn’t ever dissipate because they never REALLY consummate what they both clearly want. She’s afraid it will mean actual happiness and a descent into ‘comfortable,’ ‘normal’ – forgettable. She’s also afraid of disappointing Lee, of screwing it up. When they finally have sex, she takes off and marries Sam – ensuring that Lee will always wonder WTF – both about her and what it means about HIM, what he did wrong.
She’s never really serious with Sam and begins pushing him away almost immediately and guaranteeing that his life will also be halfway ruined by her. He can’t ever quite let her go because he never really had her to start with.
Meanwhile, she Starbucks for all she’s worth. Does the crazy things no one else does, has no fear of her death in these ridiculous exploits because even if she bites it – people will KNOW. She doesn’t mind being talked about, being badmouthed. She has clearly defined her role and never deviates – not for a moment. She’s a trainwreck. She takes a lot of prisoners, tortures them, and makes no apologies. She doesn’t apologize when Leoben takes HER prisoner. And when she’s told she has a destiny (over and over) she isn’t upset about THAT – she’s upset that she can’t SEE it, can’t touch it, can’t CONTROL it. She’s been so busy making herself memorable that she’s afraid to let go of the icon she’s created and is afraid her destiny might take it.
Lee, meanwhile, is always half a person. He’s always responsible for someone or TO someone. His brother, his father, Kara, Dee. He can’t be who he wants to be because it will hurt his brother (and his brother’s memory) if he really pursues Kara. He’s the guy who has to try and keep Kara put together since she’s so determined to flame out spectacularly and in public view. He can’t walk away from the military (or roles of responsibility) because his father’s gravitational pull is impossible to overcome. The only way he can defend himself is to try and create his own roles and ultimately falls short. His relationship with Dee was far less well defined but it becomes clear that Dee sees herself as the rebound girl. Lee is responsible again, for not making her feel valued or important. He’s still not able to be himself. He doesn’t have any idea who he is but he has a thousand ideas about who he COULD be if his life was just different.
And in the end, Kara has become something EVERYONE will remember. She’s remembered because NO ONE knows what she really was. An oracle, an angel, a savior? The contradiction – that someone so flawed could become something so mysteriously benefiical – has guaranteed her the one thing she wanted most. She is the enigma that allows them to keep living, keep believing. And when she leaves, she’s the perfect example for how you don’t REALLY get a second chance. You don’t get to have a second life where you can do everything right – even if you’ve learned from all your mistakes – or get to rewrite history. The second chance is a great idea but you have to live your life like you only get the one you’ve got.
I wish Lee had chosen his own destiny, but it makes perfect sense that he can’t. Dee leaves him – twice – and the first time was an attempt to make him choose his own path. The second time she left, she was so far past him that he couldn’t even see her. His father leaves him as well, and I’m willing to wank that it’s because he knows Lee will never become his own man with the Admiral around. And Kara winks out in the moment before he can ask her to stay. He can see the thousand paths he might take but now he HAS to take one, and the only one he’s repsonsible to is himself. There is no one to live up to, no one to take care of, no accounting to be made. He gets to finally become Lee.
There are a few things I would quibble about with the finale, but this is the one thing the writers got perfectly and absolutely right.
TV roundup
Posted by Sarah in entertainment, television on Mar 10, 2009 | 1 commentHouse, M.D. I love that the writers always stay true to his cantankerousness. I love that last night’s episode was all about Monster Trucks and, simultaneously, not about Monster Trucks at all. I consistently just enjoy watching this show.
Castle. I thought the premiere was okay. I’m not a fan of crime shows where the lady cop is hot, lonely, and always in four inch heels. For “How to do this right” see The Mentalist. Nathan Fillion is kind of great, though, and I loved the end of the show. We’ll see how long they can draw this out without making the female lead seem like an utter nincompoop.
Heroes continues to be really good at what it does. Spouse missed a couple of episodes and is off of it, but I’m still liking how they put things together.
