Tag Archives: tv

Currently (or This Too Shall Pass)

Allow me to rant for a paragraph or two. There’s construction going on around my parents’ house and it is RUINING MY LIFE. The worst part is that I have my own place. Why do I stay with my parents?! I have my own place where I don’t have to deal with construction and I don’t have to worry about the water being turned off and I can WALK AROUND NAKED IF I WANT. Oh, Lisa. I’m so disappointed in you.

Second rant: I can’t wait until this election is over. I know who I’m voting for but I’m honestly scared about the outcome either way. Politics has never been something that I like to talk about. I like listening to people who are educated and passionate, and I read and do what I can to educate myself as much as possible. But I get so frustrated when someone with no fucking clue starts talking politics, or when you think you’re having a friendly exchange about politics with a rational human being and then they say that the President is the spawn of Satan and you realize that they are totally serious and you kind of wish you didn’t know them anymore.

Okay. The construction should be over in a month. The election, well, I’ll be living in this country indefinitely so I care deeply, but elections are so damn ugly. Are they not? It’ll be done by Thanksgiving, which isn’t that far away, y’all.

Now, I like saying “y’all” even though I’m a Chicago girl through and through. I’ve been using it a LOT recently, probably because I’m reading “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” by Jenny Lawson aka The Bloggess. I’m reading it on my brand new gently used Kindle Fire! I’m not totally against ebooks, but I still prefer the real thing. I like turning pages, I like bookmarks, I like being able to measure how “thick” chapters are, and I especially like that I can hand a book to a friend that I know will enjoy it after I’m done reading it.

I finally started watching Girls and can someone tell me what goat Lena Dunham sacrificed in order to have her career? I simultaneously want to hug her and high five her and punch her in the face. I can’t decide if I think she’s brilliant or just really, really lucky. (It’s probably both.) I like the show. I understand all the backlash and shit, and there are plenty of reasonable people I personally know who wouldn’t find it entertaining in the least. I just find it refreshing that I can enjoy it and can relate to it (to an extent) without getting emotionally involved (which is what is sort of happening with Parenthood, another show I’m currently marathoning). Anyway. Lena Dunham, fuck you and your brilliance and maybe we can hang out sometime? Please?

I can’t believe it’s September already. Summer went by way too quickly and I already know that fall and winter are going to fly by. I do have a feeling that I’ll have a lot of funny and/or excruciating tales to share with y’all. Be productive, creative, set goals, make plans, be spontaneous –cue inspirational music– every moment is a gift. Time will pass quickly regardless of how you spend it. So have fun and get shit done and live life and start dating so that you don’t have to buy a cat and you probably don’t have to buy a cat because the neighborhood stray already thinks that you’re her mommy and well that’s another blog post for another day.

Currently

Happy Sunday! Wait. Happy Monday! Oh, how I love and hate Monday holidays. I know I should be glad that I will only have a four day work week (and I only had a four day work week last week since I took Friday off), but the weeks where we get Monday off seem so long. Anyway, here’s what’s been happening.

Turning Veganese turned celebrated its six month anniversary which also means that I’ve been on my way to being vegan for six months. I feel great and morally superior to omnivores. Just kidding about that last part. But, I do feel great. I have had to shop for new clothes to go with my slightly new body. A better diet isn’t everything, though, so…

…I’ve decided to start working out again. My reasons for wanting to exercise are mostly superficial. Like I said, I feel great, but I would like to look great. I would also like to be more physically fit. I walked up seven flights of stairs at work a couple weeks ago and sounded like I was having a panic attack afterward. A guy at work does it everyday and said he started out the same way, but now it’s pretty much effortless. That’s good motivation. We have an on-site gym at work, so all I have to do is drag my ass in there. I dusted off the old gym bag (I literally had to dust it off) and packed it for tomorrow.

Another thing I’m going to try doing is bringing my lunch to work. I spend so much money on coffee, breakfast, lunch and snacks at work. It’s icky and it’s putting me in the poor house. Anyone got any recommendations on a good French press? I have one but I’m thinking of buying a nicer one and keeping the old one at work.

As part of my lazy Memorial Day, I thought it would be nice to watch a movie while laying in bed. I guess I could have watched it while working out in front of the TV, but I didn’t, OK? I watched a modern-day classic, the 2011 version of Footloose.

Watching this movie did not change my life and I bet you are rolling your eyes or laughing at the fact that I watched it. Well, I enjoyed it! I thought Kenny Wormald was charming. Shut up.

I also watch good stuff, like Mad Men. Ohmigosh, did you see last night’s episode, “The Other Woman?” Sooo good. So disturbingly good. Quietly shocking and thought-provoking. I just love Jon Hamm. And I love Ginsberg. I think Ben Feldman is cute and I love him in Drop Dead Diva and that Hillary Duff movie he was in and I swear to you that I am an intelligent person with good taste in television and movies.

Music-wise, I’m liking the new record by The Walkmen. I also can’t get Rihanna and Carly Rae Jepsen out of my head. Why am I admitting this on my blog? That’s my cue to end this post and go to bed.

