A Strange Crossroads

I am the first person to admit that I have always watched way way too much television. It's been like that for a long time, and I tend to get pretty emotionally invested in most (if not all) of the onscreen universes that I visit each week. While I suppose I have my definite preferences in genre or format, I also think I've got a pretty broad range of what I enjoy. I also just unilaterally stay away from anything "unscripted"* (generally considered "reality" television) unless it is Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune (which to me are much, much more real than anything that falls under the "reality" umbrella). I think overall the common theme for me when it comes to what I consider good (or at least enjoyable) television is the characters. I can handle a lot of different ridiculous plots if I care about what happens to the people experiencing them.

Probably a lot of people would still say I watch too much television, but I have noticed a steep drop-off in my regular programming over the last year or so. Probably a lot of that has to do with my daughter--she gets dominion over the television until after Sesame Street most days and I have been making a concerted effort to leave the television off for most of the afternoon. Spending time with her doesn't leave me a lot of time (or the luxury) of sitting around watching a lot of television during the day. So yeah, there's that. But I have also noticed that the shows I do watch regularly have been coming to an end with more frequency of late. Series I watch ending this season (that we already know of) include: The Closer, Eureka, and In Plain Sight.

Yet I am finding in myself no real desire to replace them. As new shows launch, each season, there just isn't that much any more that sounds interesting to me. I used to give many new series a try every season, checking it out if it sounded even remotely intriguing or had a actor I liked or a science-fiction flavor. But those things really aren't enough to draw me in any more. Even the stuff that does sound interesting from initial previews or descriptions, or that has an actor I really do like to follow, will end up being left off my viewing schedule because I just don't feel like trying to get invested in something new.

That isn't to say that I don't still try new shows. I absolutely loved both Terra Nova and Alcatraz this season (though I am pretty sure neither is returning this fall), and USA has a new cop dramedy coming out next month that looks kind of amusing to me. But still, there are a lot of shows currently on the air that I suspect I would really like, but just never got into and don't really feel like making the effort to do so now (examples: Community, The New Girl, True Blood). Part of this, I am sure, is that there is so much crap to wade through nowadays that finding those few gems without watching everything is just impossible. It's not worth the effort, and so you make your gamble and roll the dice. Sometimes you win, sometimes you miss out. Then, the internet people try to tell me "OMG you have to watch this show it is fantastic!" and I dig in my heels and just refuse (even though I also do this same recommendation flail to my friends about shows I love all of the time). I am getting cantankerous in my old age, apparently.

So I find myself wondering just what it is that actually convinces me to try a new show these days. Again, I think it is the characters more than anything else. When I first hear about a show or see that preview, there has to be something there in the people on my screen that grabs my attention and taps on either my funny bone or my curiosity nerve. Still, it seems like it is getting to a point where every season there are more shows going off the air (or that I make the decision to walk away from) than new series I decide to try watching. This is probably a good thing in the long run. As much as I hate that feeling of knowing I am missing out on some great stories and shared experiences, it's not like it's gonna hurt me to do so. My life is still pretty awesome. It's not devoid of meaning because I missed out on getting into something my personal or online community all loved when it was new and fresh (or ever).

It just feels weird to me. Part of me is really looking forward to not having to try to find the time to watch nearly so much television--maybe I can use that time to read the quite literally impossible** pile of books I have stacking up (both physically and digitally). But...I don't know. I am not even sure what the point of this post is, other than this is something I have been thinking about for a while now and I wanted to get it out there.

I think...I think I am just starting to realize that as a culture we are getting way too damned creative, in that we are creating so much stuff that there's no way not to miss something great.

It's a weird sort of problem to have, isn't it?

*That "unscripted" title is crap, by the way. That is such a huge lie. Those people are so coached about what they are saying. Gotta enhance the "drama" dontcha know?


**Impossible in that I honestly do not know when I will ever find the time to read all of them but oh my goodness I so do want to find that time. I want to read them all! Then read some of them again. Sigh. And I keep adding books to the pile.

Delightful New Goodies

Well, I had a pretty good time in San Francisco last week with my sister and her family and my mom. It was a really great visit. Of course, given everyone involved, you know there were a few trips to yarn stores on our itinerary. We actually only made it to two stores, the third one we could never quite manage to make it to during business hours. Still, that was more than enough. I thought you might like to see the lovely items I picked up in my travels.