I was so glad for Medium to get back on the air! I love the way they depict the married couple, as well as the kids. They have some of the only kids on TV I find to be charming. I pretty much just love the show.
BSG continues to kick ass.
Burn Notice had a solid season. I was getting a bit annoyed with the whole ‘who framed me’ storyline but I really like the Michael/Fiona dynamic. I also LOVE Sam (Bruce Campbell).
Chuck is also continuously awesome.
Almost everything else is returning from their break next week.
I watched my first episode of Dancing With the Stars last night at work and I’ve got to say, I don’t get it. I don’t get why people love it so much.
My car gets better gas mileage than I thought.
Posted by Sarah in hausfrau, miscellany, photos, television on Feb 17, 2009 | 1 commentOur guests are gone. I have returned from Glenwood Springs. I have to work this afternoon but I totally promise that blogging returns to normal tomorrow. Probably I’ll link to photosets rather than posting a lot of pictures (because I’ve taken a lot) but I’m going to try and catch up the Daily Leadville and 52 weeks.
Piper fantastically spilled a mini-bag of dog food ALL OVER the back end of my CR-V. My car will smell like dog food forever.
In the meantime, I’m contemplating a nap before work.
Life is a great TV show
Posted by Sarah in links, media, music, recommendations, television on Feb 4, 2009 | 1 commentNot only is it a good crime drama with great characters and actors, it’s got fantastic music. I’m not the only one who thinks so.
This link is mostly for my reference.
I know you won’t believe this
Posted by Sarah in entertainment, miscellany, television, travel, yoga on Feb 3, 2009 | 0 commentsBut there’s an actual yoga post coming soon. Shocking, right?
Mom’s home from the hospital and feeling well. She’s on pain meds, so no driving for her. I head north on Thursday for about a half day and then fly back home on Friday morning.
Also, I totally have to post about Medium, Chuck, and Heroes.
Michigan’s State of the State was tonight and it is pretty much what you’d expect – not good. The good news is that at least the pay of elected officials is being cut (although I noticed the applause was decidedly not widespread). I’m glad that we’ve moved but worried that we still have a house here.
Superbowl with Mom
Posted by Sarah in miscellany, television on Feb 1, 2009 | 0 commentsAt home, it’s entirely likely that Spouse and I would be 1) hosting a Superbowl party, 2) attending a Superbowl party or 3) watching the Superbowl at the bar with some friends. A few years ago, when I was still in sales, I watched the Superbowl in Chicago at the ESPN Zone with my co-workers and got interviewed for the local news.
Watching the Superbowl with Mom is different, but still kind of awesome. We did all of our errands, bought all our supplies and now we’re sitting on the couch in our pajamas, eating crackers/cheese/salami. I’m drinking some Pinot Noir but since Mom’s pre-surgery she’s drinking water. We are contemplating doing our own pedicures. Totally laid back, totally girly, and still totally Superbowl.
I think this meme is designed to make me feel bad about myself.
Posted by Sarah in entertainment, internet, media, television on Jan 25, 2009 | 0 commentsEmpire Magazine has revealed its list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows ever.
1. Bold the shows you watch/used to watch.
2. Italicize the shows you’ve seen at least one episode of.
3. Underline the shows you own* on DVD.
4. Post your answers.
50. Quantum Leap
49. Prison Break
48. Veronica Mars
47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
46. Sex & The City
45. Farscape
44. Cracker
43. Star Trek
42. Only Fools and Horses
41. Band of Brothers
40. Life on Mars
39. Monty Python
38. Curb Your Enthusiasm
37. Star Trek: The Next Generation – saw every episode
36. Father Ted
35. Alias - right up until the last season, which sucked it.
34. Frasier
33. CSI Las Vegas
32. Babylon 5
31. Deadwood - much to my friend Sarah’s chagrin. She loves this show.
30. Dexter - however, we BOTH love this show so I think it works out.
29. ER - I watched it up until 2 or 3 seasons ago, when Grey’s became the better medical drama.
28. Fawlty Towers
27. Six Feet Under
26. Red Dwarf
25. Futurama
24. Twin Peaks
23. The Office
22. The Shield
21. Angel
20. Blackadder
19. Scrubs
18. Arrested Development
17. South Park
16. Dr Who
15. Heroes
14. Firefly
13. Battlestar Galactica
12. Family Guy
11. Seinfeld
10. Spaced
09. The X-Files
08. The Wire -Possibly the best TV series ever.
07. Friends
06. 24
05. Lost - Okay, I watched this up until they had that weird season break that didn’t line up with anything else and I haven’t watched it since.
