Falling For Fall TV

Now it's time for your favorite unemployed friend to give you a report on the return of her favorite fall comedies because - let's face it - I don't watch TV dramas. (LOST being the only exception, of course..)

NOTE: I put an asterisk next to the ones that I have only seen the season premiere - the rest I have seen the first two episodes. Some of them it's because they have only aired one episode, and others will not live for me to see them air another show.

*THE OFFICE
What I liked:
- The opener (obviously.)
- Remembering what "nepotism" means.
- Pam and Jim, back to their old pranking tricks.
- The spanking.
- Repeatedly reenacting the spanking.
- This felt like an episode from a few seasons ago.
What I didn't like:
- Andy got dumped?! If it weren't for Jeff (and if he wasn't a fictional character), I'd be all over that.
- More Andy Bernard please! Seriously, I love him.
Prediction for the Season:
- I know they are bracing themselves for Steve's departure. I worry about them doing weird stuff. But overall I trust these writers to keep it fresh, and am willing to forgive a weak episode or two every now and again.

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
What I liked:
- How many of my facebook friends included forms of its name in their status updates.
What I didn't like:
- The characters. The premise.
- I don't remember why I ever liked this show.
Prediction for the Season:
- I don't care. My love for them peaked at the musical episode, and now I am done watching.

*BIG BANG THEORY
What I liked:
- Sheldon's girlfriend and her nerd puns
What I didn't like:
- Not memorable
- The love is gone -- why is Penny still needed?
Prediction for the Season:
- Get rid of Penny or cancel the show. Those are your options. I've said my peace.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
What I liked:
- Episode 1
What I didn't like:
- Episode 2
Prediction for the Season:
- I don't know what to say. I am ready to meet "their mother." It's season 6 and the tease is getting annoying. I don't think he meets her at Barney's wedding, by the way. Too churchy. Speaking of him - keep Barney as a side character. He's brilliant that way. When he's featured, however, you get crappy stuff like episode 2. (The suits episode from last year is an exception.)

MODERN FAMILY
What I liked:
- Great overall pace and dang good timing of each little bit.
- Same fabulous characters plus a lineup of awesome guest stars.
- Doesn't matter if you miss an episode; it still makes sense.
- Excellent writing. Period.
What I didn't like:
- Not all of my friends and family are watching this great show yet!
Prediction for the Season:
- Will continue to be my favorite show currently on television. Can't wait for more.

*AMAZING RACE
What I liked:
- Not a comedy, but if you've seen the watermelon clip, you understand why I feel like I can put this here.
- Travel channel + ADHD.
- Finding out what people are like under pressure.
What I didn't like:
- People under stress can be mean to each other. That is uncomfortable to watch.
Prediction for the Season:

GLEE
What I liked:
-Great music.
- Strong vocals.
- They are really stepping it up with the dancing, too.
What I didn't like:
- I only like the music parts, folks. The writing is TERRIBLE. The way they try to "weave" the songs into the story... not so clever. Having a Britney Spears fantasy music video sequence every time you go to the dentist? Are you KIDDING me?!
Prediction for the Season:
-The things I like about the show (the music and choreography) are gonna get better, and the things I hate (everything else) is going to get worse. But the theatre geek in me will keep me watching.


_____________________________________

Special "NEW SHOWS" Feature!!!!!!!!!

*BLEEP MY DAD SAYS
What I liked:
- At one point William Shatner put on an Ella Fitzgerald record.
What I didn't like:
- I had to try to watch it twice before I could get through it.
- It's nothing like the "tweets."
- The main character isn't even a hottie.
- The show is supposed to be about a jerk father who says funny stuff. This was just sad.
Prediction for the Season:
- Done watching. Having a laugh track doesn't make a show funny.