The first store we visited was The Yarn Boutique, pretty much right in my sister's back yard. It was a fun little shop with lots of wonders, although I felt it was a bit small and crowded. That could have just been because my daughter was with us and was getting into, well, everything. The employees were very friendly and patient and knowledgeable though, so that makes up for quite a lot on in my book, I have to say. 

Funnily enough, I didn't actually get any yarn there. But neither did I leave empty-handed. Here is what I procured from that store:

Jane Austen Knits 2011

I have been drooling over this pattern book for a while now, so when I saw a copy on the rack in the store and picked it up to flip through, I knew it would be going home with me. I am going to have to do some serious leveling up in my knitting skills before I can attempt to make pretty much any of these patterns, but oh my goodness the gorgeousness. I am looking forward to getting to try these out.

Namaste Bag (baby not included)

This gives you a better idea of the shape. It is the Laguna style bag in Peacock.

Oh I am in love with this bag. Never in my life would I ever have dreamed of spending so much money on a bag but as I chased my daughter around the store this gem kept catching my eye. Finally I had a moment to pick it up and look at it and there was no going back. These pictures don't even start to do it justice. It is ginormous, able to hold a ton of stuff (knitting, diapers, and other), but it doesn't feel like a big clunky bag. It has already replaced my regular purse. I'll admit I've been drooling over the Namaste bags in my Knit Picks catalogs for a while now, but I never considered actually buying one until I saw this one in person. I guess to touch it is to love it...

Our next stop was a shop in Oakland that my mom wanted to check out because she met some of its employees during last year's Sock Summit. It is a lovely little store called A Verb For Keeping Warm (which I think is just a fantastic and random name for a store of any kind). In addition to yarn they also carry quite a bit of fabric. It was a nice open sunny shop, and they had a wonderful stash of books and toys for kiddos under one of the display tables. In fact, Baby Girl zoomed in on that as soon as we walked in, pulled out a Sesame Street book, and once placed in a nearby chair, spent the entire visit happily reading through that. This allowed me plenty of time to ooh and ah over all of the wonderful yarn on display. I made up for the lack of yarn purchased at the first store here. The pictures don't really do these beautiful yarns justice, but here's a gander nonetheless.

Wishing II in Chartreuse Sister

This is the store's own line of yarn, hand dyed using completely natural methods. It is a lovely silvery green multi yarn. I think this is only about half a skein, it was in the clearance bin, but it will work up to something small and lovely, I have no doubt.

Malabrigo Sock in Aguas

Malabrigo Sock in Impressionist Sky

Malabrigo Sock in Indiecita

As you can tell, once I hit the Malabrigo section, it was pretty much all over for me. This yarn is so soft and gorgeous. My mom recognized the Indiecita and said she's used it before and it works up really prettily. I just can't wait to find some socks to make with it.

Speaking of socks being made by me...I did manage to start that pair that I took with me to work on during the trip, but I didn't get very far on them. 

Well, it's almost all of a cuff...

I was doing most of the driving and on the plane I really didn't want to get to into them in case my daughter decided to get fussy. Also, I was doing quite a bit of visiting. That's okay though. I've managed to finish the cuff and start in on the leg since I've been home, and that's all just straight knitting. These will be good to work on during Jeopardy! since the blanket I am making requires me to count every stitch, which I can't do while answering clues. They will be a nice side project while I get these next few blankets knocked out for sure.

So, those were my yarny adventures while I was on vacation. Next week I'll have a few finished projects to show off for you, so stop by then, won't you? 

TTFN!

An Evening Out For The Little One

Last night we took our daughter to see the Sesame Street Live production of "Elmo Makes Music." While not quite up to the normal standard of Sesame Street in my opinion, the kiddo enjoyed it a lot and I definitely would rank it above most of the other ridiculous stuff out there aimed at kids.

I definitely enjoyed that they had a whole "play zone" set up out in the lobby for the kids to explore beforehand (sprinkled liberally with merchandise booths, of course). There were lots of activities and people in character costumes mingling with the kids.

Baby Girl, as I said, had a really good time. She was blown away with all of the fun stuff to look at in the lobby and very much enjoyed that Big Bird did the curtain calls, trying to find him after each announcement. The set itself was absolutely marvelous, and once the show started, Baby Girl was saying hi to all of the familiar faces and singing along and dancing to the music. She did get a little frustrated when she couldn't get Abby's attention (she got an Abby doll for Valentine's Day and it is her constant companion--they have lengthy (one-sided) conversations and Abby has to sit at the table at most meals), but Hubby told her she could at least wave at Abby, and she seemed satisfied with that.