04. The West Wing – No lie, the last season sucked it.
03. The Sopranos
02. Buffy the Vampire Slayer -Despite the controversy, loved it all the way through.
01. The Simpsons
“That’s super disturbing.”
Posted by Sarah in entertainment, television on Jan 16, 2009 | 0 commentsThis week’s TV notes:
The Mentalist – Not gonna lie, I didn’t love this episode. It was missing something – not sure if it was the humor, or team interaction, or what, but it just fell a little flat.
Grey’s Anatomy – Better. Much better. I want this Denny thing OVER pleasethanks. I love Alex, I love Hunt, I really love Slexie, but the Denny thing is killing me. I also think the Meredith/murderer story has been really well done and I liked her fessing up to Shep’s mom.
The Practice. WTF. I mean, really? WTF. Definitely Addison should date another jackass. I love Charlotte but really, WTF.
Supernatural: Dude. This show still freaks me out. The girl from the wall was *shudder*. Psycho Nell. Heh. All in all a good episode, with some weird twists. I love my boys!
Criminal Minds: It’s a twisted, twisted world kids. One of the best ensemble casts on TV.
A Blafair to Rememblack
Posted by Sarah in entertainment, hausfrau, television on Jan 9, 2009 | 0 commentsIt was a LOT of work today, but I hung most of the rest of the photos, plus a mirror. I also got the floors cleaned, made two of the four bedrooms presentable for general viewing, cleaned the kitchen and dining room, and made food!
Of all the things we put up, I’m possibly happiest about the framed Ganesha series above the entryway table. I bought the handpainted (on cloth) prints when we were in India two years ago and have had them sitting on a shelf since then because I couldn’t find the right frame. While in Target yesterday, I found precisely what I’d been looking for. I also rehung the kitchen Buddha (even though there are no pictures). For our wedding, my mom’s cousin gave us a lovely framed and matted copy of our wedding invitation which sat on our mantle in Saginaw. It’s hanging on the wall nearest our bedroom with a photo from our honeymoon where Spouse and I are in costume. I also FINALLY framed the photo from the Cubs game, with our awesome behind-home-base tickets, and got that hung.
In TV notes:
The Mentalist- I was oddly disappointed by this week’s episode. I’m not sure if I was expecting Red John to remain a sort of elusive background shad0w-character, but I was fairly meh about the storyline. Loved the character development with re: the team and Jane. Love Jane all the time.
30 Rock – Hilarious. The title of this post is from the episode. Tracy Morgan plays the funniest character possibly in the history of television.
Grey’s Anatomy – Dude. WTF with this Denny thing. OVER it. I’m also kind of annoyed by the Mer-Christina feud, though it produced my two fave moments (Sheperd and McArmy bonding; her intern friend busting her out for being insincere). I also love Lexie/Sloan. It was also nice to see Meredith having a divergent opinion from Sheperd which was ABOUT MEDICINE. Surprisingly little (and refreshing!) rship drama for them this week. Also, still love Christina/McArmy.
Private Practice – I’m not really sure what to say about the introduction of the jackass doctor. Like, I don’t really care about him and I don’t really care how any of the characters feel about him, and I guess maybe I find the whole ‘friend opening competing practice on the floor below’ to be unbelievable enough to just not care about the ‘drama’ it causes. I do like that the show is tackling challenging medical issues (this week: vaccinations vs. autism) and talking about it like rational people but from both sides.
