I am a TV watcher (in case you hadn't noticed). I have a few precious hours without kiddos begging for attention, and I like to spend some of my down time enjoying a few shows. Let it be known: While I watch, I do dishes, I fold laundry, I crosstitch, I pay the bills, I blog, and I work on assorted projects. Unless there are subtitles, of course. Then I just rest and relax and watch. We're forging ahead into new seasons of some of my favorite shows. Here's what I'm setting my DVR to watch these days:
Chuck, Mondays on NBC at 7pm. It began the new season this week. Chuck is a nerdy guy, stuck in a dead-end job at the BuyMore, an electronics company. He has been kicked out of Stanford for cheating, and was set up by a roommate and friend. He lives with his sister and her boyfriend, Captain Awesome. (Who really is Awesome.) One day, he opens an email from his "friend" from Stanford, and is hit with a barrage of computer images, which cause him to "flash" when he sees criminals and low-lifes that are lurking in his peaceful California life. Suddenly, he finds himself partnered with a beautiful CIA agent and a snarky. gun-toting NSA agent, and his life takes twists and turns that are fun and hilarious. If you haven't already been watching, start from Season One on DVD.
The Big Bang Theory, Mondays on CBS at 8:30pm. I guess we're kind of into the whole nerd chic comedy, because this is a true nerd comedy. 3 physicists and a somewhat lewd engineer are best friends, and have their lives in a very set, very geeky routine (Thai food Tuesdays, World of Warcraft Wednesdays, etc.). A beautiful girl moves in across the hall, and misunderstandings and dweebish wooing ensue. If you are at all a nerd, or have family and friends that are nerds, you will find this extremely hilarious. Again, start from Season One on DVD.
The Biggest Loser, Tuesdays on NBC at 7pm. You know the drill: Extremely overweight people compete for $250,000, Jillian trades off between screaming her head off at them and delving into their souls, and Bob teaches them yoga. They connive, they drink water before weigh-ins, and they argue and cry, but they lose a lot of weight, inspire the nation, and change their lives, hopefully forever. I fast forward through Jillian's yelling and therapy sessions, and tend to just skip to the weigh-ins.
Project Runway, Thursdays on Lifetime at 7pm, 9pm, and 11pm. (You pick which time, which is nice if you're recording other things, too.) Tim Gunn, Tim Gunn, Tim Gunn. A bunch of start-up designers get together and compete for a number of prizes. They are given different design challenges, and then have to sew their own designs. I felt inspired after watching it, and sewed Halloween costumes for my family. It's a lot of fun to watch how they "make it work". This is one I can watch while I'm doing something more involved, because really, it's the end product I like to see the most.
Psych, Wednesdays on USA at 8pm (I think), starting Jan. 27. This goes out to all you 30-somethings out there. Cultural references from our time in high school GALORE! And a good laugh, too. Shawn has amazing abilities when it comes to observation and logic, and he takes advantage of both talents and pretends he's a psychic. He and his trusty and hilarious sidekick Gus solve cases for the police department, crack jokes, sing ridiculous songs, and provide an hour of great entertainment. And you can pick up in the middle of the series. There's not a lot of ongoing plot, so one episode any time works great.
And, last but not least, Lost, starting Feb. 2 at 7pm on ABC. You know about this show. Or you have been living under a rock. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. This show is one that people either love or hate, I've found. Yes, it seems ridiculous to have a premise in modern day that people could be stranded on an island, but let me tell you, this is no Gilligan's Island. It is full of mysteries and drama and humor and great characters. I honestly can't tell you who my favorite character is, because I love them all so much. If you decide now that it's time to start watching, you should probably start with season one. We are rewatching all the seasons (streaming from Netflix--it's a beautiful thing!), just to remember what happened. Fun fun fun!
And that's my DVR line-up for the winter. In case you were wondering.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The Power of Shopping
I have been a little grumpy lately. My friends have commented on the mood of my latest posts and asked if everything's okay. Yes. I'm fine, thanks. I just had a bad week and used my blog as a place to rant. Which was the original purpose of the blog! I'm feeling a hundred times better now, and I'll tell you why. My recovery from my bad mood was instigated by 2 occurences: 1) the amount of kindness friends showed me after I vented to them about my week, and 2) a super fun shopping trip with a friend.
