If I received a stipend for every blog post that began with something along the lines of “hey, it’s been awhile since a new post, huh?” I could no doubt retire at this point. That said- hey, it’s been awhile since a new post, huh? Here then is an update on all things me since last I blogged:
1. idiot box
I’ve had a chance now to check out most of the new shows that came out this fall. Simply put, I like-
terra nova
grimm
once upon a time
prime suspect
suburgatory
person of interest
pan am
up all night
free agents
Terra Nova has been pretty inconsistent so far, but it’s a solid sci fi premise, and I like it because dinosaurs, that’s why. Suburgatory has also been hit and miss but it’s got a certain charm. I really like prime suspect, so of course it’s on the chopping block and likely to get cancelled. ditto for free agents. one could argue, given the strength of the cast, that up all night should be even better than it is, but it’s still a strong new comedy. I like Person of Interest while acknowledging that the central premise of the show is ludicrous. While I agree that once upon a time is the superior “fairy tale characters in modern life” show, Grimm deserves praise of it’s own. Showrunner/writer/producer David Greenwalt worked a lot in the Buffy/Angel-verse, and this show has a strong Buffy vibe going for it, which is never a bad thing in my mind. Pan Am should be mildly ridiculous, but it works incredibly well anyway.
I was ‘meh’ towards:
unforgettable
revenge
ringer
Unforgettable would work better if the main character were more interesting. Revenge would work better if the writers stoppede trying to pretend they’re creating an interesting ongoing treatise on the nature of vengence and realized what they’ve actually got is a trashy, dynasty-esque prime time soap opera. Ringer seems aware and okay with it’s soapiness, but it’s still not very good. i continue to watch ringer out of sheer loyalty to sarah michelle gellar. She gave me 7 tremendous years of buffy, so 45 minutes of week suffering through ringer seems like a fair price to pay.
i didn’t care for:
the charlie’s angels remake
2 broke girls
whitney
I know some people like 2 broke girls and whitney, but i just can’t do it. i honestly tried, and found both of them lacking in the humor department. i watched the pilot for the charlie’s angels remake, and it was so painfully, horribly, meticuously bad it was actually kind of awesome.
I haven’t checked out Alcatraz yet, but I intend to. I’ll even give the River a shot. The pilot episode of the Finder was pretty fun.
2. the silver screen
I’m way behind on the movie front. The list of stuff i wanted to see but missed grows every week. moneyball? missed it. drive? missed it. Twilight, breaking dawn? okay, missed that one on purpose. I find myself mildly irritated that I haven’t made time for movie watching, given that it’s one of my great life passions. But by the time I grind through a typical work week, from 8am to 8pm, the desire to indulge a God given interest in observing good filmmaking comes squarely into conflict with a desire to take a good, long nap. So new year’s resolution! See more movies. Done, and DONE. So done, in fact, that i intend to do some adventures in cinema posts.
3. on writing
no news from the publisher yet, and it’s been a smidge over three months now. if i don’t hear something by the end of the year, I’ll be moving onto to step number 2, with a big lingering question- should step number 2 be submit to a different publisher, or should i be exploring the world of self publishing? I’m torn at the moment, and a last minute affirmative call from the publishers i’m currently submitting to would simplify things greatly…
4. life in general
It seems like there’s been a tremendous amount of tragedy happening around me in past months. Not to me, but to my friends, to those in travel in my circles. While things in my household have continued to run pretty smoothly, it hurts to see loved ones hurting so much. There’s guilt there too, as I can’t help but wonder why them and not me. . .followed shortly by fear as I consider it may be my turn next.
5. resolutions?
I don’t usually do the resolution thing, a tradition I carry forward this year. however- there IS something about a new year that causes us to re think where we’re at and where we’re heading, and that’s never a bad thing. I find myself taking more chances this new year-applying for new jobs, continuing to explore getting published, doing a weekly Bible reading session with some co workers. Risk taking is uncharteristic of me- enough so that it’s almost certainly a God thing and not a me thing, which is a very good thing. So here’s to more of that, more of God and less of me. And here’s to more of me on the blogosphere this year, tracking these journeys more diligently…