All in all, it was most definitely an evening well spent.

Ooh, a picture of broccoli!

I approve of this play zone offering.

Murray, on the scene to say hello.

I really dug the Elmo's World setup.

They even had Dorothy!

Chatting with Elmo.

Bert and Ernie make the pre-show rounds.

Just look at that face.

Zoe was out there too, of course.

I tried to get a picture in front of the Abby poster, but she was pretty distracted by everything going on around her!

A pretty cool stage setup.

Mom, I'm eating. Please, just put the camera down, okay?

The show gets underway, let the singing and dancing begin!

Seriously, another photo?

This guy walked out right as the lights went up for intermission. Smart, smart man.

We made it out without too much invested in souvenirs: a new Abby t-shirt and an Elmo balloon (of course). We also tried to treat the kiddo to some cotton candy, but she had no desire to eat it at all. Oh well, more for Mommy and Daddy.

I don't know how many of these for-kids performances like this I will be able to weather throughout my parenting career, but I will definitely give any of the Sesame Street offerings a try as long as Baby Girl is interested.

Hello Everybodeeeee!!

One of my favorite childhood storybooks was The Monster At the End of This Book, featuring Sesame Street's lovable furry old Grover. With my daughter's full-on conversion as a Sesame Street fan, I watched closely to see how she would react to Grover. While Elmo is undeniably her favorite character, she also clearly enjoys Grover's antics.

So, I felt the time was right to get her a copy of Grover's beloved story for her very own. When I bought it, I also purchased its recent sequel, Another Monster At the End of This Book, which features Elmo as well as Grover. (I was actually surprised by how cute it was, too--it captures the spirit of the original while putting a new spin on it and making it more relatable to today's Elmo-crazed youth.) I also bought her this guy:

Lovable Furry Grover!

Because, really, the best way to enjoy a Grover story is with a stuffed Grover of your very own. (She already had her own stuffed Elmo, of course. Three, actually.) Baby Girl has enjoyed both stories and her Grover doll quite a bit since we got them. After she had owned Grover for a little while, I noticed something. Her favorite thing to do with with Grover is to help him "fly." She'll aim him at something, cry, "Up, up, and away!" and then launch the fuzzy critter at its target.

The doll flies about as well as the actual Grover does, for the record.

Anyhoo, I am sure this is because more often than not these days, when Grover appears on Sesame Street, it is as Super Grover 2.0 rather than as plain Grover. This gave me an idea. I got it into my head that if our Grover was going to be flying (or attempting to do so) with so much frequency, he should have a cape to help him out. So, I made him one.

Grover's Super Cape by Cori 2012.

Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Glamour in Ruby Red (one ball) and Red Heart Classic in Pumpkin (one ball).
Needles: US 5 Circular
Hook: US G

I just kind of winged it with this one, starting from the bottom and working my way up, decreasing as I saw fit and working until it was long enough. Afterward, I took the orange yarn and chained fifteen stitches then single crocheted across the top of the cape and chained fifteen more stitches before finishing off. I used the Vanna's Glamour because a) it was the right weight for what I wanted, and b) I think every superhero needs a little bit of bling in his getup, and this yarn has just the right amount of shine. Also, c) it's not like I have any other projects in mind for the stuff.

All in all, I am pretty happy with how it came out. I think that Baby Girl is enjoying it as well. Though with her current preference that all of her dolls be naked (seriously, what is up with that?), I don't know how long he will keep it on...

Here are a few action shots for you to enjoy:

Grover seems to approve.

Um, pretend he's flying, here. Or that he's just landed. Awkwardly.

Up, up, and away!

Super Grover to the rescue!

With that, I will leave you to your Tuesday. Happy crafting, y'all! This week, I start Blanket Number Two, whee!

Bonus Post! Star Wars: The Old Republic Early Access

As an incentive to pre-order the game, Bioware decided to offer early access to anyone who did. The early access start time was determined by when you registered your pre-order code on the SWTOR site. The first announcement about when early access would begin had it starting tomorrow, but someone at Bioware decided to push it up and it actually started yesterday. Given that I had Amazon set to alert me as soon as the game was available to order, and that I also have been paying close attention to the game's website and Facebook page, well, you know I ordered this game about the second it was available. Also, I registered my pre-order code as soon as I got my order confirmation email.