MIKE & MOLLY
What I liked:
- CBS.com's commercial before the show started was Bobby Flay making a recipe. HA!
- You know, I honestly didn't mind the fat jokes.
- I will watch Swoosie Kurtz in just about anything.
- Mike is really really sweet to Molly. And she's a fun fourth grade teacher. I'm a sucker.
What I didn't like:
- The stoned, idiot sister.
- Well, when a character ends the second episode with "I'm gonna marry that girl" you sort of know where it's going. But they are funny enough to maintain our attention... that is, if the fat jokes don't get too old.
Prediction for the Season:
- I wanted to watch the second show after watching the pilot. This one might actually have the most staying power as far as premises are concerned. We will see. I'll keep watching for a while.

*OUTSOURCED
What I liked:
-The lighting was kind of nice.
-When it was over.
What I didn't like:
-Everything, but especially when they made fun of cheeseheads!!!
Prediction for the Season:
-This is why networks have a whole arsenal of new shows set to start up midseason. Parks and Recreation will get its spot back soon.

RAISING HOPE
What I liked:
- Kate Miccuci played a ukelele playing daycare worker!
- Quirky family dynamics
What I didn't like:
- Horrible parenting isn't funny. It's sad.
- Lower class humor written by upper class people doesn't work.
Prediction for the Season:
- I will keep watching for more songs by Kate. That is all. Poor thing, though, being so typecast. If this show were real, they would have killed the baby by now or have been arrested at least.

RUNNING WILDE
What I liked:
- The cast -- two Arrested Development alums, Keri Russell, and a cute kid that plays the role of narrator.
- Unless you count Phoebe from Friends, this is one of the first real "Go Green" characters we've seen in a featured role on a sitcom.
- EPIC treehouse is part of the setting. You know how much I love a good treehouse.
What I didn't like:
- Will Arnett playing a rich jerk? Um... haven't I seen this before and better executed?
- LIKABLE characters. Try some sometime, writers.
- Seeing actors I love in such a crappy show.
Prediction for the Season:
- Will probably keep watching, though I'm not sure why.
- When this show gets cancelled, it will result in FAR less of an outcry than Arrested Development.

SISTER WIVES
(okay, so it's not a comedy, but it was late at night and I was bored, so I watched it)
What I liked:
- I'm not exactly an expert on polygamy (shocker, I know) -- it sure is interesting to see the way it all works. They have a way of making it work. And they really believe in it.
- It feels like a documentary, like I'm learning something.
What I didn't like:
- Makes me sad for them. Some of them seem to like the lifestyle, but others seem like they are doing it because they were raised that way.
Prediction for the Season:
- Shows stick around on cable. This one will last at least one season. Apparently he's taking a fourth wife. I am trying to understand it. They seem to do it more for the way of life than for the sake of religion. It's like they picked a religion that will let them do it. Weird. But hey, I watched it. I'm weird, too.

We All Need Our Own Daily Affirmations

Things That Make Me Say "YES!"

A Shipwreck in an Art Gallery? YES!

Live in a museum for a month? YES! At a place with a muppet exhibit? YES! Marrying Kermit the frog? YES!

Happy cheese? YES!

Schadenfreude when a top model messes up and announces the wrong winner of a reality TV show? YES!

My guilty pleasure of auto-tune combined with a dog? YES!

Whimsy in architecture? YES!

Poetic odes for your muse? YES!

So You Think You Can Design?

I've moved a LOT. I have had 21 different bedrooms over the last ten years. That's a lot. Some elements of those rooms were used once and then abandoned, other things have come with me for the long haul. Most places I've moved, I haven't really had a living room to decorate - just the bedroom. I don't claim to know a lot about design other than what I know instinctively, have learned on blogs, or discovered in my own experience.

The Wunderkammer aesthetic has always appealed to me.This is most likely due to my obsession with thrift stores. I like creating unique combinations of items that have never ever been put together before now. It's like introducing new friends.

Those things will always appeal to me.