Damages – I have mad love for this show. I adore Timothy Olyphant and I’d be watching just for him, even if it wasn’t great. I felt like the Patty flashbacks were a little much, but they’ve got to catch up those people who weren’t watching last season. I dig the connving and backstabbing and I heart Ellen forever.
Psych – Still consistently funny!
More than just photos
Posted by Sarah in me, media, television, travel on Jan 6, 2009 | 0 commentsToday I got my Colorado phone number. This makes me inexplicably happy, possibly because we are officially Coloradans now. Got the license, the plates, the number – nothing left to do for paperwork!
We’re having a guest over on Friday and all I have to do is finish unpacking, stash full boxes, hang all the photos and artwork, and finalize (and cook) the menu. No problem, right?
Tomorrow I’m running a couple more errands: picking up a special bottle of scotch, mailing our old Dish Network receiver back to the company, and getting my hair cut/colored. It’s been several weeks and there’s about an inch of natural hair color showing. My plan is to get the rest of my hair to look more like the natural color, but we’ll see how that works out. I also have been feeling like I’m rocking some ‘mom’ hair lately and ideally we’ll get something done about that as well. I’m sorely tempted (especially given the clime) to cut my hair very short again. I predict by this time next year that’ll be a done deal. For the time being, I’m willing to humor my spouse and try to grow it out again.
Of course, if anything like the last hair debacle (which required cutting it from below the shoulders to my chin) happens again all bets are off.
I’ve settled into my temp gig, which I like a great deal. It’s also a nice jumping off point looking for other work.
More importantly, WE’VE GOT A DVR AGAIN!! If I sound redonkulously excited about THAT, then you’ve never had a DVR. Not only do Spouse and I have separate (and concurrent) viewing habits on Thursday nights, this Mountain time change thing is killing me. Did you know that out here, prime time starts at 7pm? WTF?
Progress is being made, slowly but surely, and I hope to be completely done with the moving in by next Friday. I also made my plane reservations (yay frequent flyer miles!) to get back to Detroit for Mom’s surgery. Anyone intrested in coffee/tea/beer in the Detroit area should email me (or comment here).
I’m going to put together some shelving and then go to bed. The Battle Mountain pass is mine to conquer tomorrow – something that brings new heights to hair-pin turns (12,000 feet) and stunning (if somewhat terror-inducing) scenery.
I’m feeling pretty accomplished right now.
Posted by Sarah in entertainment, miscellany, television on Dec 5, 2008 | 0 commentsEach room of the house is essentially done being packed. Both bedrooms, the office, the dining room, the kitchen, and the entire basement are all boxed. All that remains are the things I’m using for the next week, the food, the toiletries and bathroom supplies, and the important paperwork I need to keep with me. Unfortunately, I may have to cancel my Monday class because the movers are showing up right about the time I would be leaving to go to the gym.
TV notes:
Grey’s Anatomy:
Dear Grey’s, you are getting a SLIGHT reprieve from me but only because I read a spoiler to find out WTF is going on with this Izzy/Denny thing. Spoiler notwithstanding can we PLEASE get it over with? It is full of Fail and Ew. Please to be replacing it with more Lexie Grey/Mark Sloan (GrOan?) and Yang/Hunt. I love, love, love Kevin McKidd. He was smokin’ hot in a toga (Rome) and is just as hot in scrubs. Much love, yogagrrl
Chuck:
I continue to love this show.
NCIS:
Has gotten funnier? There’s been a lot more Abby this season, which I heart. I’ll take a cute geek girl over action just about any time. There’s an added double-bonus in that the most ass-kicking character on the show is also a female. Go girls!
Real Housewives of Orange County:
I’ve been watching this mostly for Carly. I remember why I didn’t watch it before. It’s chock full of entitled, self-absorbed bitches. All they care about are their looks, to an extent that’s kind of disturbing. The really scary thing is that they are all supposedly ‘empowered’ and independent women, but with so much vanity and insecurity they can barely function (Dear Jeana: Not you.). It’s like high school but older, bitchier, and with more money to use to be mean to you.
