wisteria

Ah, Friday Night Lights, I adore you. One (non-spoilery) thing really struck me about this episode. Nearly all the teen characters genuinely love their parents, and they openly show it, both in words and actions. How rare is that? Yeah, FNL tends to get a bit too socially conservative at times, which makes me a bit uncomfortable. But if this means we get to see those lovely relationships, then I'm more than happy to have the "family values".

Not much to tell these days. Work's going pretty well, knock on wood. I've been sitting here, trying to come up with something to say about life, but I'm coming up blanks. I do have a ton of links to share, so I'll just skip ahead to that. :)

From Salon:
-- Garrison Keillor has seven rules for reading the newspaper.
-- A literary guide to Gypsy Europe.
-- A review of God Grew Tired of Us, a documentary about Sudan's "Lost Boys" that I'd really like to see. Here's the official site, which is even more interesting.

From Newsweek:
-- Murder Among Medicis: Did the second Grand Duke of Tuscany die from arsenic poisoning?
-- The Perils of Posing: How to avoid some common yoga-related injuries.
-- I thought creationists were monsters, until I married one. I'm firmly on the opposite side, but this was a fascinating read.

From Slate:
-- Are Skinny Girls Unhealthy? Also rather eye-opening.
-- How the bathroom became America's latest status symbol. Slate has such cool slideshows about architecture.

And from elsewhere:
-- Sony is conducting a poll about which shows you want to see on DVD, including Cupid!
-- An Atlanta church has started a weekly sermon series on the spiritual lessons of Grey's Anatomy.
-- McSweeney's imagines John Updike, Television Writer.
-- Did you make a New Year's Resolution? 43 Things gives you the chance to connect with people trying to achieve the same goals.
-- The NY Times evaluates silicone cookware. I'm quite pleased with the $6 silicone muffin "tin" that I got at Target. I just wish this article didn't read so much like an ad for SiliconeZone.
-- They also have a long article on Starbucks' attempts to enter the breakfast wars. As a drive-thru breakfast aficionato (Chick-Fil-A's chicken biscuits are divine, though I have a soft spot for McGriddles), I'd be more than happy to try Starbucks' fancy egg sandwiches... if they had a location on my morning commute.

That's all for tonight. Now I'm off to do some knitting, and perhaps watch the first four episodes of this season's 24 (which are available online in the usual places.) It's a big, dumb show sometimes, but it can be a hell of a lot of fun. I just wish they'd take my advice and sign Victor Garber -- my fondest dream is to watch Jack Bauer and Jack Bristow competing to see who's the biggest badass. ;)

Crush my dreams, why don'cha? New casting for "24" was announced today. Jack Bauer's father will NOT be played by Victor Garber. NO!!! C'mon, you idiots! You had the perfect opportunity! Don't you know that Bristow + Bauer = total effing awesomeness? Sigh. Instead, he'll be played by James Cromwell -- who is fine, I suppose, but it's just not the same. They have, however, made up for that casting flub by hiring Eddie Izzard as this season's baddie! WHEE! That could truly be a stroke of genius. (Though still not as kickass as Bristauer. Alas.)

Further evidence of my ditziness: I decided on a PB&J sandwich for dinner. In the fridge, I have squeeze bottles of grape jelly and taco sauce. Because I was distracted, guess which one I reached for and squeezed onto the bread before realizing my mistake? Yeah. At least I noticed before I ate it; I don't think Jif and Pace mix very well.

Ooh, I almost forgot that Comedy Central starts Scrubs reruns next week! Tuesday's episode features one of the all-time bestest Scrubs scenes ever. (It's all about Dr. Wen bopping around, baby.) BTW, after reading several interviews with The Braff about his new movie, he's really starting to annoy me. At least I still love J.D. But my heart shall always belong to Turk, with Elliot as a runner-up.

Slate has a fun article asking why everyone is covering "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. Yes, I love that song, even if it's starting to become just a teensy bit overplayed. Or maybe I haven't tired of it yet because I never listen to the radio. Hmm.

Knitty's new issue is now online. I'm rather in love with the "Viveka", though it'll have to wait until I finish about six other projects in the pipeline. I'm also giggling at how even the small pattern requires nearly $150 worth of yarn... from the designer's shop. Eh, I'm thinking KnitPicks would have a perfectly good substitute. The "Lizard Ridge" is gorgeous, if way too time-consuming for my tastes, and the "Little Slip of a Thing" bag looks like a great Christmas present, but I'd probably go with a simple (cheap) wool.

Also, have any of you had luck with those interchangeable knitting needle sets? Seems like every project requires a different size or length for circulars -- which I've grown to *love* after initial fears -- and I'm tired of buying so damn many. But I'm also reluctant to spend $50 on something that won't do me much good.

I was going to rant about people who speed through parking lots and driveways, but that'll just give me a headache. So, I'll just smile and say that school is going great... except for people who speed through the parking lot and driveway. Idiots.