So it is no surprise that yesterday I was in one of the very first waves granted early game access. Even though I am in the middle of a playthrough of Dragon Age II, I scrapped all of my other gaming plans yesterday to fire up SWTOR as soon as I could. I might have even gone ahead and created my character (yeah, they didn't let us keep our beta characters, it's okay though, I had already decided to start over) and played through all of the opening cut scenes in the morning while my daughter watched Sesame Street.

My new character, Skirata.

I have a confession to make. After I wrote up my post about the beta weekend, I had a brief exchange with a friend that almost made me cancel my pre-order then and there. A lot of the factors related to this being an MMO are still making me hesitant about the game. I had a lot of soul-searching debates with myself, but in the end, I realized I am just too excited to try this thing out to give up before it even gets started. At the very least, I want to experience the story at least once. Also, it is good for me to try new things and to put myself a little bit outside of my comfort level, dagnabit.

So, I fired up the game yesterday and I have to say, I am feeling much much better about it already. Many of my complaints from the beta seem to be non-issues anymore. Part of this is that I was expecting them or have gotten used to them, part of this is stuff that was changed between then and now.

I have already made it to level seven and am doing much better financially in-game, and with keeping my equipment repaired and my character leveled, than I was the last time around. Knowing I can afford to level up and that my weapon and armor won't go kaput before a boss fight makes playing a lot more enjoyable. I do still find the battle engine pretty clumsy but that might just be my own personal preferences getting in the way there.

I still suspect I might only play through once--I have no real desire to play any of the other classes. I want to be a Jedi Knight Sentinel because I want to be a Jedi and I want to have two lightsabers. I think those things are pretty self-explanatory, really. Although, it did occur to me last night, that the game allows for your light side character to go dark. If it also allows for your dark side character to go light, that sure might be a fun way to play...

Also, I am not gonna cease to be amused by this particular side quest, ever:

Why yes, that quest title is "Flesh Eating Baby" and there is in fact a Flesh Raider Baby in my backpack.

Anyhoo, all of this is just to say that I am actually really having more fun with this game already than I had expected, which is a huge relief. I have also been leaving the general chat window open so that I can follow along with the player conversations and get a feel for the people on my server for when I do need to find a group and my buddy isn't available.

I did decide not to do the extra blog about the game though, but I will of course likely blog about it oodles over here.

There's still time to pre-order the game if you're interested, or it comes out next Tuesday if you feel like braving your local video game shop. I've got my server and character name up over there on the side of the page for anyone who is playing and wants to look me up!

Stargate Tuesday: Seizure (2.15)

Despite how different in tone Stargate Universe may be from sister shows Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, I do firmly believe that it has never lost the true spirit of the franchise.  One of the ways it has managed this is by acknowledging, often even paying homage to, the shows that came before it. This sustains the impression that all three shows truly do encompass events that are happening within the same universe. Last night's "Seizure" was a fine example of this.

Spoilers ahead, my friends, spoilers ahead.

La la la la...

La la la la...

Spoiler Space!

La la la la...

La la la la...

Spoiler Space!

Okay, that's quite enough of that. For anyone wondering (I know no one is), you can sing the spoiler song to the tune of the "Elmo's World" song from Sesame Street.  I have a toddler folks. These things get stuck in my head. Where was I? Right, Stargate!

So, throughout SGU's run we've seen a few people from SG-1 pop in occasionally, most notably General O'Neill and Daniel Jackson. This week we got my favorite Stargate character of all time visiting from Atlantis, as well as an alum of both series. I am speaking, of course, of Rodney McKay and Richard Woolsey. David Hewlett and Robert Picardo put in fine performances visiting Homeworld Command as well as Destiny and her crew.

What Happened
Homeworld Command has finally decided it is time to try to hit up the government on the planet of Langara to see if we can use their gate to try dialing the nine-chevron address to Destiny. Langara (another tip of the hat to SG-1, home of former SG-1 team member Jonas Quinn) is a planet laced with naquadria (an enhanced version of the element from which the stargates are made) like the planet on which the original Icarus base was located. It was tapping into this naquadria core that provided  enough power to dial the nine-chevron gate address.