But as I get older, my taste refines. Recently I've been all about pops of color. Like this:I am coming to an acceptance with neutrals and white space, understanding their necessity. You can see a lot of this in Scandanavian design. Case in point: The Huset Shop.




There are so many ways you can make your house a cool place to live, one that suits YOU.

Your words are delicious

Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters—sometimes very hastily—but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, "Dear Jim: I loved your card.”
Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, “Jim loved your card so much he ate it.”
That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.

Maurice Sendak (via here)

Too Dew Liszt

TO DO LIST:

1) Go to the library to sign up for a library card because September is Library Card Sign-Up Month.


2) Daydream more about my upcoming novel.


3) Go to Whole Foods to buy Honeycrisp Apples. (Just called and they DO have them in stock - they are EVERYTHING you want in an apple... and more!)


4) Wait for someone fabulous to call and offer me a job.


5) Eat cupcakes.

Fingerpainting Is Art, Too

Forget crafts for a moment. Today we're all about art.

Feeling miserable? This might have something to do with it. via Keri Smith

Have you seen this? I haven't heard of Tilt-Shift Photography before now, but I am definitely a fan. Would love to see more classic art pieces photographed like this.

I am totally entranced by the Sketchbook Project. They send you a blank moleskin, you fill it in accordance to a theme (either you pick one from a list of things like "the greatest story ever told" or "capture the flag" or "science project gone wrong," or they randomly assign you something), then mail it back to them. Then the sketchbooks tour as a part of an art show. Too bad it costs $25 to make the art just to have to return it. Guess that puts me back to being a miserable, starving artist again.

They never say "starving crafter." I should stick to them then. ;-)

Lists 'R' Us

I present to you two awesome lists.

First up is The Top 20 Worst Children's Book Covers. Jeff will be pleased that I chose to share with you one of the covers that WASN'T about poop. Here's a poop-free example:

And even more delicious - The Top 10 New Foods at the 2010 State Fairs. You will find that hot dogs are a key player. Such as the hashbrown dog:

Oh how I love a good list...

Wednesdays are for Crafting

That's right! It's craft night at my house tonight. And in honor of that, Toothpaste for Dinner posted their daily cartoon about us today:
Okay so we don't hate ourselves. Mostly we love making messes. Can't wait!

There's A Unicorn In My Pocket

There’s a unicorn in my pocket
I don’t know how it got there
Maybe it jumped
Or flew
Or simply appeared out of thin air
(Or thick air)
It doesn’t sprinkle glitter dust
It doesn’t grant wishes
It doesn’t even talk
It doesn’t do anything
Anything except poke my hand
Every time I stick my hand into that pocket
(The pocket where the unicorn lives)
Every time it pokes me
It reminds me
Reminds me that it’s there
And that the only one left to make magic
Is me

Lost and Ffffound

I love ffffound.com. Here are a few reasons why...

Happiness Machine

What would YOUR happiness machine dispense?



Suggestions in case you are stocking MY happiness machine:

- floral fabric
- fresh berries
- cash
- delicate jewelry
- thai food
- hats and fake moustaches (for disguises, of course)
- silly straws
- rose turkish delights
- tiny things
- giant things
- anything whimsical
- a baby goat

The People In Your Neighborhood

Remember that song from Sesame Street - "Oh who are the people in your neighborhood...." that goes on to introduce the public employees and service workers for your area? Well, being home all day has given me the opportunity to meet some of these folks. Now I shall introduce you to them, or at least their celebrity doppelgangers.

This is my Pest Control Guy:

This is my Mail Man:

This is my Waste Management Person (aka Garbage Man):

Thanks for taking care of me and my neighborhood, guys!

Do Not Fear The Rain

Struggling to resist my instincts to break out the umbrella, and to instead step back, open up, and hug my cloud.
Image via Swiss Miss

**********************************************************

listen to the mustnts, child,
listen to the donts
listen to the shouldnts,
the impossibles,
the wonts
listen to the never haves,
then listen close to me…
anything can happen, child,
anything can be.