1. All I'll say about tonight's 24 is that, in a field of SO many worthy candidates, Gregory Itzin (President Logan) is my current front-runner for the Best Supporting Actor Emmy.

2. Via EntWkly's Popwatch blog, I found Battlestar Simpsonica -- the BSG folks drawn as Simpsons characters. Some are quite hilarious, though even Kara isn't *that* butch. Is she? ;)

3. Did David Blaine drown? I guess not. I peeked at part of his big stunt, then decided 24 was far more interesting.

4. As USAToday's Pop Candy blog puts it: Tootie Alert! The cast of The Facts of Life will be on the Today show tomorrow morning. I'd TiVo it, but I'm sure it'll show up on YouTube soon enough.

5. Speaking of nostalgia... these icons for The Sound of Music bring me much glee. While the gazebo scene is quite swoony, I'm a subversive Baroness/Captain fangirl all the way. Maybe I should start a Baroness vs. Maria 'shipper war. Those brats totally deserved boarding school, dammit!

6. I've heard rumors of a Jamie Bamber photoshoot video, but I have no plans to watch it. I tend to avoid audio/video interviews with actors I like, lest I get too freaked out. Plus, reports say that his hair is truly terrifying. So. Bonus points to anyone who gives it a look (and then comes over here to snark about it. Love the guy, but snarking is a bit too much fun.)

7. I get a new laptop tomorrow! A free one! Then again, the school district is paying for it, which means it'll probably be bare-bones and won't even work with my home WiFi, but still! Free laptop!

8. Yes, I know I'm behind on comments. I'll spare those of you new to my flist my big ol' emo whine about how I get all neurotic about replying to stuff, but I'm going to try to catch up soon. (Keyword: "try".) I suck at commenting, but I do love reading them! Really! ;)

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Not much else to report. I took a sick day tomorrow because of a follow-up appointment from last week's ickyawfulpain. I have around 40 days available in my "sick day bank", but I always feel guilty taking them. Ah, well.

Grant-Lee Phillips is going to be on the final three Gilmore Girls eps of the season, starting tomorrow night. This makes me insanely happy.

Much love to syliasyliasylia for pointing me toward hi-def copies of BSG S2.5 .avis on Usenet. So, so pretty. And speaking of pretty... while watching last week's Without a Trace, I was very distracted by my epiphany that Lee Adama and Martin (Eric Close's character) were separated at birth.

For my fellow Globe Trekker fans (all three of us), I was both disturbed and amused to learn on TWOP about Zay Harding's previous career in Cinemax porn. He's still hot, of course, but... dunno whether to squirm or giggle.

And finally, I need to stop watching "Tooth and Claw" before I *really* lose it for David Tennant in glasses. GUH.

First, some links.

-- Corrupt Me Elmo: A guide to how you and your baby can enjoy such infant-friendly shows as The Sopranos, AI, Lost, and BSG. Hilarious.

-- Goth Youths Prone to Suicide Attempts and Self-Mutilation: I know it's very sad and disturbing, but the headline made me giggle.

-- The Bad Baby Names Blog: What's in a name? That which we call a Urhines Icy 8 Special K, by any other name would be hireable. (From the woman who brought us the 'net classic Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing.)

-- ATF Rids University of Ninja Threat: I am profoundly dismayed by the University of Georgia's lack of tolerance for ninjas. What's next? Where will it end?!?

-- Random Facts about Jack Bauer: It's totally a ripoff of the Chuck Norris thing, but it's still fabulous.

So. Life stuff.

When you go to a self-seating cafe to do some writing, and you choose a seat over in a corner away from the noise, why the hell do random people then take a table right next to you, despite all the other empty tables? And then proceed to chatter nonstop about stupid stuff? This happened to me twice last weekend. The second time, I moved out to the deserted patio for some peace and quiet, then a group of five adults and two toddlers came out to shout and laugh and play. There are times when I wish I had a taser....

I hit CVS and Eckerd last night to score some half-price Easter candy, but the bastards foiled my plans! Fortunately, I hit paydirt tonight at Publix. Yum. Also, Hershey's Kissables are all kinds of divine.

The AJC's Mike Luckovich won his second Pulitzer for editorial cartooning. Yay! He kicks some serious ass. You can see a slideshow of his winning cartoons here, including the heartbreaking one with the names of 2,000 American soldiers killed in Iraq spelling out the word "Why?"

David Tennant and Russell T Davies' commentary for "New Earth" fills me with glee. You can grab an mp3 here. I wish more shows would let the actors sit in on these things. Then again, some actors could be potentially terrifying. Or mockable. Same difference.

I think I'm the only fan who loves the new BSG spoilers. Then again, I'm a slut ridiculously easy to please.

And finally, I love Kara Thrace. (I really need to say that more often, because I don't think many people know.)

In lieu of a substantial post (my life's been rather boring), I shall present doomcrayon's and my idea for The Best TV Show Ever:

Jack Bauer and Jack Bristow, riding around on helicopters and shooting shit up while they bitch about their daughters. In real time. With wigs. And evil Russian terrorists.

