Cold

Spending some time under the weather (and covers) meant time for more TV.
*Good Wife - The thrill of the initial episodes wore off a bit, but I am still really enjoying the new story line.
*Simpsons - What does it say that I can't really recall the last few episodes, and the announcement about a new season just made me sad? I'm mostly watching it looking forward to ...
*Bob's Burgers - I'm a sucker for toilet humor, so the Thanksgiving episode involving this was really funny. I went back and watched a few of the early episodes I somehow missed.
*Tudors (Season 3) -Jeez, how many wives does this king have anyway? Oh, right six. I think I might not make it through the last two. I wish they could have skipped some time and included more of the lady queens in the series, but I guess they weren't considered Tudors? I don't know much British royal history (obviously).
*Adventure Time - I saw one of these somewhere before, but came back to it. They're such wacky, nice bite-sized episodes.
*Miss Representation - A documentary about portrayal of women in the media and the importance of media literacy. A must-see if you have any young people in your life.
*Parks & Recreation - I gave this another go (I do enjoy a fluoride debate), but the characters and dynamics have just worn too thin.
*Colbert Report - Some really good bits on wealth inequality, and who wouldn't want Stephen over for Thanksgiving dinner?
*Frontline - A chilling documentary about domestic violence and the police.
*My Life as a Turkey - A pitch-perfect meditative reflection piece for the holiday on nature and wildlife with some truly insightful moments.
*Project Runway All Stars - Ehh...Not super exciting so far, but nice to see some familiar faces I guess.
*Boardwalk Empire - I keep putting off watching this; it just hasn't been as satisfying as I had hoped.
*Getting On - I think this one's going to be a really great one. I love when people find humor in sad circumstances.
*Treme - I caught up on this just in time for the new season. Last season was just so sad, so it was nice to see a few bright spots in this last season.
*Sarah Silverman: We are Miracles  - So funny!
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? follows a young girl trying to figure out where her mom disappeared to by piecing together emails and other information. It's a fun, quick read with some nice laugh-out-loud moments about moms. I only wish I'd read it while I was in the Pacific Northwest, where most of it is set. How Should a Person Be? is unusual; I'm only about half way through, but I'm really enjoying especially the philosophical parts. I wish I knew about her before I went to Toronto this summer!

Hurry up and Wait

Aside from a few bright spots, there's not much I'be heard about worth turning on the rabbit ears for.
*Good Wife - Off to an awesomely crazy start, this season's shaping up to be a good one.
*Simpsons - Started, but I'm too busy tapping out to notice much. The Homeland spoof was totally lost on me, and Treehouse of Horrors is always my least favorite one.
*Bob's Burgers - Also back, but only one gloriously adventurous episode so far (who doesn't love a good jab at the girl scouts?).
*Tudors (Season 2) - Forgot about this one for a while, but decided to finish out the season along with a sweater I was knitting.
*Skins (Season 7) - Well..it kind of peetered out after the first excitement to see the old friends again. I guess that's the thing about reunion shows.
*The Staircase - I kept reading online reviews raving about this, and maybe it's just dated, but I couldn't see what was so spectacular. Maybe I'll finish it out, but I am not sure I will bother.
*Project Runway - Fairly predictable result, but a fun ride nonetheless...
*Colbert Report - Oh, how could you leave us during the shutdown? I needed some laughs! I did really enjoy the PBS news anchor interview. What a funny juxtaposition.
*Frontline - As always, amazing investigations. Football and superbugs, definitely not high on my interest list, still fascinated me.
*The Waiting Room - An insightful documentary covering a day in a hospital waiting room, showing how gaps in our safety net and health insurance are handled by the compassionate caregivers of a general hospital.
*The Graduates - A bit of hopeful inspirational stories following a few latinas in their journey graduating from high school against the odds.
*Boardwalk Empire - Seems gratuitous this season, like a horror movie. A few good characters are left, and I want to give it time to warm up to the new ones, but part of me feels like giving up on it.
*Hello, Ladies - Should be "goodnight, ladies" because I fell asleep.
The Other Typist turned out a disappointment - trying to ride the wave of Mad Men-obsession with the Prohibition era, but really just not a very captivating story. Arcadia I picked up on a whim in NYC after passing it by several times before and absolutely loved it. The plot didn't appeal to me, but it's so well written and really captures something magical about youth. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was a quick 33 1/3 I picked up after going to see Neutral Milk Hotel here in Baltimore and wondering more about the story behind the beloved record. I am not enough of a music nerd to care a whole lot about that sort of thing, but enjoyed knowing more of the mystery around the album.