 

I’m Goofy and I Know It

I saw the most incredible thing while traveling last week:

It’s a dude using a pay phone. A DUDE USING A PAY PHONE. I obviously had to take a picture. What I was unable to capture (to my dismay) were the moments before he picked up the phone, when he read the instructions and then looked for change. HE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. Well, either he didn’t read the instructions well enough or no one was home because he never did speak to someone. Poor guy. I probably should have offered my assistance; he seemed to have trouble counting his change, too. I was not a good citizen at the moment. Plus, I was too busy giggling about it.

I caved and bought a pair of TOMS:

They’re comfy but let me warn you that I had to exchange my original pair for a half size smaller than my usual size. I’m a dumbass for not listening to my friend Monika when she told me to get a half size smaller. I do like them, but… how do I put this delicately… I have to be careful what outfits I pair them with because with the wrong pants or look, I basically look like an Asian refugee or female prisoner. This has to do with their slipper-like look, the fact that I’m Asian, and the fact that I have tiny feet (my TOMS are a size 5). TOMS gives a free pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair bought; Monika joked that I was one of the free pair recipients. Yes. That’s how they look on me. I’m wearing them anyway, dammit.

I finally finished reading Zeitoun. Wow. It’s so quietly powerful. I admit that I’m fiction’s bitch; it was Dave Eggers’s name that made me pick up Zeitoun more than anything else (yes, yes, ironic since he doesn’t really write fiction). I think it’s a really important story, and I would encourage you to read it. I started my next book, which was recommended to me by my friend Jen:

So far, so good. I may actually finish this one by next year…

This is nearly blasphemous, but I haven’t been keeping up with TV much lately. Mad Men is the only show I faithfully watch, but I did miss last night’s episode. It’s so good and Sunday nights are a perfect TV night for me. Plus, it’s Mad Men, people. If I’m only going to keep up with one show, it had best be Mad Men. Other than that, I’ve been marathoning Doctor Who. After Martha’s last episode, I wanted to pause before getting into the Donna episodes and the end of Tennant’s run. I feel like such a Who nerd for wanting to prolong Tennant’s run for as long as I can even though I’ve seen it all already and I’m a fan of Matt Smith’s doctor. Hahahaa, are you reading this? I can’t believe I’m talking about Doctor Who. Anyway, I still wanted something British, but more stiff and romantic, so I watched (for the first time) the BBC’s Pride & Prejudice miniseries:

Ewwww, Colin Firth! Stop being so sexy with that look and your dark curly hair and acting all snotty but then being all wonderful… I take it back, Colin Firth, please let me have your babies and is it okay if I call you Mister Darcy? Nothing will ever beat this adaptation! Disclaimer: I am not a Jane Austen nerd so take my assessment with a grain of salt. I loved it so much that I almost watched it again immediately, but there are other things to enjoy, such as Audrey Hepburn. I’ve never seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I know, I know! How lame of me. However, I did start by watching Sabrina and Audrey Hepburn is so pretty and petite and I hate her guts now.

In non-TV entertainment, I was uber elated to hear that the Art Institute will have a Roy Lichtenstein exhibit from May 16 through September 2. I fell in love with Lichtenstein when I saw a huge print of one of his works hanging in my boss’s office years ago. It’s such great Pop Art and I need to make sure I haul my ass downtown to see this one. Who wants to go with me?

Finally, and also in non-TV entertainment, I attended my niece’s dance recital yesterday.

Isn’t she sweet?!

Nah. She’s a goofball, just like her aunt. Alright, gotta go. I’m eating a mango and it needs my undivided attention!

The Final Season of LOST as Seen by Someone Who Has Never Seen Lost

LOST FANS! I highly recommend that you read this blog!

The Final Season of LOST as Seen by Someone Who Has Never Seen Lost is fantastic and makes watching the final season of Lost more enjoyable. Great concept, honest recaps by someone who truly never saw an episode of Lost before the final season, and humorous illustrations. Nice contrast to the mind-bending recaps by Doc Jensen and other longtime fans. If that doesn’t convince you to read it, then maybe the fact that Damon Lindelof himself loves this blog will convince you.

(Apologies to anyone who doesn’t give a shit about Lost.)

You're Killin' Me, Smalls


NBC.com

I’m continuing my TV-hiatus-viewing by watching The Black Donnellys. There are a lot of reasons why this show should have survived: cute boys (who knew Jonathan Tucker was so built?), decent to great acting, Paul Haggis, violence and crime – and the pilot was outstanding. But I’m glad this show is off the air. It sucks! I mean, I get that it’s supposed to be dark and gritty, but I don’t believe that these characters can be so damn stupid. I don’t even want to talk about it anymore. Suffice to say that my favorite character is Sean Donnelly because all he’s done is make out with someone, get his ass kicked, lay in the hospital, and get upset because his mom doesn’t like his girlfriend. Then again, I’m only halfway through the episodes that were actually made, so there’s time for him to get stupid.

Note: Someone needs to hire Tom Guiry for something awesome. I hate to see his talent go to waste (or to see him playing psychos/weirdos/dummies).