It would be beautiful.

I have two screencap reviews to do (BSG and Lost), and I'm trying to finish up a fic so I can post it. But now? Screw all that because I just finished watching 24. And all I can say is...

OH MY FUCKING GOD.

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Down here in Atlanta, it's been pouring down rain all day. Which always makes me so very, very happy, except when the temps might drop below freezing tonight and ice over the roads. I'm all for ice storms -- whee! -- but I have to drive way the hell up to Kennesaw (20 miles each way) tomorrow morning for an ESOL conference, and I don't particularly want to be doing so on slushy streets. BTW, how much does that location suck, not to mention the meeting's 8:30 start time? Sheesh. There are reasons why I live three miles from work, and not just because I adore the neighborhood. I love my short commute because 1) I've only put 16K miles on my car in 2.5 years, 2) it's quick and easy, and 3) I don't have to get up so damn early! Alas.

School was uneventful today, which is probably a good thing. I keep wanting to post wacky stories about my "cute" little sixth graders, but they've now shifted from "cute" to "adolescent", if you know what I mean and I think you do. Today brought on a higher than usual number of fart jokes (from the kids, not me.) Ah, what fun.

A heads-up to those who've complained about the LJ Memories feature not working. I've noticed that if you hit the reload button immediately, it almost always shows up.

I have not watched certain scenes from "Scar" approximately 46 times since Friday night. Nope. Not at all. (And no, I will not sit in tomorrow's conference and write fic about it. Nuh-huh.)

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In other fandom news... I about died when I saw Fametracker's new feature: Jessica Walter vs. Kelly Bishop. Though I should demand credit because I've been squeeing over a Lucille/Emily smackdown for years!

Since when has The Daily Show done reruns during sweeps? Sheesh. At least we get a new Colbert Report... and whoops, just as I was typing that, Stephen announced the rerun was because Jon and his wife had a baby! Aww!

Now I shall curl up on the sofa, finish my cinnamon dolce latte, and most certainly not watch that scene a 47th time. (Note: that number might be exaggerated, but not by much.)

Tonight, 24 again proved itself to be the most fucking hilarious show on television. I mean, it's a genuinely good show. Really. But damn, sometimes I just can't stop howling with laughter at all the melodrama! ( Collapse ) And for those of you who are also jonesing for some President Palmer, I bring you this, courtesy of musing_mia, who found it on TrekBBS. Oh, yes. I'd hit it. Damn straight.


Now for the latest installment in Bizarre Things My Sixth Graders Said to Me Today:

-- Regarding this week's spelling list, featuring irregular plurals: "They're like the Napoleon Dynamite of plurals!"

-- "Ms. Wisteria, somebody farted!" Yes, I actually got this one twice. On separate occasions. Yay, me.

-- "I'm a comma reject."

-- "I'm not eating candy. My hairspray smells like Skittles."

-- "Fine! Go ahead and e-mail my momma [about my rude behavior]! I don't care!" So, I opened up GroupWise and typed in Mom's address. "NO! Don't do that! I'll be good now, Ms. Wisteria. Promise!"

Ah, sixth graders. Almost as hilarious as Jack Bauer. ;) I actually have a sick day tomorrow, thanks to an inconveniently-timed optometrist appointment. Maybe I'll use my free time to go hunt down some of that Skittles-scented hairspray.

1. It's 24 night! This afternoon, I watched the end of S4 in preparation. Fun show that I'm not even remotely fandomy about -- I mostly just enjoy the ride and laugh at how over-the-top it can get. And besides, it's all about the Chloe. Bitchy, rude, inappropriate, l33t haxxorz Chloe. She is my role model for life. (And she's one of the few TV characters who actually seems like a real person.)

2. No idea if they're any good, but "I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness" now ranks among the all-time great band names. Am also quite fond of "Panic! At the Disco", though I'm not entirely sold on their first single. When it comes to music, I'm all about the sound over lyrics, and something about their sound just bugs me.

3. I updated Firefox to v1.5, and now my LJ layout has vertical scroll bars on each individual post. Very, very annoying. Any ideas for a cause/solution? Speaking of computer stuff, I got a new monitor at Goodwill for $14. It's old, but it works beautifully -- bonus points for how *bright* it is. I can actually see images. Wow.

4. I've been cash-poor lately, so I thought about knitting some scarves and selling them. No idea what kind of market I'd find for them, especially since I'm not into the eBay thing. Hmm.

5. Can I just say that the Veronica Mars episode 16 casting spoilers are the coolest fucking thing ever? Two of my favorite shows, together at last! ( Collapse ) Oh, and buffyx said that Rob did a ton of AD shout-outs in his Q&A. Quotes, please! I know he's awfully fond of GOB shouting, "Come ON!", as are we all. Yes.

ps/ Tonight's 24? Comedy GOLD, baby!