Today is cold and rainy; my children have been whining, crying, and fighting all day; and I'm feeling generally not 100% and a bit rundown. Therefore - must list happy things!
1. Good TV. Last night I watched the most recent episode of Cold Case, then today a decent-to-good episode of Law & Order: SVU and the beginning of the new season of BBC America's Robin Hood. (Only the first bit of RH, though, so I can't tell how the new season is going to be. Series 1 had its ups and downs, but ended on an upswing.) Plus, my children have been entertained today by Cyberchase, What's New Scooby-Doo?, and Baby Looney Tunes, all shows I'm perfectly happy to watch as well.
2. Memory lane. A woman I know is working on an article, and asked some of us to answer some questions. This involved a search through the house, going through boxes to find a particular old diary, and sorting through said diary looking for some long-forgotten information. Turns out, I haven't forgotten at all, and the memories were fun to consider.
3. New York! Many of the memories that came up were from my time in New York, and I'm so excited to be going back this summer!
4. FOOD! I've been on this dreadful diet and it is a constant reminder of how very much I love to eat. The question is - do I love to eat more than I hate this dreadful muffin top I've picked up? Depends on the day.
5. My jewelry. Finally cleaned off the top of the dresser, and am working toward a good organizational system for my jewelry, including wearing some occasionally.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
last week's reality TV
So to recap last week in the world of Shay's reality TV.
American Idol: Idol Gives Back. It's a good cause, and I believe they're pretty sincere about it, but it was a boring week of TV. The performances were underwhelming because the contestants were clearly on the edge of exhaustion. The IGB performance night was boring and filled with a lot of lame jokes. (When the highlight of the show is Teri Hatcher singing, you know you're in trouble.) The only exciting thing that happened was the apparently shocking ouster of Michael Johns. Who seems to be a nice guy and is a decent singer (certainly better than several who remain in the competition), but never really caught on with fans.
Hell's Kitchen managed to put out some entrees this week. Best of the Worst Corey nominated two strong competitors (whom she also happened to dislike, neither of whom deserved in any way to be eliminated) for elimination, and was completely upfront about her reasons. She appeared to earn some respect from the formidable Mr. Ramsay for being so ballsy, but he chose to eliminate the truly weakest link (Sharon, who seemed never to have been in a restaurant kitchen before) instead. Well-played, I thought, on Corey's part and on his, although Corey's gamble may have cost her some good-will that she might need later, as it seems to be a slightly more team-oriented show than some.
Top Chef had yet another team challenge. Now, I get that the logistics are complicated with that many chefs, but man, they just haven't had the chance to really shine on their own yet, and I can imagine that is leading to some serious frustrations. Only one team seemed to really do a good job, largely due to the frustrations expressed by one cheftestant and her refusal to just go along with an idea she didn't like for the sake of harmony. (Ironically, the losing team had the same situation, one chef holding out for what she felt was a better idea, although that didn't lead to the losing.) There will, apparently, be a lot of hard feelings because Zoi was booted, especially because her partner remains on the show, but frankly her track record and attitude have made it plain that while she might be a good chef, she doesn't belong on this show.
And another week begins tonight, with Mariah Carey night on American Idol. Not a huge fan of Ms. Carey, and I think the performers are going to overdo or underdo all the songs, so I'm not too excited.
Books off my desk today:
James Ellroy, Destination: Morgue! I think I may have mentioned this one before, so briefly, it was repetitive and not that interesting. I vastly prefer his novels to his essays, and the novella in this one contained most of the things I don't like about his fiction.
The Diaries of Sally and Pamela Brown and Hyde Leslie. Diaries of two sisters living on a farm in Vermont in the 1830s, and a hired man on the same farm in 1887. Fascinating glimpses into their lives. I picked it up on a whim and am glad I did.
American Idol: Idol Gives Back. It's a good cause, and I believe they're pretty sincere about it, but it was a boring week of TV. The performances were underwhelming because the contestants were clearly on the edge of exhaustion. The IGB performance night was boring and filled with a lot of lame jokes. (When the highlight of the show is Teri Hatcher singing, you know you're in trouble.) The only exciting thing that happened was the apparently shocking ouster of Michael Johns. Who seems to be a nice guy and is a decent singer (certainly better than several who remain in the competition), but never really caught on with fans.
Hell's Kitchen managed to put out some entrees this week. Best of the Worst Corey nominated two strong competitors (whom she also happened to dislike, neither of whom deserved in any way to be eliminated) for elimination, and was completely upfront about her reasons. She appeared to earn some respect from the formidable Mr. Ramsay for being so ballsy, but he chose to eliminate the truly weakest link (Sharon, who seemed never to have been in a restaurant kitchen before) instead. Well-played, I thought, on Corey's part and on his, although Corey's gamble may have cost her some good-will that she might need later, as it seems to be a slightly more team-oriented show than some.