I have a love/hate relationship with clothes shopping. Mostly it's a hate relationship, because it is hard to feel cute in anything I try on when most clothes are intended for a 6 foot tall woman with a long waist. However, I love the feeling that you get when you put on an article of clothing, look in the mirror, and it's a match made in heaven. Or at least, that's how it feels after you've tried on 30 other things that looked terrible. I found out something great on Friday, and that is that if you go with a good friend and you're both in need of some retail therapy, even the stuff that looks terrible is tolerable, because then you can laugh your heads off together after trying on something that looks ridiculous. It's much better than being in a dressing room, no friends in sight, trying on shirt after shirt, feeling fatter with every attempt. So, after trying on at least 30 items, I found a shirt I love, a cute little jacket, and some work-out clothes that will help me feel cute as I toil on my elliptical and sweat like a pig.
The best find, however, was the shoes. Oh, the shoes. I have always loved shoes. I never feel like crying after shoe shopping, like I do after trying on jeans. The only problem I have with shoe shopping is that most stores don't carry grown-up shoes in my size. My feet are just small enough that I can buy kids' shoes with no problem, but have a very hard time finding a cute pair of heels to wear to church (I own a pair of Power Puff Girls shoes, and wear them with pride--my next ones will be light up princess shoes). So the shoes I found at Ross on Friday must have been destined for me. The shiny, black, Mary Jane heels beckoned me from rows away, and, despite the knowledge that they wouldn't be in my size, tempted me to try them on. Magically, they fit. Either the shoes magically shrank to fit my feet, or my feet have just gotten a little bigger in my old age. I'm guessing it's the latter, but all I know is, those shoes were meant for me at the end of a difficult week. They worked perfectly with the new shirt I bought, and weren't even painful as I stood and lead the music in church today.
Retail therapy isn't just an excuse to spend money. It's real. I have experienced it firsthand this week. I felt cute at church today, and I feel motivated to work out in my new spandex. (In the privacy of my own home, of course, because, let's be honest, skin-tight spandex shouldn't be worn in public on my body just yet. Give me a few months.) I am extremely grateful for my friend and the afternoon we had laughing and trying on cute clothes. For just a little bit of money, I bought a little bit of confidence.
I have a love/hate relationship with clothes shopping. Mostly it's a hate relationship, because it is hard to feel cute in anything I try on when most clothes are intended for a 6 foot tall woman with a long waist. However, I love the feeling that you get when you put on an article of clothing, look in the mirror, and it's a match made in heaven. Or at least, that's how it feels after you've tried on 30 other things that looked terrible. I found out something great on Friday, and that is that if you go with a good friend and you're both in need of some retail therapy, even the stuff that looks terrible is tolerable, because then you can laugh your heads off together after trying on something that looks ridiculous. It's much better than being in a dressing room, no friends in sight, trying on shirt after shirt, feeling fatter with every attempt. So, after trying on at least 30 items, I found a shirt I love, a cute little jacket, and some work-out clothes that will help me feel cute as I toil on my elliptical and sweat like a pig.
The best find, however, was the shoes. Oh, the shoes. I have always loved shoes. I never feel like crying after shoe shopping, like I do after trying on jeans. The only problem I have with shoe shopping is that most stores don't carry grown-up shoes in my size. My feet are just small enough that I can buy kids' shoes with no problem, but have a very hard time finding a cute pair of heels to wear to church (I own a pair of Power Puff Girls shoes, and wear them with pride--my next ones will be light up princess shoes). So the shoes I found at Ross on Friday must have been destined for me. The shiny, black, Mary Jane heels beckoned me from rows away, and, despite the knowledge that they wouldn't be in my size, tempted me to try them on. Magically, they fit. Either the shoes magically shrank to fit my feet, or my feet have just gotten a little bigger in my old age. I'm guessing it's the latter, but all I know is, those shoes were meant for me at the end of a difficult week. They worked perfectly with the new shirt I bought, and weren't even painful as I stood and lead the music in church today.
Retail therapy isn't just an excuse to spend money. It's real. I have experienced it firsthand this week. I felt cute at church today, and I feel motivated to work out in my new spandex. (In the privacy of my own home, of course, because, let's be honest, skin-tight spandex shouldn't be worn in public on my body just yet. Give me a few months.) I am extremely grateful for my friend and the afternoon we had laughing and trying on cute clothes. For just a little bit of money, I bought a little bit of confidence.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Insults vs. Aid
This has been on my mind for quite some time, so I'm just putting it out there. I don't think I'm the only being on the planet that is utterly and completely aware of all of their physical flaws. And I also think most people are at least a teeny bit aware of the things they do sometimes that can be considered annoying. If you see me this week, I do NOT need to be told that:
1. There is a large zit on my chin.
2. I'm a bit thick in the middle.
3. I have broad shoulders (believe me, I have never needed shoulder pads, and if looking like a linebacker ever comes back in style, I'm all set).
