Tag Archives ⇒ television

2015 Resolution #2 revisited (sort of)

· Lauren

When I first made my New Year’s resolution #2 back in January the first big step I intended to take was turning off the television when I start getting ready for bed at night. As far as that goes, I’ve been really successful! Since New Year’s Day I’ve been listening to podcasts or the radio during my nightly routine, except for just a handful of days. (On those exceptions I’m usually under the influence of “The Simpsons.” Curse you, FXX for showing marathons five nights a week!) I’ve been trying to pare down the rest of my television watching as well. The good news is that none of the new series that have started since the fall have really grabbed my attention. I had high hopes for “Gotham,” but I found it boring. It also helps that a few of my regular shows have either ended or will be ending after a final season. For example, it looks like due to the latest Jeremy Clarkson scandal that “Top Gear,” at least in its current form, is gone forever. Understandable, but sad. Also, “Downton Abbey” will be over after next season. Now that’s depressing! The upside to these developments is that I have fewer and fewer excuses to sit on the couch and veg out. I’m not sure if this helps or hinders my progress in that area, but I’ve decided to conduct a little experiment. During the month of April I’m going to try watching Netflix rather than cable. I definitely have more than enough programming on my Netflix list, including “Arrow” and “Daredevil” that I mentioned on Tuesday, to keep myself entertained for a month. I have friends who have completely ditched cable and been really happy with the decision. I don’t think I’ll go so far as to cancel cable (if only to be able to watch “Doctor Who” episodes when they’re new), but I’m going to give it a try and see how it goes this month. Now excuse me because I’ve got some binge watching to do this weekend!

Daredevil

· Lauren

And now for something a little lighter! Do you remember the awful “Daredevil” movie that was released back in 2003? The one starring Ben Affleck? When I was in grad school my ex-husband (boyfriend at the time) and I went to see it on Valentine’s Day, the day it premiered. I honestly don’t remember much about the movie, but it definitely wasn’t good. Not the best way to spend Valentine’s Day, that’s for sure! But looking back, I realize that the movie might have been a little ahead of its time. Superhero movies are box office juggernauts these days, as evidence by the hugely popular string of Marvel blockbusters over the last few years. (DC Comics wishes they could compete!) I seem to remember that the first Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” movie was very successful back in 2002 (followed by two slightly less popular sequels), but I think it was the exception at the time. It seems like it wasn’t until the first “Iron Man” movie was released in 2008 that the superhero craze really penetrated the theatrical mainstream. If the Daredevil movie had waited a few years it might have been more warmly received. (Well, maybe. I should watch the movie again and see if it holds up at all.) Marvel isn’t one to give up a franchise under any circumstances, though. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when I found out that Netflix is launching a new “Daredevil” series on April 10th! I’m really looking forward to it. Not that I need any new programs to watch, but good television (even web-based) is hard to find. As far as superhero shows go, I watch “Agents of SHIELD” and “Agent Carter,” and I’ve been watching the first couple of seasons of “Arrow” on Netflix. If “Daredevil” turns out to be a good show I’ll gladly find time for it in my already packed viewing schedule. All of this undermines my “less screen time” New Year’s resolution #2, but who cares?

X-Files revisited

· Lauren

“In a plot that sounds eerily similar to the Star Trek: The Next Generation series finale, Mulder is put on trial where he must defend the very existence of the X-Files. Granted, you don’t have Q running around mucking everything up, but still.” (Entertainment Weekly, 05/17/02)

My dad and I will be somewhere between Florida and California when the “X-Files” series finale is aired one week from tonight. Let’s hope that, wherever that is, a Fox network is available.
5/12/02 webpage post