Dry Season

There's not much to choose from in that final summer month, but here's what I watched and read.
*Boardwalk Empire (Season 3) - Ok, it totally came together in the last few episodes of the season. Sometimes you just have to trust the slow build.
*Project Runway - Oh, you know I can't resist it.
*Colbert Report- The Colbchella 2013 montage made the summer. Hilarious!
*Silk (Series 1) - When I was a kid, I always thought Masterpiece Theater was LAME and for old people. Well, I guess I'm now lame and old, because I am really enjoying this series. I do wish it was cut into shorter episodes, though. Who has an hour and a half to spare?
*Archer: (Season 3) - How in the world did I forget to finish this? I guess the novelty's worn off, but still pretty funny here and there.
*Brooklyn Castle - I thought this might just be a repeat of Spellbound, but it's really not. It follows a chess team from a Brooklyn school that wins national championships year after year. What's interesting, though, is following the plight of the team through State budget cuts. 
*Skins (Season 7) - I just started this but am super excited to see Effy and some favorite characters again. Who cares if it's completely unrealistic to learn high finance on a rooftop deck over a bottle of champagne? I certainly don't.
I did read a few books as well. I started out with Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt. I enjoyed the illustration, but the writing just didn't pull it together for me. Maybe I already knew a lot about the stories included and thought they could have been told better by another author. After that, I opted for some female authors. Dud Avocado is about the exploits of a young American in Paris; I put it down after it became a bit too tiresome and petty, but maybe I should give it another chance because it's well written. Dare Me lured me in with promises to reveal the "dark heart of the teenage girl's soul" through a tale about high school cheerleading. It was a page turner; a pleasurable summer read. I just got into The Other Typist about a police precinct typist during prohibition era. Like Dare Me, it's about a female friendship that ultimately leads to something bad, but I don't know what that is yet.

Floored

*Orange is the New Black - I binge-watched this entire show in a week, like everyone else. I couldn't stop. Bravo, Netflix streaming! It's not perfect, but pretty enjoyable and takes on some interesting issues  and presents some characters not often seen on TV.
*How to Make it in America - I just started this one, and it's just okay. I can see why it didn't make it for very long.
*Rectify - I picked this up after reading some really good reviews. It's a very quiet, reflective and incredibly intriguing show about a man released from death row. Even the cinematography's impressive.
*Star Trek: The Next Generation (Episode 1) - A little trip down memory lane one night I decided to watch an oldie but goodie. I didn't remember Picard being so stern. Maybe he softens later in the series.
*Boardwalk Empire (Season 3)- Boring Empire is more like it. Maybe they should have brought in more new characters at the beginning of this season after loosing so many last season.
*Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer -  I loved this news story, and had high hopes, but the documentary was super disappointing.
*Project Runway - Ack. Terrible! They keep trying to introduce new tricks, and I just keep skipping as much of the in-show ads as I can and boil it down to a bit of the beginning, Tim's critique, and the runway.
*Two American Families - A very long, in-depth view of the economic situation for working Americans over the last quarter century, and how the economic recoveries have skipped over these two families.
*Life and Death in Assisted Living - As my grandpa says, "don't get old." Yikes!
I really enjoyed the rest of Tai Pei. It was so unusual and bizarre, it's always fun to see something so novel done in writing in our supposedly post-literary world. A Super Sad True Love Story was not super. I love a dystopia, and I don't mind imperfect characters, but I did not enjoy this book at all and I'm surprised it received so many accolades.

Rompin'

*Arrested Development (Season 4) - ugh. I couldn't finish the new season. I wish I hadn't believed the hype. The show just couldn't survive the real estate crash.
*Archer (Seasons 1, 2, and part of 3) - Hilarious! Plot's wearing thin in the third season, but the first two were pretty funny.
*Dexter (Season 7) - Yeah, I know, I got it again even after I said I would stop. They're recycling plots now, and the subplots continue their soap opera-y decline, but there's only one more season after this, so why not?
*Rape in the Fields - If ever there was a reason to reform immigration, this is it. Incredibly disturbing, sad, moving, devastating. It took me a while to watch because I knew it would be hard, but it is important to hear these stories.
*Game of Thrones - So much has already been said about that second to last episode. It's HBO, so you know something crazy's going to happen, and then the last episode won't be that exciting. But yeah, that was pretty gory.
*Mad Men (Season 6)- This season was definitely uneven, and they tried to make you forget that by putting a surprise at the end. As much as I've enjoyed the show, I am glad that season 7 will be the last one.
*Maron - While seeking something new to fill the summer slump, I watched an episode of Marc Maron's new show, based on positive meta-critic reviews. It's pretty funny, and would like to watch more, but it seems like they aren't adding anymore to Hulu, which is also missing the new Wilfred. It's like they want me to sign up for some kind of subscription service or something?