4. My teeth are a little yellow. Duh. I eat chocolate regularly and don't go in for regular whitenings.
5. I talk too much.
6. I watch a little too much TV. I'm aware. Completely.
7. As hard as I try, sometimes my legs don't get shaved immediately following a hint of hair. Sunday mornings are a little on the busy side. So shoot me. Just don't look at my legs.
8. I have split ends. I have been wanting a haircut for about a year. I just have other stuff that's more important.
9. I have a double chin.
That was my preemptive strike for the rest of the week. I can't take anymore insults. Please.
What I WOULD like you to point out, should you happen to see it:
1. A booger hanging out of my nose.
2. Food stuck in my teeth.
3. Toilet paper stuck to my shoe.
4. My zipper down.
5. Hair that has escaped my ever-present ponytail.
6. My slip hanging past my skirt.
If you notice something like that, it means I'm not aware of it, and would appreciate some help. I already know what's not perfect about me. Believe me, if I didn't I wouldn't spend time on a machine of torture, trying to sweat off my thick middle and my double chin. But I don't walk around with a mirror all day, and would rather not discover that my fly is down and there's a booger hanging out of my nose at the end of the day. For pointing that out, I will thank you and consider you a good friend.
1. There is a large zit on my chin.
2. I'm a bit thick in the middle.
3. I have broad shoulders (believe me, I have never needed shoulder pads, and if looking like a linebacker ever comes back in style, I'm all set).
4. My teeth are a little yellow. Duh. I eat chocolate regularly and don't go in for regular whitenings.
5. I talk too much.
6. I watch a little too much TV. I'm aware. Completely.
7. As hard as I try, sometimes my legs don't get shaved immediately following a hint of hair. Sunday mornings are a little on the busy side. So shoot me. Just don't look at my legs.
8. I have split ends. I have been wanting a haircut for about a year. I just have other stuff that's more important.
9. I have a double chin.
That was my preemptive strike for the rest of the week. I can't take anymore insults. Please.
What I WOULD like you to point out, should you happen to see it:
1. A booger hanging out of my nose.
2. Food stuck in my teeth.
3. Toilet paper stuck to my shoe.
4. My zipper down.
5. Hair that has escaped my ever-present ponytail.
6. My slip hanging past my skirt.
If you notice something like that, it means I'm not aware of it, and would appreciate some help. I already know what's not perfect about me. Believe me, if I didn't I wouldn't spend time on a machine of torture, trying to sweat off my thick middle and my double chin. But I don't walk around with a mirror all day, and would rather not discover that my fly is down and there's a booger hanging out of my nose at the end of the day. For pointing that out, I will thank you and consider you a good friend.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The Glad Game
I've been a little (or a lot, depending on who you talk to) grumpy lately, and, after having cleaned my kitchen, I am too wound up to go to bed. So I'm going to play the Glad Game. Remember the movie Pollyanna, when Hailey Mills goes around the town and cheers up all the town crabs? She's an orphan, has ill-fitting clothing, has never owned a doll, and has had a pretty dreary life. So, how does she stay cheerful? She starts naming things that make her Glad. Kind of like Counting Your Many Blessings. So here goes:
1. I'm Glad my iPod just shuffled to Thriller, because I was thinking about Michael Jackson and how much I like his older stuff. And it's a great song, and it makes me want to dance, even though I don't really know the dance they do in the video.
2. I'm Glad I'm wearing fleece pajama pants, because I'm cold a lot of the time, but these make me feel like I'm walking around swaddled in a snuggly fleece blanket, and I don't have to worry about tripping. Plus, they have Tinkerbell on them.
3. I'm Glad we had 11am church today. I didn't have to get the kids ready by myself, and they actually got a bath. I even blew my hair dry, and if you've seen me at all in the last 2 years, you know that's epic.
4. I'm Glad I got myself an iTunes gift card for Christmas, because I keep thinking of songs I wish I could listen to when I'm working out (eek, I need to work out tomorrow), and now I can. Have you heard Uprising by Muse? Because it is a great song. I'm going to buy it tomorrow before I hop on the elliptical.
