yoga, books, movies, tv & too many crime procedurals – not necesarily in that order
I realize that no one but me is reading the internet but, despite my comfy position on the deck and a delicious Kona Longboard in hand, I’m going to post about police shows.
There are a lot of problems with police shows – the foremost being we’re INUNDATED with the fuckers. If there’s anyone in the country who doesn’t know their Miranda rights by heart I have to believe that it’s willful ignorance. There’s also quality. Between Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, The Wire and The Shield – it’s been done and it’s been done damn well. So what does that leave you with?
If you’re a network, you’ve got to go to character. You need badass writers and great actors who can sell it. If you don’t have the cable safety net (and far less stringent censors) you’ve got to make up for the fact that your show isn’t going to be all that “real.”
The Closer is a great example of this. Create a magical squad that doesn’t have exactly the same rules as the beat cops, add a quirky leader and you’ve got suspension of disbelief. It’s the same reason I can stand NCIS – the ‘military’ association means I can pretend that Abby would get away with 1/4 of the shit she actually does and I don’t care because the character kicks ass and I WANT to like the show. The actors are so good that even when they’re bad, I can forgive some shoddy (and predictable) writing.
There are a bunch of good shows (versus the first string of police shows which I’d classify as GREAT) that get away with this. The Closer and NCIS get really good ratings. The Mentalist, Psych, Law and Order and Saving Grace all have a gimmick that allows them to be outside the straight up police procedural. That’s just one of the things I think is going to kill Rookie Blue.
I watched the first two episodes. I love Missy Peregrym. I dig the fact that it’s set in Toronto. Unfortunately it’s trying to be Hill Street Blues and, man, that ship has SAILED. By this time the average tv viewer knows as much about police procedure as some of the actors on these shows, I think. So you can’t be serious and “real” and then try to throw in these ridiculous love triangles (which I could see coming a mile away) and laughable shit like a new officer not knowing what “on the job” means. Dude. *I* know what that means. You just made your main character seem like a moron. Not a good sign.
I like what the show is trying to do but unless the writing gets sharp and I mean FAST I don’t think it’s going to have legs. You’ve got to be smarter – or at least cleverer – than your audience. Rookie Blue isn’t.
I’ve gone on to pretty much everyone who will listen about how much I enjoyed the Steig Larsson trilogy. I love that they’re mystery and suspense but set right now and crafted in such a way as to call into question all our biases about mental illness, women’s rights and the corporate stranglehold on media. Love.
I’m out of town doing training and – as a result -a bit closer to Aspen than usual. While on break yesterday I was flipping through the local rag and noticed that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was playing at the Isis. Now this film has been on my ‘want to see’ list since before we went in Seattle. On the west coast I looked longingly at showtimes. Did the same thing in the midwest. Time crunches and family time take priority over films, alas, especially when I’m the only one who wants to see the film. That’s not to say Spouse wouldn’t have joined me but it’s not the same as making a movie outing for something we BOTH really want to see.
After I got off work this afternoon I headed up (down, actually. Or wait- both. Uphill, headed south.) to Aspen and got my tix. Despite TWO idiots having their phone go off during the film (and DUDE. I didn’t even know that shit STILL HAPPENED anymore.) it was as gripping as the book. It’s an excellent adaptation and I’m going on the record to say I fucking LOVE the chick who played Salander.
So. If you’re down for a great film, I give it two thumbs up. If you hate subtitles however, it’s not for you. If you aren’t sure you’ll like the books, check this out. If you like this film, you’ll love the books.
I don’t have one of those gadgets that allows you to play your mp3 player through the car stereo. I KNOW. I’ll wait for your shock to subside.