Top Chef had yet another team challenge. Now, I get that the logistics are complicated with that many chefs, but man, they just haven't had the chance to really shine on their own yet, and I can imagine that is leading to some serious frustrations. Only one team seemed to really do a good job, largely due to the frustrations expressed by one cheftestant and her refusal to just go along with an idea she didn't like for the sake of harmony. (Ironically, the losing team had the same situation, one chef holding out for what she felt was a better idea, although that didn't lead to the losing.) There will, apparently, be a lot of hard feelings because Zoi was booted, especially because her partner remains on the show, but frankly her track record and attitude have made it plain that while she might be a good chef, she doesn't belong on this show.
And another week begins tonight, with Mariah Carey night on American Idol. Not a huge fan of Ms. Carey, and I think the performers are going to overdo or underdo all the songs, so I'm not too excited.
Books off my desk today:
James Ellroy, Destination: Morgue! I think I may have mentioned this one before, so briefly, it was repetitive and not that interesting. I vastly prefer his novels to his essays, and the novella in this one contained most of the things I don't like about his fiction.
The Diaries of Sally and Pamela Brown and Hyde Leslie. Diaries of two sisters living on a farm in Vermont in the 1830s, and a hired man on the same farm in 1887. Fascinating glimpses into their lives. I picked it up on a whim and am glad I did.
Monday, April 14, 2008
catching up
Whew! Two whole weeks and no postings. My bad.
Right now, all three of my little people are playing together, more or less harmoniously, some variant of baseball that involves a lot of running back and forth. The snow has finally melted, thank heavens, Idol Gives Back has come and gone in all its over-hyped under-delivered glory, and here we are.
Chief on my mind today has been a new diet-exercise program, hoping to tone up a bit (quite a bit, actually) for swimsuit season. Running every morning with a goal of 2 miles a day (could bump it up, depending on how it feels), plus cutting way down on the food, and emphasizing veggies and fruits as snacks. Today's measurements: weight 158.4, waist 36", hips 39".
Also, trying to work out the summer travel schedule. With Greyson in school until the end of June, three summer camps, two weekends at the Cape, one weekend away (a somewhat surprise 10th anniversary celebration), finding time for a trip has been a challenge. Right now, it's looking like a nice drive down to North Carolina to visit friends and expose all our children to each other. If their schedules work as well, it should be fun for all.
Finally, two of my recently finished books:
The Iliad. I remember reading this in high school and enjoying it a lot more. Right now, I'm inclined to blame my boredom with it this time on the translation - all the names were heavily Greekified (it's a word now!) and I thought it was really stiff. Needless to say, not keeping it.
Last Night at the Lobster, Stewart O'Nan. This one has an interesting story behind it. When my MIL was in town, I got a whole morning while Charles was in preschool to myself and found myself downtown (gasp!) without a book! Obviously, we couldn't have that huge waste, so I ducked into the local bookstore and went a-hunting. Didn't know what to look for - it's been so long since I've just been browsing for a new book - and this one caught my eye. I remember the author from the book The Circus Fire, which was hugely gripping and memorable, so I decided to try Lobster. And, overall, I'm glad I did. It's a simple book, nothing much actually happens ... but as a character study and a slice-of-life portrait it was really compelling. Definitely glad I bought it!
Right now, all three of my little people are playing together, more or less harmoniously, some variant of baseball that involves a lot of running back and forth. The snow has finally melted, thank heavens, Idol Gives Back has come and gone in all its over-hyped under-delivered glory, and here we are.
Chief on my mind today has been a new diet-exercise program, hoping to tone up a bit (quite a bit, actually) for swimsuit season. Running every morning with a goal of 2 miles a day (could bump it up, depending on how it feels), plus cutting way down on the food, and emphasizing veggies and fruits as snacks. Today's measurements: weight 158.4, waist 36", hips 39".
Also, trying to work out the summer travel schedule. With Greyson in school until the end of June, three summer camps, two weekends at the Cape, one weekend away (a somewhat surprise 10th anniversary celebration), finding time for a trip has been a challenge. Right now, it's looking like a nice drive down to North Carolina to visit friends and expose all our children to each other. If their schedules work as well, it should be fun for all.
Finally, two of my recently finished books:
The Iliad. I remember reading this in high school and enjoying it a lot more. Right now, I'm inclined to blame my boredom with it this time on the translation - all the names were heavily Greekified (it's a word now!) and I thought it was really stiff. Needless to say, not keeping it.
Last Night at the Lobster, Stewart O'Nan. This one has an interesting story behind it. When my MIL was in town, I got a whole morning while Charles was in preschool to myself and found myself downtown (gasp!) without a book! Obviously, we couldn't have that huge waste, so I ducked into the local bookstore and went a-hunting. Didn't know what to look for - it's been so long since I've just been browsing for a new book - and this one caught my eye. I remember the author from the book The Circus Fire, which was hugely gripping and memorable, so I decided to try Lobster. And, overall, I'm glad I did. It's a simple book, nothing much actually happens ... but as a character study and a slice-of-life portrait it was really compelling. Definitely glad I bought it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)