5. I'm Glad I invested in cute glasses when Jacob snapped my other ones in two, because now I can have days without my contacts and not feel like frumpgirl. Rachel K. (see sidebar for link to her fab blogs) got me on a magic glasses kick, and inspired me to really search for glasses that made me feel pretty. Thanks.
6. I'm Glad it's 2010. I was getting kind of tired of saying "Two thousand and..." every time I said the year. I guess I could have said "Oh-5" or "Aught 8", but I felt weird saying both of those. Now I can say "Twenty-ten". I'm so excited about the new year that I haven't accidently written 2009 on any of the stuff that has required the date. And that's good for a scatterbrained girl like me.
7. I'm Glad that places like Wendy's exist, because thanks to them, I won't be making dinner tomorrow. On that same subject, I'm Glad for paper plates, because I also won't be doing any dishes tomorrow.
8. I'm Glad it's almost time for more new Lost!!! I had to add the exclamation points, because I am super duper excited for this. It's the final season, and Tim and I have been watching earlier seasons to remind ourselves of all the unexplained mysteries, plus because they're awesome. I can't wait to see how they wrap it all up. Will it really all be in Hurley's mind? What's the deal with the "incident" in the hatch? Oh man, I can't wait. I just hope it ends well. I plan on buying the whole series, but if I hate the ending, I just may not invest in it. There's always Netflix streaming.
9. I'm Glad my kitchen is clean. I hate doing the dishes, but I'm Glad I did them tonight instead of waking up to a messy kitchen in the morning. It's not a good feeling to come down at the beginning of the day to dirty dishes and a counter that is completely unusable because nothing got put away last night. I can go to sleep with the knowledge that my counter is clutter free and the dishes are snug in the dishwasher.
10. I'm Glad today is over. I'm ready for bed.
1. I'm Glad my iPod just shuffled to Thriller, because I was thinking about Michael Jackson and how much I like his older stuff. And it's a great song, and it makes me want to dance, even though I don't really know the dance they do in the video.
2. I'm Glad I'm wearing fleece pajama pants, because I'm cold a lot of the time, but these make me feel like I'm walking around swaddled in a snuggly fleece blanket, and I don't have to worry about tripping. Plus, they have Tinkerbell on them.
3. I'm Glad we had 11am church today. I didn't have to get the kids ready by myself, and they actually got a bath. I even blew my hair dry, and if you've seen me at all in the last 2 years, you know that's epic.
4. I'm Glad I got myself an iTunes gift card for Christmas, because I keep thinking of songs I wish I could listen to when I'm working out (eek, I need to work out tomorrow), and now I can. Have you heard Uprising by Muse? Because it is a great song. I'm going to buy it tomorrow before I hop on the elliptical.
5. I'm Glad I invested in cute glasses when Jacob snapped my other ones in two, because now I can have days without my contacts and not feel like frumpgirl. Rachel K. (see sidebar for link to her fab blogs) got me on a magic glasses kick, and inspired me to really search for glasses that made me feel pretty. Thanks.
6. I'm Glad it's 2010. I was getting kind of tired of saying "Two thousand and..." every time I said the year. I guess I could have said "Oh-5" or "Aught 8", but I felt weird saying both of those. Now I can say "Twenty-ten". I'm so excited about the new year that I haven't accidently written 2009 on any of the stuff that has required the date. And that's good for a scatterbrained girl like me.
7. I'm Glad that places like Wendy's exist, because thanks to them, I won't be making dinner tomorrow. On that same subject, I'm Glad for paper plates, because I also won't be doing any dishes tomorrow.
8. I'm Glad it's almost time for more new Lost!!! I had to add the exclamation points, because I am super duper excited for this. It's the final season, and Tim and I have been watching earlier seasons to remind ourselves of all the unexplained mysteries, plus because they're awesome. I can't wait to see how they wrap it all up. Will it really all be in Hurley's mind? What's the deal with the "incident" in the hatch? Oh man, I can't wait. I just hope it ends well. I plan on buying the whole series, but if I hate the ending, I just may not invest in it. There's always Netflix streaming.
9. I'm Glad my kitchen is clean. I hate doing the dishes, but I'm Glad I did them tonight instead of waking up to a messy kitchen in the morning. It's not a good feeling to come down at the beginning of the day to dirty dishes and a counter that is completely unusable because nothing got put away last night. I can go to sleep with the knowledge that my counter is clutter free and the dishes are snug in the dishwasher.
10. I'm Glad today is over. I'm ready for bed.
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