Friday, October 26, 2012

Jamie's Fall 2012 TV Review

As I mentioned, my TV watching has gotten out of control. But it's all so good. Or if not good, then addicting, or I've watched it so long that I feel like the characters will be disappointed if I don't watch. What? Stop judging me.
Anyhow, there is too much to review to give you all my excuses, so here goes, let's do this by day of the week.
Sunday: Perhaps my new favorite night for TV. Both Once Upon a Time and Revenge have proven that they do have more than just a single season in them that can keep my attention. I absolutely love what OUAT is doing with the split locations for the present and again layering it beautifully with unexpected twists from the past. Plus, Captain Hook - hot! Revenge just keeps getting trashier and more insane and we can't stop watching it. Mostly because we love Nolan. Plus, Aiden - hot!
Monday: Not only are there too many network shows on, but Alphas & Warehouse 13's summer seasons extended into the fall. Both continue to be awesome, so I make it work. How I Met Your Mother is off to a solid start for what I hope is its last season. I will miss it, but I feel they are in a great position to end it exactly the way they want, on a high point in its popularity. I think next season would probably involve a shark. Bones is consistent, although I feel it is also nearing the end of its lifespan. Two Broke Girls continues to make me laugh, largely because of the amazing Kat Dennings. The 10pm time slot is why they invented DVR/TiVo/OnDemand/etc. Castle is rocking the new Caskett storyline, Hawaii 5-0 continues to be solid, and new kid on the block Revolution is amazing. And Uncle Miles - hot! (And complex and a little angry and has a very complicated past, kind of like everyone on Lost)
Tuesday: NCIS continues to build and develop its family of characters every week, and still catch the bad guy. I will keep watching it as long as they keep it on the air.  I am a little behind on Hart of Dixie (because it is not On Demand -- come on CW, what is that about?) but don't worry, I will catch up, Team Wade for life. Cause Wade (you can say it with me if you want) - hot! The New Girl still makes me laugh until I choke and I love the way they have handled Nick & Jess's obvious chemistry without hurting the group dynamic. And Schmidt - hilarious.
Wednesday: I am going to start watching Arrow, as soon as I find the time (cause the few minutes I have seen looked like Batman+Robin Hood+Revenge, and the main guy... hot!), and I have been watching a little Modern Family because it is amazing, but generally Wednesday isn't a big TV day.
Thursday: Sheldon & the boys and girls just keep doing their thing. I don't even have anything witty to say about it. Tina Fey is wrapping up 30 Rock brilliantly, of course. Cause that is what she does. The office supply montage that turned Liz Lemon on was priceless. And Leslie Knope is rocking both city council and the Parks Department. They are even managing to keep her & Ben's relationship fresh with the current long distance element. Plus there is still plenty of screen time for one Ben Wyatt, and, well, do I even have to say it at this point? (Ben - hot!) Meryl is peer-pressuring me into watching Scandal, but I haven't gotten to it yet. We are both loving Elementary though. I strongly believe there is no such thing as too much Sherlock, and I love that there is a female Watson, played by the always cool Lucy Liu. Plus, Sherlock - kinda hot.
Friday: Ah, the final season of Fringe. When it all comes together. I read some stuff pre-season that said they were planning it like a 13 episode movie, and I would totally agree. Don't jump in the middle, this half season series finale is for the committed, or those who can catch up quickly on the previous 4 seasons. I can't wait to see what unfolds each week.
Saturday: It's on a break now, but the 5 episode Doctor Who series made me feel all the feels. The Asylum of the Daleks got Amy & Rory back on track (and spun our heads a little about the new companion as the actress playing her made a surprise early debut and then was a dalek and then blew up?!?!). Dinosaurs on a Spaceship was everything I love about this show- humor, adventure, heart, the Doctor being friends with famous people in history, plus Arthur Weasley is Rory's dad...oh, and there were dinosaurs...on a spaceship! A Town Called Mercy was maybe the weakest of the 5, but gave us a reminder of why the Doctor cannot travel alone. The Power of Three gave us some more Arthur Weasley, and reminded Amy & Rory that life is short, so you should probably continue to travel with that mad man in a blue box while you can. And then The Angels Take Manhattan...tears, so many tears, but Amy & Rory were together, and that is what mattered. Plus, the previous 2.5 seasons had given us no reason to doubt that when it came down to it, Amy would always choose Rory, even over her raggedy Doctor.
 
So, that kind of turned into a Doctor Who series 7.1 review, but whatever. It was really good, it earned a little mini-review.
Alright, back to house hunting.