Normally I’d just put my earbuds in while I cruise the highway but 1) my Zune is still on its way back from the Zune hospital 2) mini workout-player is in Spouse’s truck and 3) so are the earbuds. All of this means I am FUCKED for a 2 hour drive. Except…
My CR-V has a six disc cd changer. I’ve had a few random discs in there for a while and by random I mean Juliana Hatfield, Mary J. Blige, Kate Nash eclectic (see above re: earbuds). At the last minute, I remembered that I still own some actual physical CDs – I KNOW – so I grabbed some faves. Here was my soundtrack for the drive to the Springs:
1. Patty Griffin, Living with Ghosts
This album remains in my top 5 of all time. Spare and gorgeous, not to mention awesome to sing along with.
2. Sarah Harmer, You Were Here
Smart lyrics, catchy beats – also fun for singalong.
3. Beastie Boys, Ill Communication
I remember when this album came out and there was NOTHING on the radio that sounded like it. It was the first glimpse of the “real” Beasties and their Sabotage video became legendary. ‘Cause you can’t, you won’t and you don’t stop.
4. Chris Isaak, Heart Shaped World
10th grade A.P. English trip to Toronto. I bought the tape and did my damndest to wear it out. Apparently I did the same with this disc because fully two songs won’t play anymore. Boo. Still love EVERY single tune.
5. Joan Osborne, Relish
One of my favorite albums ever and possibly in my top five Debut Albums. What if God was One of Us is still a good song but my fave without question is Right Hand Man. That song made me a fan for life.
6. Van Morrison, Moondance
Sentimental favorite. Someone asked me what my favorite song was a week or so ago – I’ve got a ton of faves but my favorite love song probably EVER is Into the Mystic.
So those are the discs I cranked through on the drive down. The way back has a whole other handful of discs.
I’ve been reading so there will, actually, be an update to the book list but I’m not sure it’ll get done today. On top of that, I may make the drive to Aspen tomorrow to FINALLY get to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I’m inordinately excited about the film and it’s totally worth the trip.
I feel like I keep saying I’m swamped but I frankly still feel like I’m swamped. There are possible (good) changes afoot at work but I won’t know more on that until the end of the week. In the meantime we’re making an almost-cross-country roadtrip for a wedding. With any luck at all I’ll be able to update from the road.
Right now I’m geeking out in my basement while my Kindle software updates and I avoid packing my clothes. Before I go to bed I have to have all my clothing packed and pretty much be ready to go as soon as I get home from work.
Packing list:
roadsnacks
music – update mini-player
clothes:
1. shorts because it will be hotter than the third circle of hell, plus humidity
2. skirt for wedding
3. nicer shorts for reception
4. black flats, green chucks
5. one pair of jeans because seriously, it’s MY vacation
6. toiletry kit
7. sox
8. one sweater, one jacket
9. one purse
10. metric asston of t-shirts in varying degrees of niceness
The most important thing has already been accomplished: loading a Dunkin Donuts locator onto my droid.
Probably the only thing I talk about as much as yoga and TV is gadgets. One of my friends is at a conference and re-tweeted two things that interested me:
1. The iPad is designed to entertain your finger, an e-reader to entertain your eye.
2. The Kindle isn’t a superior reading experience, it’s a superior delivery experience.
These things are tied in my mind because the iPad was billed as a Kindle-killer. Admittedly I am a non-Apple geek (They make nice stuff but it’s wicked expensive. I’m looking for the alternative that fits my budget.) but I wasn’t all that interested in the iPad. I HAVE a Kindle (which I love and will get to in a minute) and a Droid Eris by HTC. From what I’ve seen, my Eris does all the stuff that an iPhone does – at least the stuff that I WANT it to, as I’ve got no interest in watching TV/movies on my phone – and cost a fraction of the price. Not only that, but Verizon never drops my calls. Never. And I live in the Timbuck-3 mountains.
So if I’ve got a touchscreen phone and all the apps I can stand and an mp3 player that holds a ton of music and movies, as well as an e-reader that checks my email and surfs the web – the iPad is obsolete FOR ME. I get that there are people who want everything in the same gadget but I really don’t. I like having a separate mp3 player because it means I’m less likely to break it – my phone has to withstand a lot of abuse. My phone is built for portability and wicked web access, so I don’t need a laptop hardly ever – unless I really want one.
