Spontaneous Musings

These past two weeks have just been one long suppressed scream (well except for on my lj where I did scream at a couple of folks, depending on one's point of view, which may have been in retrospect a re-soundly stupid thing to do).

Yesterday, had a brief reprieve - wandered about with Wales, where we both lusted after a handblown lamp by New Orleans artist. It has a red/orange/and blueish shade in handblown glass, with a bronze stand and comes to $250 bucks. I spent most of last night talking myself out of it. As beautiful as it is...I'm not sure it's all that practical. (Which explains why I buy comic books that I don't need and am embarrassed to tell people about -such as Fray, and part II of Brian Lynch's Zombie story Everybody is Dead, which makes me laugh. )

Today, thought was at the end of my edgy, frustrating week - it is an absolutely beautiful day - so beautiful, I opened up my windows to get some fresh air. But turns out, not so much, when I discovered I can't find the password to a database I've got to get into to electronically file a financial non-disclosure statement with the state. It's required of all state employees that handle state money. Apparently the password was sent in a separate letter from the user id (which I did find) for my own protection. This is how bureaucracy is created from paranoia and well good intentions.

( Small Favor )

( tv shows -American Idol, Gossip Girl, Lost, Supernatural, House, Smallville )

Ack, February...it is showing its true colors finally. Cold winds, blustery weather, and weird temperature ranges. Not my favorite month of the year. Even without the annoying Hallmark holidays, one of which I've sucessfully boycotted since college. We won't speak of it, except to hint that it takes place this week. ;-) Oh well, least I get two days off work -one this week and one next. Gotta love the Presidents days. Also got a shitload accomplished this weekend - taxes filed, cleaned house, food shopping, movie, and contacted a few people that needed contacting. Yay me!

Watched a lot of tv, yet less than usual because of lovey DVR device, which tapes things for later viewage. From what I've been reading this is turning out to be an interesting tv viewage year - we actually have not one but three suspenseful presidential races - the Republicans, the Democrats, and of course the Finale. I've no clue who's going to win this round. The frustrated poli-sci major in me is having a blast watching it all unfold.

On the fictional tv front - the WGA strike appears to finally be drawing to a close. With any luck they will be back to work on Wed. Which, according to the tv press, we'll get more episodes of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, the Office, Supernatural, Brothers & Sisters, Mad Men (which already brokered a deal) and Smallville. No word yet on 30 Rock, House or BSG. Dirty Sexy Money, Heroes, Life, Chuck, Friday Night Lights and Pushing Daisies won't be back until next season. If I didn't list your favorite - it's because I don't watch it. Doctor Who and Torchwood are BBC so not affected. Very happy about the ones I'll get additional episodes on.

Loved Lost the last two weeks. It reminds me a great deal of a lot of the quirky sci-fantasy tv shows I watched in the 70s and 80s, with people stranded in weird locals trying to figure out which reality they were in. Course I'm a fan of psychological horror and mystery. So this helps. I think while watching Lost - you have to keep in mind this is a horror series a la Stephen King and Rod Serling. As such? It is unlikely to end on a happy note. The writers seem to enjoy tragic irony.

( Lost spoilers )

Other's I've enjoyed are Smallville (if you gave up on it two or three seasons ago, you have no idea what you are missing. It has gotten a lot more interesting. This actually may be the best season I've seen. I gave up on it after season 2, found the season with Zhod almost unwatchable, then out of curiousity tuned into last season over the summer and became intrigued. Somewhere along the way they hired good writers and the actors got a little better. ( spoilers )

Supernatural - haven't seen this week's episode yet. Loved last week's - in which Dean finds out that demons, all demons, were once humans - their humanity has been stripped from them by the rigors of hell. Interesting and very dark, almost Lovecraftian mythology with touches of Stephen King and urban legend mixed in. I don't find scary any more so much as intriguing.

I tried to watch Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle - but both lack the humor of Sex and The City. They also lack something else Sex had - in Sex & the City - the gals were mostly single.
They weren't into committment, almost afraid of it. Just wanted to have fun. The men had code names or nicknames - we never really knew the real ones for some of them. Mr. Big was well Mr. Big - meaning of course the size of well, you know. Everything had a sexual conotation. It made fun of the dating scene. Fun of the glamorous image of NYC. And the women were far from successful at anything. They were clutzes. Sarah Jessica Parker's character was always screwing up in some way. She was a freelance columnist for a mag with a cool apt. Totally unrealistic, total fantasy, yet her dialogue and quips - were right out of my girlfriends mouths at the time. Lipstick - has no one I can identify with. I don't know these women and this is not my city. Same deal with Cashmere. I don't like the women. I don't like their outfits. And I don't recognize their talk. I give Lipstick points over Cashmere for having better looking and more charismatic male leads - Paul Blackthorn and Andrew McCarthy. But outside of that? It isn't worth the time.