The Mentalist:
If I was going to get you to watch ONE show that you aren’t watching, this would be it.
Private Practice:
Whoa, Dark Horse! They came out of nowhere this week with an intense abortion-issue show. Nicely done. Yes, it’s a complicated issue and yes, we can all agree to disagree.
Ghost Whisperer:
Do you want to know how messed up I am? I only started watching this show when I saw the promo that they were going to kill off Melinda’s husband. I had literally never watched an episode (nor been interested) right up until that moment. I am not a nice person. That said, I’ve watched since then and I’m kind of intrigued with how they’re handling this whole spirit-in-another-body thing. Like I said, not nice.
Heroes:
Has been jacked up for a while, but this week’s episode was my favorite of the season (and second favorite probably ever). Watching everyone having to deal with suddenly being a normal person again, combined with the comic geeks, meant the episode = love.
House:
Of the good, as always, and with considerably less gore than has become the norm.
Life:
Not sure how it happened, but I missed a couple of episodes and had to catch them on the web. And then I watched this week’s on DVR. Man, I love this show. It’s an interesting crime procedural, great conspiracy mystery, and fantastic characters. I even love the Tidwell/Reese storyline even though everyone else hates it. I take it back – watch this show too.
The Mentalist – or – OMG I love this show!
Posted by Sarah in entertainment, television on Dec 3, 2008 | 0 commentsI’m not gonna lie, I love Patrick Jane just a little bit more knowing that his joie de vivre is powered by imagining how he’s going to slice his family’s murderer into little bitty pieces. This show just gets more and more fantastic.
Weekend roundup – packing, Real Housewives, Psych, snow, et cetera
Posted by Sarah in classes, entertainment, food, health, media, miscellany, television, yoga on Nov 30, 2008 | 0 commentsThe vast majority of our work is done. The office is almost finished, and the kitchen is done. We have no dishes that are not paper or plastic. Fast food, here I come!
It is currently dumping a metric asston of snow on my area. Unlike Colorado, we do not get powder. The snow is wet, heavy, and in the process of freezing. I think everyone’s hoping for a snow day. I wouldn’t complain, but I think it’s unlikely.
I really enjoyed the yoga class I attended tonight. It was just the right amount of work and mindlessness. I worked up a really nice sweat and got really loose. Possibly I’ll work up another yoga post tomorrow.
On to the TV!
Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion. Oh. My. God. It was CRAZY. The very best part was when Dwight came out and called them all “Très, très, très de classe.” I almost fell off my couch. It was brilliant. From NeNe calling Kim a hooker and a racist, to Kim claiming she had cancer and then saying she didn’t have cancer and then claming she never claimed she had cancer, it was sixteen kinds of reality TV trainwreck (if the train was carrying cars full of gunpowder). It was wild and I’m really hoping they do something with this show for another season.
Psych had another holiday episode! I love this show. It’s the funny version of The Mentalist, although it was around before the mentalist. The chemistry in the cast is fantastic, Dule Hill is a comic genius, and the storyline did not disappoint. The show is consistently funny and sweet. Love it.
Criminal Minds was fantastic this week. I generally think it’s fantastic, but it was a very cool exploration of first impressions, dating, and breaking out of your own awkward shell. That, plus serial killers! It’s another cast with great chemistry and solid crime plotting.
Bones was delightful, as ever. Love the Brennan/Dad interaction (with a side of Booth).
The Mentalist continues to be fantastic. I think the part I like most is Simon Baker. The character he plays has suffered an awful tragedy but they show him as a regular guy. He’s not swallowed up by his tragedy, he still enjoys life and has a sense of humor. His history is his history and influences his actions, but he’s not some morose lump. He gets along, as people do.
Grey’s Anatomy. I’m not sure WTF is going on there, but this whole Denny/Izzy thing is just creepy and icky. It’s too bad, because her storyline with Alex was starting to be interesting and now she’s a whacko and he’s going to get the shaft again. Also, sex with dead dudes = creepy. On top of that, her dead dude is a stalker. Worst kind of dead dude, ever.