Fans have been asking for a while now why we haven't heard mention of Langara if what we need to reach Destiny is a planet laced with naquadria. The answer is pretty straightforward though. If you may remember, the last two times humans have dialed in to Destiny, the planet on the other end of the call was destroyed. Granted there were extenuating circumstances in both cases, but the destruction was largely caused by the dialing process. Langara is an extremely inhabited planet, with a population quite aware of their stargate and in control how and when said gate is used. Neither Homeworld Command nor the Langaran government have wanted to risk the dialing attempt because the risk of losing the planet was just too great.

Enter McKay. He has figured out a way to safely tap into the naquadria-core and dial Destiny, no blowing up of planets involved. Very keen to avoid blowing up any more planets is our McKay. Langara is still hesitant to allow the attempt, so Homeworld Command has also brought in Woolsey to negotiate a bargain to get them to let us try. Time is of the essence, however, because Homeworld Command (largely Telford) fears that the Lucian Alliance has already secured the cooperation of Langara and that is the real reason that they won't let us use their gate. Telford is quite keen to go to any lengths to prevent the Lucian Alliance from seizing control of Langara's gate and dialing in to Destiny again.

In a neat little bit of subterfuge, Woolsey (rather against his better judgment) tricks a Langaran administrator and soldier into using two of the communication stones connected to Destiny, switching them out for Young and Scott respectively. Posing as the Langarans they have switched bodies with, Young and Scott declare that the Langaran government has decided to work with Earth and allow the attempt to dial the nine-chevron address. McKay and two SG teams gate in to Langara and they get everything set up, racing against the clock to get the dialing process completed before their ruse is discovered. I think the point was to show the Langarans that they could safely dial the nine-chevron address and therefore gain their cooperation. As you might imagine, this does not go off without a hitch.

One of the Langaran soldiers becomes suspicious early on and alerts the administrator's superiors, meaning that McKay is interrupted before he can finish the process. Also, Woolsey, in an effort to find proof that the Langarans have made an agreement with the Lucian Alliance, actually finds out that while they have been approached, they have been holding out, refusing to make a deal for fear it would jeopardize their relationship with Earth. Ooh boy. Basically, this mission ends with the Earth team with egg all over its collective faces. McKay got enough data to confirm that the dial could be done safely, but the Langarans have had enough of being in the middle of this argument and decide to unhook their gate from the naquadria core and move it to a new location altogether.

So, in the win column, we now know there is a safe way to dial Destiny using a naquadria-cored planet as a power source. Unfortunately, we no longer have one of those handy. Hmm.

Alas, there was no McKay/Rush smackdown in this episode either. While McKay did visit Destiny briefly (Young would not approve of the attempt to dial in unless Eli okayed the math), Rush was unavailable. It seems he was tired of not being able to get touchy-feely with his new virtual girlfriend, so she made a really advanced simulation for him to access through the neural interface chair. When it came time for Rush to leave the simulation he found that he couldn't, so he was stuck in the chair for most of the episode while Eli, Park,  and Brody (Volker was still in the infirmary recovering) attempted to figure out a way to safely unhook him. Unfortunately, the only solution was for Eli to quarantine the programs that were Amanda and Ginn from the rest of the ship's programs. This means no more virtual girlfriends for either of them. Needless to say, but gonna say it anyway, Eli was pissed. Whatever respect he had left for Rush at this point is now pretty much gone. I will hazard a guess he will not be playing along nicely anymore for the rest of the season.

There was also a little bit with Greer trying to be a bit too badass and thinking he didn't need any recovery time from his surgery. This led to him developing an infection and being forced to stay in the infirmary even longer, still maintaining his awesomeness the whole way.

Thoughts
The Eli/McKay interaction, brief as it was, was delightful. I love that Young came upon them squabbling and when asked if the proposed dialing solution wouldn't work, they both looked at him like he was nuts, explaining that they had finished checking that out ages ago and had moved on to other problems. Sigh. In my dream world, as soon as the Destiny crew makes it back to Earth, McKay snags Eli for Atlantis.

Speaking of Atlantis. I had kind of hoped that with the appearance of two of her chief officers, we might have gotten even a little bit of a hint as to how the whole cliffhanger to the end of that series had played out. But nope, nothing, zip, nada. No explanation was given as to why Woolsey and McKay were on Earth and working on this particular problem. Sigh.

Also, what with all of the involvement of Langara, it would have been nice to see Jonas again. I always loved his character, and he and McKay actually do have an established history of interaction, even of getting along and working well together. That might have been nice. Though with the way Telford was screwing over the Langarans, I am kind of glad Jonas wasn't around to see that, come to think of it. Still, a nice throwaway line about what he was up to would have been nice. Not everyone was glad to see him go.