— Shel Silverstein.

WANTED: My Bike

Ah.... the Kona Africa Bike. Isn't it beautiful? Unfortunately it is also a thousand miles away in Wisconsin, hanging (literally) in my parents' garage. It would be an awfully long drive just to go and get it, but that doesn't mean a girl can't dream. We are currently in the researching stages of figuring out if the thing can be shipped. Anyone with any experience shipping a bicycle is encouraged to chirp in on the issue. I hope we can find an answer because if Arkansas clings to Fall like it's clung to Summer, it promises many hours of happy riding.

Questions Without Answers

Think I can recreate this look? Would love to figure out a way to do it. Cuz it's a giant juicy steak of whimsy and delightfulness.



Can you have friends, a significant other, and still keep your day job? Here are some words for thought, as published in the New Yorker in 1998:
(Of course, it seems I only have two right now, so I can't give an accurate response to this one.)




When can we go to Ikea again? (Music video by OK Go features Ikea furniture, although you are more likely to be charmed by these amazing well trained dogs!)

Three at a Time.

I like monkeys.

Need a fort.

Wine about it.

Where Did All The Water Go?

Well, this is weird.

According to the description, that isn't just a fancy way to display your goldfish. When you use water in the sink, the water in the tank depletes, putting the fish in danger as a reminder for you to conserve water. When you stop, the fish tank refills. Um... is it just me or is that totally insane? Not to mention there are a lot of regulations about water temperature with fish, and I know they can be easily subject to trauma. Sheesh. This go green effort is crossing a line for even me.

The Case of the Suitcase

I am loving these redone suitcases. They look amazing!






Thanks to Apartment Therapy for the pics!

Such a Fan of These Ceiling Fans

Image Source

Poetry Found in Translation

Via a Google Images search, I ended up at this site. Not a big deal. That is, until I used the automatic translator in my Google Chrome browser to translate it from Japanese to English. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the resulting translation:

Even coffee is too severe blistering heat.

In particular, stand on top of the forest...

I realize I forgot and did many things.

Spirit like "acorn" three.
Another case of "acorn" in it and say, what you want? "

Acorn knitting "is."　

Tiger Tiger Leopard?

People may understand, but understandable,,,

People willing to look past, touch and had a photo shoot.
In particular, was popular with foreigners - we left.
And everything, it was echoing.

Great big one, "Glass" is.

Feel the art is a piece of thick glass.

Initially, the story and the auction. . .
I feel only.

Next up, the Looking Through You. . .
Never learn that.

So palms
I tried to be covered with kites.

When You're Smilin'

(source)

You can dance if you want!

Statements of Fact

1) I want to go HERE.


2) My house smells like coffee because of THIS.
(Except mine is green, not pink.)

3) It's great when big cities (like DC) do things like THIS.

4) THIS is an interesting experiment:


5) I want to make THESE:

No Words

Link Logic

I read a lot of blogs.
I acquire a lot of links.
I write a blog.
Therefore, I must share a lot of links on my blog.

1) 15 Weird and Wonderful Shopping Bags
For example:

2) Jeff has been talking about wanting a dog named Buck Russell. Perhaps a Buck Russell Terrier? (Tee hee.) Well, this one reminds me of Jeff at the end of a long day.


3) Apparently I am the only one in the world who DOESN'T think Mr. Rogers is creepy. I will admit, however, that Lady Elaine Fairchild is creepy...

...along with these 33 other creepy puppets.

4) Where have I been? Um... Auto-tune the news? YES. I especially love the new one.


5) Let's try a classier video. It's an artistic representation of 35 different movies in 2 minutes. How many can you guess?

35mm from Pascal Monaco on Vimeo.

6) I am loving these owls...

...from this book.

7) Martha Stewart has posted her top 50 bits of clip art on her website. Pop in a new ink cartridge and print your heart out!