Books read: 42 (which is the answer to life, the universe and everything)

Coming Soon: Sarah is busy with the dogs, so in lieu of a full blog, she'll be posting a video of herself singing The Sound of Music as she wanders around Switzerland. Please ignore the whining of the dogs in the background, no animals were (seriously) harmed during the filming of her video.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Jamie's Life Update


Kacey's blog was so awesome and completely accurate in highlighting what to look for in a neighborhood that I hate to point out one tiny inaccuracy. But that's what sisters do, right? Kacey indicated our conversation was over Skype the other day, but we have actually moved on from Skype. We are now Google Hangout people. I don't know if you are aware, but on Google Hangout you can wear a tiara. Also a scuba mask, various mustaches, an eyepatch... even a monocle! It's kind of amazing. You can do other things like share screens, but that tends to make my Internet break. So mostly, it's all about the tiara.

Kacey missed a couple other things that have kept me from blogging, and I want to be honest with all of you that I have disappointed with my lack of posts.

First, I have been watching entirely too much TV. I mean, I've only added two new shows: Revolution, which is fantastic, in case you aren't watching and Elementary, and as I suspected there is no such thing as too much Sherlock. Although I may add Scandal so that Meryl will stop peer pressuring me about it, oh, and probably Arrow....so I guess that will make four new shows. It's a little much. I mean, with Alphas overlapping with the start of network TV, Monday alone has gotten out of control. Plus, as Kacey noted, baseball is still happening (and I love October!). Not to mention all the Presidential debates. I have been watching so much TV that I haven't had time to blog about TV.

Because of that, I had fallen behind a bit in my reading, but it is back with a vengeance. With an assist from the library and some stuff I was waiting on finally coming in, I have been tearing through the books the last couple weeks. I also find that when I am waiting to hear on a house or an inspection and I wake up at 6am on a Saturday or Sunday because I can't sleep, then I can usually knock out a book by around 9 or 10. House buying is incredibly stressful, and somewhat roller coaster-esque. Thankfully I have amazing agents who help me tremendously.

I didn't even get up my fave five from September, and it was good. Quickly: Googling anyone’s Bacon number (as in Kevin Bacon, not the delicious food), Chris Kluwe's amazing openletter, Parks and Rec star Retta's tweets about watching Buffy, AlexCarpenter's awesome reaction songs to the 5 new Doctor Who episodes, and AmyPoehler’s YouTube channel Smart Girls at the Party.

I will try harder though. I will get up a review of Fall TV with some thoughts on where all these shows are going (or how they are ending) by this weekend. And maybe even a little pre-election post. I think it's important to pull out the soap box from time to time.

 

Books read: 41 (BAM, said the lady! Best of the last little group was Divergent, which was amazing, and I am currently reading Robin Wasserman's very intriguing Book of Blood and Shadow)

 

Coming Soon: Sarah writes a tell-all of the celebrity dogs that are staying at the dog hotel. Using, of course, very discreet fake names like Rooby Boo and his annoying little friend Dappy.

Kacey Considers Jamie’s House Buying Venture…


October has been severely lacking for blogs… I plead busy-ness and distance (which doesn’t really work because the internet knows no distance)…and Jamie deserves a pass because besides being busy at work she is also attempting to become a first time home owner! (And baseball might be a bit distracting)

Really I should leave this to Jamie to describe since I am living so far away and I cannot be there in person help her search.

However…I may be half a world away from Jamie right now… but that doesn’t keep us from having a conversation about house hunting that is of course pop culture fueled…

 Our conversation over Skype the other day started with a reference to “The Burbs” (actually discussing appropriate Halloween movies) and moved on to how she could find a neighborhood worthy of Cory Feldman sitting on the porch watching all that goes on and ended with ways Jamie could bribe Tom Hanks with an old fashion type writer to live in her neighborhood (a typical Jamie-Kacey conversation).

 So this conversation led me to think about some other ideas I have about what Jamie should look for in a house/neighborhood while she continues to look for houses.

 
Perhaps one of the most important things is screening neighbors:
  • They should be able to dispense unlimited amount of wisdom (Mr. Feeny, Wilson).
  • Check for annoying (yet endearing) kids that come over unexpectedly (Dennis the Menace, Urkel, Kimmy).
  • Ask if they are willing to help you out with crazy shenanigans (Ethel, Boner, Kenny/Bud).
  • How nerdy are they? (Big Bang Thoery)
Also remember:
  • Never judge people by how scary their house is because they might be awesome (Boo Radley, The Munsters, The Adams Family).
  • Always judge people by how scary their house is because they might be crazy (The Burbs, Psycho, and many other scary movies that start with a scary house).

Specifics about the house that Jamie needs to consider:
  • Is there a Ghoul in the attic or do you have to get your own?
  • How many secret passages?
  • Where is the best space for a lair/bunker?
  • Do you have to de-gnome the yard?
  • Will people be stopping by the home on their way to town for the season?
  • Is Jarvis included?

Just a few ideas for Jamie to keep in mind…


Coming Soon: Sarah discusses the dos and don'ts of being a dog hostess at a dog hotel in Switzerland.