I read Yellow Birds this month, a novel written by a soldier about fighting in Iraq. It's a beautifully written, sad portrait of the affects of war on a young generation. I also read Fun Home, a graphic novel memoir about the author's relationship with her father. I enjoyed it, even if I missed some of the many literary references. I just started Tai Pei. Its drug-induced passive style of prose is jarring at first. The main character's constant, online self-conscious existence reminds me of the best experimental films. I always like to see something so strange be read by so many people.

C'mon!

*Arrested Development - In my failed attempt to binge watch all the episodes before the new season came onto Netflix, I made it through all but the last few by Sunday, and finished the rest yesterday. So close! A lot of good friends recommended this show, but I couldn't get into it and didn't see what the appeal was. That is, until a recent explanation of the recurring jokes that helped me finally committed to it. Of all the many in the show, I think my favorites are the chicken dance and the ice cream sandwich. I'm withholding judgment on the new episodes until I have a chance to binge watch them as well! Huzzah!
*Archer - Had I not been already decided to go for gold with Arrested Development, I would have spent the whole month watching this. I've made a huge mistake.
*Simpsons (Season 24) - Bonus episode for the end of the season, one pretty funny, the other not so much. Forget-me-now.
*The Retirement Gamble (Frontline)  What an eye-opener about how Wall Street's profiting at the expense of our retirement using fees. They tried to show some tricks to simplify the system, but it seems more like they're not tricks, they're illusions.
*Mad Men Season 6 - It's been a bit uneven this season. Sometimes I am bored (Man With a Plan, The Better Half), and the characters feel tired (Her?), and sometimes it kicks into high gear (For Immediate Release, The Crash), and I love it again.
*Game of Thrones - With wedding bells ringing, family is the most important thing. Only 2 left!
*Behind the Candelabra - An HBO special to fill a void left without one week of Game of Thrones, it was interesting to learn about Liberace. It used to be "Adopt me," but now it can be, "Marry me!" Well, at least, it can be in some states.
*Colbert Report - Trevor Potter's back to talk about the 501(c)(4) IRS fiasco! I was so excited, but it was so short and it wasn't all I had hoped for. I know, it's light treason. I read The Great Gatsby to prepare for the cOlbert Book Club, which was well worth it just so I could be sure I got all the jokes.

Whoooosh!

Biking through some beautiful spring days, I've spent more time outside than inside. While in, here's what I've watched:
*House of Cards (Season 1) -  worth watching simply to spot the Baltimore locations, but otherwise pretty indulgent and ridiculous. What is with the ladies on this show?
*Simpsons (Season 24) - Came back from a break for not much. 
*Bob's Burgers - Always good for a wacky chuckle or two.
*Good Wife - So...aside from a few fun legal story lines, the characters are wearing pretty thin again here. But next week looks exciting. What does it say when the best part of the show is the "Next Time On..." preview?  
*Parks & Recreation - A few funnier moments lately - I'm enjoying the animal control subplot.  
*Project Runway  -  Yawn. Only a couple left, so I might as well finish this one. After falling asleep during the last episode, I just started fast-forwarding through all the faux-drama. Who has an hour and a half for this? 
*Game of Thrones - I'm still trying to figure out who's who and what happened where, but YEAH! Dragons! and Arctic antics! 
*Mad Men - Thanks to a new Roku, we can stream from Amazon! So far, so depressing.
*Girls (Season 2) - The first half of the season is pretty solid and hilarious, but the second half feels a bit more uneven. The episodes turned a bit more into short films - still enjoyable, but not quite as funny. 
*Central Park 5 - Riveting documentary about injustice resulting from forced confessions of a few young men and ambitious prosecution. I wish I knew things like this still didn't happen, but I'm sure they do. 
I finished We Need to Talk about Kevin, which was truly amazing and surprising to the end, and I just got the movie for when I'm in the mood to be terrified. I started Going Clear for book club, but aside from a few clear spots, it was a little all over the place. Probably better for an interview with the author than a full read. Or just watch "The Master."

