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.