All of this brings me to the Kindle. Yes, it’s a superior delivery system. I can get a book (including a whole mess of FREE books) from pretty much anywhere, anytime. I’d argue about it not being a superior reading experience though, and for a couple of reasons. It’s much a lighter than a regular book. It’s far more portable and allows me to do everything a regular text would do (bookmarks, notes) as well as things it can’t (email, web). Not only that but I can carry up to 1,500 books around all the time. I’ve got 207 on there currently and I love that if my attention wanders, I can just hit the Home button and switch to something else. On a plane or roadtrip, this portability is invaluable. It’s great for waiting rooms, lunch breaks and coffee stops.
As to the experience – I know that Spouse loves the fact that he can increase the text size whenever he wants. It makes reading in low light easier. The auto text-reader is also nice, if a bit robotic.
I don’t miss turning pages. It always surprises me that I really ENJOY reading on the Kindle. I’m an English major. I’ve been reading voraciously since the age of 3. I LOVE books. Yet I find that I don’t miss the feel of paper in my hands or even the smell of the pages – things I would have sworn at one point were integral to my reading experience. In fact, when I HAVE to read a paper text now (for classes) I find I’m annoyed with how cumbersome and unwieldly they are. I don’t like having to lug them around and having to flip back and forth rather than just click a bookmark is irritating. The lack of backlight makes my Kindle page just as easy to read as a printed page, but better for the environment.
So yeah – when people talk to me about how they love books and can’t POSSIBLY like an e-reader, I call bullshit. Read a book on a Kindle and if you’re not converted, I’ll believe you. I just don’t think it’ll happen.
You lose track of what day it is. My workout schedule has been derailed by full shifts of heavy lifting as well as epic redudancies in work tasks. Last night I had beers and bitchfest with some coworkers and it was SO OVERDUE. As a general rule, sitting around and complaining doesn’t help anything (and can frequently make it worse) but when you get to the point that you can actually laugh at all the crazy, you reach the win point. I think we all left feeling much better.
Michigan roadtrip is rapidly approaching. It’ll be nice to have a little break but I’m not looking forward to the humidity.
I got my hair trimmed yesterday and do you ever have that feeling where maybe it would have been a better idea to take the scissors to your own hair? Yeah. I was lazy and in a hurry so I went to Costcutters. The stylist sprayed down the edge of my hairline and starting snipping. To be fair I’ll have to wash and dry it to see what the actual results are but I’m not what I’d call “optimistic”.
I don’t remember it being such a pain in the ass to grow out my hair the last time.
Work fun fact:
The cantaloupe is apparently one of the world’s deadliest fruits. Because it is harvested and packed in mostly third world countries, without sanitation benefits in the field, and has a porous rind it is very hospitable to e coli. and a bunch of other delicious bacteria. Add to that, many places that prepare cut fruit don’t scrub the outside of a cantaloupe with a scrub brush before cutting into it, the awesome bacteria get into the fruit. YUM. I will never buy cut fruit again.
First, no blogging because I’ve been working like a dog – if a dog would climb up and down ladders all day carrying incredibly heavy cases of things like laundry detergent. Workouts have been rendered obsolete.
Second: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest came out this week.
It is no secret that I am a huge book nerd. That said, I cannot remember a time when I’ve been so anxious for a new release. This series of novels has been brilliant, intense, engaging and thought-provoking. You can’t say THAT about your average mystery book – which is what makes them brilliant. They are, on their face, a great series of mysteries. They are, but they’re SO MUCH MORE – incredible social commentary on prejudice, social justice and journalism. They are a bit like what The Wire was aspiring to in its last season of journalistic commentary, just as hard-hitting and tackling a wildly unpopular topic in abuse/mistreatment of women.
There are very few books I’ve recommended in the last several years as much as I’ve recommended these. I’m glad to hear there may be another manuscript floating around (despite the truly terrible treatment of Larsson’s partner) and I’ll be keeping an ear to the ‘net to see if it’ll be emerging.