All in all, this episode felt deceptively like filler, which is a little disappointing given that it was the episode I have most been looking forward to all season. Don't get me wrong, it was a solidly entertaining hour of television, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But it could so easily seem to the casual observer as if nothing actually happened in this episode. I guess it serves as a good stand alone, though a few things stand out that hold some possible greater implications down the line. The largest is, of course, the fact that we do now have a way to safely dial in to Destiny once we find a suitable planet. I suspect that will come into play before the series wraps up. The other, and the one likely to slip through the cracks, but that would have made an excellent source of a story later on down the line, is the resolution of the Amanda/Ginn memory upload and quarantine business. They are still there. But for now they cannot be accessed. I doubt we'll get to see what comes of that, but I'll wager it could have been some pretty interesting stuff. I somehow doubt Eli is gonna just let the matter drop.

Oh well, next week it looks like we're back out exploring the universe, using the gates an everything. See you then!

Weeding

I think that by now it is a well established fact that I watch far too much television. Go ahead, take a moment to collect yourself, I know you're shocked (insert sarcasm mark here).

Part of the reason for this, I think, is that I truly enjoy stories, and television is a vast resource of stories. Sometimes you have to work pretty hard to find any tales that are actually good, but there are times when you just want a story on in the background to engage part of your mind while the rest of it is focused on something else. Very few of the shows I watch drag me in enough to really, truly, actively engage with them. For the most part when I do want that level of engagement, I will pick up a book (or dive into a strongly story-based video game).

If I am being honest, and generous, most of what I watch could clearly be categorized as pulp. That doesn't make my enjoyment of it any less, certainly. But lately I have been trying to weigh that against whether or not the show is worth my time any more. For now, at least.

As my daughter gets older and more interactive, the actual number of hours I spend with my television a day are shrinking. Part of this is due to the need to share the television, certainly. I by no means subscribe to the belief that the television is a suitable babysitter, but it can be a valuable distraction occasionally, and at best a tool for creating shared experiences between parent and child. There are a few shows that my daughter watches each day (Super Why and Sesame Street, mostly) while I get my own ducks in a row. It gives us each our own time when we are both awake, so she knows it is okay to spend time playing and exploring on her own, while I can get things done and also be close enough to keep an eye on her. But beyond sharing the television (and far more important) is just spending quality time with my kid as she grows and learns and develops new skills. Well, that and making sure that my budding gymnast doesn't decide to do a belly flop through the sliding glass door.

So, with less time to actually watch television, I have started trying to reduce the actual number of shows I watch. I'm using a two-pronged approach to reach this goal. The first is to be more selective about what new shows I watch. I have a long track record of jumping on board a new show just because one or more actor I like is in it. While this has led me to discover some real gems I will admit, it also has led to me watching some truly dreadful television. So, I am trying to only add a new show if it looks like it is something I will actually enjoy for its own merits. This is why, despite my love of Summer Glau, I opted not to watch The Cape when it premiered mid-season. The released plot details just weren't doing anything for me, and none of the trailers I saw leading up to the show's first episode changed that impression.

The second prong is to start weeding out the shows that I currently watch and really could live without. I have finally found a use for the networks' screwed up scheduling schemes! Moving a show around to different nights or long hiatuses in between parts of a season, or even just the summer break, are giving me a chance to gain perspective on whether or not I am really engaged enough to keep watching a show or if I am just watching it out of habit. Case in point, when the current season started, I decided not to continue watching V, because while I enjoyed the first season more or less, and love many people in the cast, I just wasn't even remotely excited about the new season. If I couldn't be bothered to be interested in the coming episodes, I really didn't need to be watching them.

Sure, maybe I am missing out on some really good television these days, but I am willing to chance it. That's why nerds invented DVDs (and, subsequently, YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu). After all, I still haven't seen any of Lost, and my world has continued to move forward.

All of this is to lead up to the fact that yesterday I realized that The Event is about to resume from its mid-season hiatus soon...and I really just don't care. So I went ahead and deleted it from my list of series for the DVR to record. Bye bye Jason Ritter and crazy alien conspiracy theories! Sorry, you just didn't do anything I really hadn't seen before.

Now I have a whole extra hour in the week coming to me and I'll admit, I am pretty darn exited about that!