Winter is Coming

Busy, busy, busy, but a little time for T.V.:
*Game of Thrones (Season 2) - Good thing this season comes with a map at the end, because I obviously should have spent the last several months re-watching Season 1. I wish it were on instant! I would watch it all over again, and again.
*Nurse Jackie (Season 4) - Rehab is boring, and you know the stats are stacked against her, but the unraveling is still worth watching.
*Simpsons (Season 24) - Hippies and school humor a few weeks ago made all the mediocre episodes worth watching.
*Bob's Burgers - An entire show about a toilet?! These writers clearly understand their target audience well. I don't love the new time, though.
*Good Wife - I catch this every now and then still, but I'm not following it as closely as I was, just turning it on from time to time to watch the beautiful people.
*Parks & Recreation - Still nothing too exciting.
*Project Runway - Now that we're down to the final 7, it's sort of more interesting, but they always cut the most interesting people early, so mostly I just keep watching it to have something mindless to tune out at the end of the week.
I read Unnamed this month for book club about a man whose compulsion to walk unravels his life. I enjoyed the meditation on the power of the body and the mystery of illness. Since then, I started and cannot put down We Need to Talk about Kevin. It's so good! I did not expect it to be so well written and such a thoughtful turn-pager.

sNOw Day

PBS dominated my viewing the last couple months, which flew by before I could post anything! No snow days so far. Here's what I watched and read:
*Downton Abbey - I am totally hooked! Luckily, I didn't get any spoilers of the drama from across the pond this time around. I did thoroughly enjoy the Scottish countryside in the final episode, which was nice in HD. I had watched the second to last one on an old, little box (mother-daughter bonding time), and so the difference was fairly noticeable.
*The Education of Michelle Rhee (Frontline) and Inside Obama's Presidency (Frontline) - both of these were good recaps of coverage I think I've seen over the years, so not a lot new, but a nice review.
*The Untouchables (Frontline) - A biting look at why Wall Street bankers haven't been held accountable for illegal activities leading to the economic crisis. Incredibly well done, and it's nice to get people talking about this question again.
*Cliffhangers (Frontline) - A closer look at all the political posturing around the debt ceiling. It's hard to want to even pay attention to this story anymore even if you're a news junky, but it's worth understanding the personalities even if I still can't understand why they can't make a deal.
*The Revisionaries - When the Texas School Board politicized textbooks, I mostly heard about it through Colbert, so it was good to get the fuller story of what happened (and how it happened) through this Independent Lens documentary.
*Beauty is Embarrassing - Explores the wonderful imaginative world of Wayne White, hilarious artist extraordinaire.
*Soul Food Junkies - Hailing from the South, but vegan by the time I ate much soul food, it's interesting to hear more about this culinary tradition, especially debunking the "healthy soul food is an oxymoron" myth. It did make me really crave some hush puppies, though.
*Best Week Ever - It's back! I used to spend countless weekend mornings laughing at the prior week's pop culture news with some great comedians. It's lost a bit of its luster, but I am glad to see its return.
*Top Chef - I noticed some of the recent season on Hulu, so I watched a few but couldn't really get into it - too predictable and too many unappetizing sponsors.
*Project Runway - Also predictable and too many ugly sponsors. The stereotyping and constant product placement is starting to get to me this season. But at least Tim Gunn's still there.
*Parks & Recreation - Nothing remarkable (again), and getting a bit too sappy lately.
*30 Rock - So sad to say good-bye to this one, but happy they ended on a high note. I thought the second to last episode was supurb; they could have ended it there!
*Shameless (Season 1) - I tried to watch the British version of this at some point and could not understand a word of it! Lucky for me, there's now a pretty great American version with William H. Macy as drunkard dad of a family scraping by. It's a little unbelievable at times, but definitely still worth a watch, especially after it gets going. It's also always good to watch a comedy with more income diversity on the television.
*Skins (6) - Death overshadows a large part of this series, which felt too ADD, but hey, maybe that's kids these days.
*Portlandia (Season 2) - I hate-watched this while sick with a cough. Double yuck.

Alif the Unseen and American Ghost were both amazing reads by women authors that I found on various "best of 2012" lists. Alif the Unseen surprised me with its supernatural elements and insights into Islam, the Arab Spring, and the Internet. I look forward to reading some of her other works, especially the graphic novels as I felt like I could (haha) see everything in Alif the Unseen.

American Ghost fulfilled my promise to try to read something either written by or set in the place where I'm visiting for my annual Florida pilgrimage. It's a really great, honest read about racism in a white community in backwoods Florida and how the ghosts of our past haunt our present.

While I didn't make it any farther South than Miami, I did listen to the audio book of This Is How You Loose Her on my Florida trip as well. I heard him read once in Baltimore and loved listening to him, so I couldn't resist including him in my car on my way to Miami. I wish I had read it so I could savor it a bit more, because there was at least one point where I zoned out and missed something, but I loved the Spanish I'm always impressed with Junot Diaz's use of second person, prose, and complex character development.