Still adoring Project Runway. Much fun. And I like the designers/designs better than last years. They are better designers, just not as melodramatic and bitchy. So the focus is more on the challenges.

Okay off to make dinner and relax before work tomorrow. Busy day.

Just finished watching disc 1 of Season 2 of the L Word. Or the first four episodes of that season, ending with Lynch Pin. Enjoying it, but a couple of characters are grating on my ever living nerve. I can't stand Tina at times, my sympathy, oddly enough, is completely with Bette. Also Dana is begining to grate. But Jenny oddly is growing on me.

( spoilers for The L Word )

Also saw Smallville and Gilmore Girls this week. And watched Sunday's Veronica Mars. Skipped both VM and Lost on Wed, Lost was a re-run and not a particularly good re-run. I did not enjoy the first two episodes of this seasons Lost. Episodes 3-5 however, have been really good. Hurley, Locke, and Jin/Sun being the focus. Michael/Walt and Jack don't interest me as much. Their backstories sort of grate on my nerves. Also saw Nip/Tuck and Grey's Anatomy.

Smallville was entertaining if completely off the wall. ( spoilers, vague ones, for Smallville )

Gilmore Girls...well, the Rory and Loreli not speaking bit is starting to get old and Rory is beginning to get on my nerves again. I need more of Lane and Paris and Doyle, dang it. Lorili and Luke are fun, but the crazy townies are beginning to equally grate. The best parts? Logan and the Parents. Also Luke and Loreli's interactions. Although to be fair, Gilmore is a bit like VM, the season starts slow and picks up speed halfway through, just in time for it's hiatus.

Finished the MArtin book. I read a 896 page book for three characters, one of which only had a scene that was five pages in length and it was the best scene in the book. Ugh. And I'm about to read a 1000 page book for more of this character - a character who is a cross between Spike and Lymond, with a lot more edge, complexity, and less romance. Jamie Lannister is fascinating me enough to wade through pages upon pages of overly descriptive battle scenes and politicking. Martin is a writer who feels compelled to put in every bit and piece of historical and military research he's done in his life and in a fantasy book no lease. It's well written, don't get me wrong, just a bit long-winded. The other two characters that have me enthralled are Arya and Tyrion. The wolf girl and the dwarf. I like Danerys and Jon Snow, but their chapters plod at times.

Do I recommend? Well, depends on what you like. Bloody thing took me two months to finish. Course only read it on the subway to and from work and occassionally before bed. So read about an hour's worth a day, not counting interruptions - subways aren't necessarily always conducive to reading. Depends on whether you get a good seat, how crowded it is and if anyone is talking around you, including the conductor. Martin reminds me a great deal of Tolkien in his meticulous depiction of his world and mythos. The mythos to me seems somewhat ordinary and familar. Reminds me of the Celtic myths with a bit of the German and Norse thrown in. Can even track a few backwards to them. Sort of like that aspect. But he's take on good and evil and humanity is closer to Frank Herbert than Tolkien, he's a tad more cynical and the characters aren't nearly as clean-cut. So if you can imagine reading Tolkien mixed with Herbert in a fantasy setting without dwarves, elves, or fairies, but with dead men walking (zombies or wights), giants, huge wolves, and dragons - you got a good picture of these books.
Add a touch of Dunnett, a bit of Patrick O'brien and Bernard Cornwell. And well there you are.

And yes, I like the books. Am into them enough that I keep checking the book stores for the Feast of Crows. And have completely spoiled myself for Swords - have already flipped through bits of it. I do that. It annoys people, I know. But I like to know if there's a point to keep going when I get bored. And Martin's books all take off at a gallop, plod in the middle, then take off again, flip you over the cliff and leave you there until the next one comes out. Very nasty. Why can't it be, take off at a gallop, flip you over the cliff then slow down at the end? Then I could stop and not have to get the next installment.