Thursday 29 November 2012

breaking bad

As I've mentioned before, the majority of television that I watch tends to fall on the reality tv side, with a few long-standing exceptions.  This means that I'm often behind the eight ball when it comes to current shows that it seems everyone is in love with.  The list right now includes - Mad Men, The Wire (not current, but I still haven't watched it), Breaking Bad, Grey's Anatomy (I'm caught up to season five, but aren't they on season nine or ten right now?), Homeland, Scandal, and the list goes on.

From IMDB

I finally decided to dive in to one of them.  And since Breaking Bad seems to have shorter seasons, I went with it first.  I turned on the first few episodes while I was ironing clothes one weekend....and then didn't watch another episode for easily a month.

It didn't grab me.  At all.  I wasn't interested in this man who just seemed so angry all of the time (and justifiably so, given that he's dying, or thinks that he is) and who seems to enjoy yelling at his former student.  So I gave up.

But a couple of people (both in real life and on Twitter) assured me that things pick up, so I tried again and made it to the end of season one.

I still wasn't impressed.

Then I was told that I'd have to get into season two before it really started to get good.  Really?  An hour long drama has to be into its second season before I want to turn it on every week?  That doesn't seem right.  But I promised a friend that I'd stick with it, and another month later, I turned on season two.

Did I get hooked?  Yes.  Was it early on in season two?  No.

I didn't really get into Breaking Bad until almost the season finale of season two.  Which is way too long for a show to take.  Had I been watching this as it was actually airing, there's no way that I would have held on that long.  I probably wouldn't have even noticed when season two started.

But by the finale, I needed to know what happened next.  I stayed up late to finish the season off, because it was just getting that good.  I woke up the next day and started season three, promptly ignoring the work that needed to be done by the next day.

The point of this long post is - yup, Breaking Bad, you won me over.  Finally.  And now I need to know what happens.  Congratulations writers, you win.

Tuesday 27 November 2012

one of those days

I'm having one of those days which is equal parts awesome and overwhelming.

One of those days where your head swims with the creative and fun things that you *want* to do, but those thoughts fight against the waves of the ones about the things that you *need* to do.  Like yesterday.

One of those days where you know that you have all of the ingredients/supplies to make a healthy meal that will fuel you through an afternoon full of productivity, but in reality all that you want to eat are the caramel-filled Hershey's kisses sitting in the candy jar on your coffee table.

One of those days where you want to push aside all of the obligations you currently have to work through and finish and instead focus on the new projects that are on the horizon.

One of those days where you find a great online sale, but also realize that you are so close to sticking to your budget and saving up money for the bigger purchase you are making in the very near future, so you don't click on "check out".  And then revel in your self-restraint, while still thinking about the items in your virtual cart.

One of those days where you want the company of family or friends, but you are enjoying the quiet so much that you don't dare interrupt it.

One of those days where you purposely avoid turning on season four of Breaking Bad because you know that you can never watch just one episode.

One of those days where you make plans - lots of plans - about creative projects and meal plans and recipes and workouts and movies to watch and places to visit and books to read and music to listen to, but in the end, you spend far too much time playing around on the internet and ignore the towels sitting in the dryer waiting to be folded.

One of those days that you need to still all of the thoughts/demands/to-do list items running through your head so that you can tackle everything with a renewed vigor that comes with calm.

Just one of those days.


Tuesday 6 November 2012

so much stuff

I've spent a lot of time over the past two weeks cleaning and purging my current apartment.

Part of the reason for that is because I'm hoping that this current apartment will not be "current" much longer, and I have no desire to pack and move things that I do not actually want/need.  The other part has to do with my efforts in streamlining - making my life as simple as possible.  Which includes not buying something that I already own, simply because I can't see it or remember that I already have it.  This has actually happened  more times than I'd like to admit.

I may be buying my first home shortly (fingers crossed!), and spending money needlessly just doesn't fit in the equation for me anymore.  I live in an apartment where the rent is incredibly cheap, given the condition and amenities that I have here.  Thank god for rent control!  Moving to somewhere new - somewhere that comes with a mortgage and condo fees - will be an adjustment to my monthly budget.  A doable adjustment, of course, but still one that I'm trying to be prepared for.  Going through all of your belongings and realizing just how much stuff you own can really alter one's outlook on shopping and accumulating more.

I think that most people would also admit that purging just feels good.  Getting rid of clothes you never wear anymore and random things that you've collected along the way that you've never actually used or even thought of is pretty freeing.

In the span of a couple of weeks, I filled two boxes with donations, three huge garbage bags of...well...garbage, and four boxes of recycling.  My place still feels full, so I'm not exactly sure where all of that stuff was hiding along the way.  But at least I know now that the things I have are things that I need or want, not just random items taking up more (crucial) space.

Purge your stuff people. 

Sunday 4 November 2012

my love of reality tv

For years, I've been honest about my addiction to reality television, possibly to the point of referring to myself as a "reality tv whore" at times.

It all started with Survivor.  I remember reading about it in a magazine at my grandparents' house one day and thinking "throwing a bunch of people on an island....dumbest idea ever".  But my then-boyfriend and I happened to turn on the first episode and we were HOOKED.

Oh Richard....you were such a jerk....

And then it grew.  American Idol...Big Brother...Amazing Race...The Bachelor...Jersey Shore....The Real Housewives of Pick Any Place...and on and on.

Believe it or not, I do have a line - a point where the show becomes so ridiculous that I can't watch it.  Whatever the show was called where Flava Flav looked for a "wife" was one of those.  Too far.  The Apprentice?  Could never watch it.  The one that's on right now with the ex-wives of rock stars?  Nope.  Too much.

I am fully aware that most of these shows are not actual "reality"; that they have writers and storylines.  But that doesn't stop or hinder my addiction in any way.  And even better, there is almost always one playing on some channel (possibly in repeats) on tv; so any time I need a mindless escape for a bit....I just have to scroll through the guide until I find one.

Maybe reality tv is an addiction that I'll grow out of at some point.  Right now, I'm ready for Jersey Shore to be over, and this summer's season of Big Brother was less than thrilling.  Perhaps this is the start of my moving on and watching "quality" dramas - I still have yet to watch an episode of Mad Men and I'm stuck in the middle of season two of Breaking Bad - or maybe I'll reach the point where I cancel my cable all together.  But the reunion specials for the housewives from New Jersey start airing this week....and I'm pretty excited for that one, so who knows.