More about reality TV

So, the rumors and sitings were true--The Bachelor picked the Nashville woman. I was glad. There was just something squirrelly about Moana. Why couldn't she explain why she cared for the Bach? Come on, just a few favorite traits? Because it's not enough to say "he understands me." And I wasn't convinced she had really thought out the implications of a long-term kind of deal. Eventually, the initial infatuation wears off and then you find yourself asking, why am I with this dude?

Even so, I did feel very bad for Moana at the end. Her final soliloquy in the limo was surprisingly articulate. I think that, along with the intrusiveness and potential humiliation of being on a reality show, I would never be a good contestant because I couldn't narrate my emotional state on demand, as you are required to do on television. Perhaps this is why people so often fall into cliches and repetition on reality TV. I mean, how many times have you heard the term "step up to the plate" on The Apprentice? By and large, we are not poetic speakers.

Guilty pleasure

My true confession for the day is that tonight I will be watching the finale of "The Bachelor." It's not a show I usually watch. In fact, I don't think I've followed it since they had "The Bachelorette," which was like four or five seasons ago. I turned on the Bachelor about three weeks ago and was stunned that the dude lives in Nashville and works for Vandy, where my friend works. AND, one of the final women is also from Nashville. I keep asking my friend how come she never met him. Why do we only find out about these men when they resort to reality tv shows?

Anyway. He seems like a normal enough person, but there does seem to be a lot of gratuitous making out on that show. I guess you really have to make out with all the women when you're trying to find "the one." I'm rooting for the Nashville woman. She reminds me of a lot of sorority girls I knew in college (AOPi's, specifically--the ones you bring home to meet the parents), and very southern, but generally level-headed and normal. Also, I must root for her because the other girl, who seems vaguely catty, had a big emotional moment where she told The Bachelor, "you complete me."

Cliches like that have no truck here.

In other news, rainwater continues to leak out of my foundation. Yesterday, it was coming out at a pace fast enough to cause a little moving stream. I'm now officially alarmed and will be calling my various insurance agents and home warranters tomorrow. Glad that one-year warranty hasn't run out yet! And I wasn't going to renew, either. More to come, I'm sure....

Long time, no blog

Hello bloggy,

Feels like it's been forever since we talked, but really it's only been two weeks. I've spent the last two weekends snowed/iced in, which isn't bad in some ways. One of my friends owns a 4WD vehicle, so he came over for visits, and otherwise I managed to keep myself busy cleaning house and cooking.

I learned my lesson the first weekend when I was left not without food, but with just the remnants of the weeks groceries so I had to be creative. This week I was smart and went to the store Thursday night, so there was homemade pizza, homemade chocolate mousse, and chicken chili.

I know my blog is a pit of viral marketing these days, but I have to say that yes, my KitchenAid mixer has changed my life. The funny thing is, mixing anything in it takes so little time that I feel like I hardly use it. This weekend I used it to make pizza dough and whipped cream for the mousse. I think the next project will be calzones. I love a good calzone.

So, I've been enjoying my little Netflix adventure except that I keep choosing the most depressing movies possible. First, there was Closer. I did enjoy looking at Jude Law (he used to be too pretty and girlish, but I think age has grizzled him ever so slightly--an improvement in my book), and Julia Roberts was non-annoying and even enjoyable to watch. But wow, that was a brutal film. Call me old-fashioned, but I still believe a crucial element to fiction is a sympathetic character, even if it's a minimal few grains of likeability. When I sense that an author has total disdain for all his characters, I have to ask, "well then, why the hell should I read this book/watch this film?" And I really couldn't muster much sympathy for any of the characters in Closer.

So then this weekend I watched 21 Grams, which brought new depth to the word "brutal." I knew it was going to be a downer, but I was interested in seeing the scenes filmed in Memphis. How bad could it be, anyway? Well, it turned out to be uncomfortably close to very traumatic events I've peripherally been involved with over the last few years. It was like reliving some very bad days, and I could have done without it. And at the same time, the characters in the movie made some really bad choices that made their fates worse. Maybe I'm just having trouble suspending disbelief. I need to make sure my next Netflix movie is a nice little comedy.

Database technology for better living

I signed up for my free two-week trial of Netflix today. I know, I'm very behind the times. Many of my friends have been singing its praises for years. I love movies, but I don't spend much time watching them. Because I refuse to go to Blockbuster and the other big chains, my rental store of choice is about 15 minutes from home. And I only seem to go there only when it's pouring rain.

I go to the theater even less. Last year, I went to see The Translator, and I'm pretty sure that's all. There may have been one other, but it must have been disappointing enough to forget entirely. Oh wait, I know--Jo and I saw The Family Stone, which I did repress until just now. Horrible! (And I'm not even talking about poor Luke Wilson and the "Vince Vaughn spread," as Jo called his paunchiness. Sorry Luke. We still love you.)

So, I've been reluctant to sign up for Netflix because I'm out of the habit of watching movies and I already have my various TV shows that I'm devoted to. But I figured the free trial is cool, and if I take the $9.99 option I only need to watch two movies a month to break even. I can handle that.

When I went to build my cue, at first I was wishy washy and only picked a couple. Then the magic of cross-referencing sucked me in and before I knew it, I was up to 12. I logged in later in the day and added another 10. So far I've limited myself to movies only. As soon as I start adding TV shows, the cue will stretch for miles. Good thing I signed up for one movie at a time, or I would never leave the house again.

Technology does so much for us, but I say nothing's better than a database working to enhance my entertainment experience. Long live Netflix!

More pleasing words

alpaca
Boniface