Last week there was major buzz around a possible reboot/revisit of the “X-Files” franchise, and as a massive fan of the series I was extremely excited about this. Then last night I finally listened to the Nerdist podcast that was actually the impetus of the movement. It was amazing! As I mentioned in my previous post about my second New Year’s resolution, I’ve been listening to Nerdist podcasts in the evening while I’m getting ready for bed. I enjoy just about every episode, but this particular one was really special. Not only was Gillian Anderson an incredibly awesome guest (I didn’t know what to expect, but she was fantastic), but she and the hosts actually invented the #XFiles2015 hashtag that started it all! How cool would it be if that podcast turns out to be the catalyst for new X-Files content on television? I’m super excited just thinking about it. Not only was I watching the show when it was still on Fox every Sunday night (I remember watching the season finale in a hotel room in Utah back in 2002), but I enjoyed the “I Want to Believe” movie back in 2008 too (I just added it to my Netflix queue so I can watch it again). Pretty much anything in the X-Files universe is fine by me. And besides just crossing all of my fingers and toes to help this effort, I wrote a tweet with the #XFiles2015 hashtag tonight. New X-Files must happen! And if there’s anything else I can do to keep the ball rolling I hope someone will let me know!

Another November weekend

· Lauren

It was not a very exciting weekend, but I did get a lot done.

***I did a lot of shopping/returning. Online shopping has been my preferred method of updating my wardrobe lately, but it’s not always the most reliable method. More often than not the items I order don’t fit quite right. Not a big deal, but then I have to handle returning what I don’t want to keep. One of the good things about Los Angeles is that there’s a brick and mortar establishment of just about every store within a reasonable driving distance. This means that I can usually return items in person rather than through the mail This weekend I took clothes back to J.Crew (an itchy sweater), Old Navy (an ill-fitting pair of workout pants), and Lucy (another pair of workout pants I didn’t like). Unfortunately those three stores are located at three different malls spread out all over Orange County. Maybe I should have just mailed everything back instead! On the flip side of the shopping experience, I bought a jacket (love the new North Face store at South Coast Plaza), some chocolates (for Thanksgiving), jeans (cheap ones at Old Navy), and a Christmas ornament (Hallmark, of course).

***I replenished my food reserves. In the middle of last week I ran out of homemade meals in my fridge and freezer and started eating less healthy options. It was bad news. So this weekend I put together a bunch of meals consisting of meat and vegetables so that I wouldn’t be tempted by fast food, junk food, or leftover Halloween candy. I already had some ground beef, broccoli, and carrots left over, so I just needed a few things to augment those items. Yesterday I made some Crockpot teriyaki chicken, and then today I made two batches of green beans (one roasted, one sautéed). Now I have enough prepared meals to get me through the week, at least. After that I’ll be spending the weekend at Disneyland because the Avengers Half Marathon is early on Sunday morning. After the experience of the Disneyland Half Marathon in August, I decided to stay at one of the nearby hotels so that I won’t have to get up and drive to Anaheim at 3 AM on race day. It will be nice to be able to sleep a little longer and then just walk to the start line that morning. The only difficulty will be making sure I get the necessary nutrition. I’ll need to find restaurants where I can get some protein, vegetables, and probably some potatoes the night before the half marathon. I’ll work on that.

***I watched a lot of TV. This is probably true of just about every weekend for me, but I figured it was worth mentioning this time. The best thing I got to see was Florida beating Vanderbilt yesterday. It hasn’t exactly been a banner year for the Gators so far. But last weekend unranked Florida upset #11 Georgia, which shocked just about everyone, especially after three losses already this season (including homecoming). Personally I didn’t expect the streak to continue, but I was a very happy Gator fan when it did! We’ll see what happens next weekend against South Carolina, but yesterday’s win was a lot of fun to watch. After the game was over I re-watched last weekend’s episode of Doctor Who while doing laundry and washing dishes. It was the first half of the season finale. These seasons are never long enough for me! Rather than staying up to watch the second half of the season finale last night, I saved it on my DVR until this afternoon when I was done with my errands. The show had quite a sad ending, actually. I’m not sure I liked it. But Doctor Who is still my favorite show these days and I’m sorry the season is over. At least I have the Christmas episode to look forward to next month.

So that was my weekend. Thrilling, huh?

November 1st

· Lauren

***On Saturday I made it to Disneyland for the first time in over a month. The crowds around Halloween are crazy so I stayed away for the entirety of October. But I was determined to make it there on Saturday, rain or shine, so that I could enjoy the Halloween decorations before they were taken down. Not only did I get a great picture of the huge Mickey jack-o-lantern on Main Street (see the above photo), but I also got to ride Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy one more time this year. It was super creepy and I loved it. In addition, I finally made it on to the updated Finding Nemo Submarine Adventure ride that re-opened in September. It’s not that much different than before, but the colors are much more vibrant.

***After a few more rides and a lot of walking, I almost gave into my cravings and got a chocolate milkshake. But then I realized it was lunchtime so I got a much healthier lunch instead. The rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables from Flo’s V8 Café in California Adventure is actually really delicious! There are definitely more diet-friendly meals available at the parks than I ever imagined.

***When I got home from Disneyland I immediately turned on the Florida vs. Georgia football game. I had missed the first hour, but since the Gators were losing at the beginning of the 2nd quarter I decided not to go back and watch the first fifteen minutes of play. The good news is that Florida started putting points on the board as soon as I tuned in! It was awesome. They ended up upsetting Georgia 38-20, which was pretty amazing considering the awful season they’ve had so far. This was exactly what the Gator fans needed to bolster their spirits for the remainder of this year’s football schedule.

***I spent the rest of the day doing chores and watching TV. I initially tried to go to the Laundromat to wash a few loads of laundry at the same time, but the place was packed so I just went right back home. Fortunately I was able to wash three loads of towels and sheets in the single washer/dryer combo at my apartment. In between juggling loads of laundry I washed a whole bunch of dishes and watched last week’s Big Bang Theory, Elementary, Gracepoint, and Doctor Who. Geez, that’s way too much TV! I really need to cut back on the number of shows I record every week. I’ll work on that. Besides, how am I going to enjoy the holidays while sitting on my couch?

Buy a flashlight

· Lauren

“I may have cast a little curse, but I did not ask to maintain a metropolitan electrical grid. Oh, and get this, I’m starting to get why Regina was evil. It wasn’t her; it was YOU! You have survived your ENTIRE LIVES without light bulbs. Buy a flashlight!”
Snow White/Mary Margaret, “Once Upon A Time”

Sunday Runday – In the home stretch

· Lauren

Last night I decided to go for a run. Since I was still feeling fairly sick I didn’t know if it was a good idea or not, but I was unwilling to miss more than one training run with the half marathon right around the corner. (And I missed out on watching the “Doctor Who” series 8 premiere live, but I figured the run was worth it.) As I got started I told myself that I could stop and walk at any point if I didn’t feel right. The last thing I wanted to do was exacerbate my illness. I was a little worried when I got started because my throat felt tight, but otherwise I felt great! Better than I’d felt running in a long time. What a relief! It was one of those rare times when I felt like I could run forever. I finished 4 miles without stopping, which is unusual for me, and I didn’t really want to stop! If I feel anywhere near that good next Sunday (one week from now – eek!) then I’ll be in good shape.

Besides my last few training runs, I’ve got a few other Disneyland Half Marathon preparations in progress. This afternoon I started cleaning my apartment in anticipation of my parent’s arrival on Wednesday. My bathroom is now spotless. I’ll finish cleaning everything else over the next two evenings, along with washing a load of towels at the laundromat. Really exciting stuff, huh? But I didn’t spend my entire day doing chores. This morning I finally went to see “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and then I came home and watched the “Doctor Who” premiere. The movie was a lot of fun (but not as good as the last few Marvel movies I’ve seen), and I really enjoyed Doctor Who. It was a great introduction to Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor, and I can’t wait for the rest of the season. But now it’s time for me to start getting ready for bed. It’s going to be another crazy week at work, but at least my cold is improving. Only one more week until the half marathon!