Carbon Copy

TV

I have a habit of watching TV online while I fold my laundry or clean my room. Lately, I've been watching My So-Called Life. I used to love this show in high school. Back then, I identified more with Brian Krakow - the overachiever tormented by unrequited love- than anyone. Watching it again as an adult, though, I am constantly amazed at the details. At how the writers got so much about high school right. I didn't think so back then. I liked the show, and I identified with the characters, but it didn't really reflect my high school experience that much. I think it's because I was looking, then, at the surface level of it. My high school, in an affluent Salt Lake suberb, had about as much diversity as a saltine cracker. I never skipped class. We didn't have metal detectors. I think we had a cop who meandered the halls, but it seemed like he was there more to tell people to take off their baseball caps than anything else. The high school in My So-Called Life just felt more gritty, I guess. So those details were off. But the emotional details are spot on. All the complicated ways of trying to express yourself without actually having to say how you feel, all the looking and lingering in the halls, the circuitous ways to try and see someone, the disappointment when after all your trouble to go to the dance just to see someone and nothing significant happens.

Too bad the network was stupid and got rid of it. Just like they're trying to do to another of my favorite shows. I might have mentioned on here once or twice about how much I love Friday Night Lights. Apparently, NBC isn't feeling the love and is threatening to get rid of it. I, for one, am doing my part to keep quality shows on TV. Maybe you can help, too.

Pranks!

Spanke introduced these great videos to me last year, and I took advantage of the boss being out of the office today to share them with Alene (and now with all of you).

You can see more (and higher quality video) at the Prangstgrup website.

p.s. I recalled these videos after watching a great one on swissmiss called When Grand Central Station Stood Still.

Puzzle Pieces

I love these puzzles put together from pieces taken out of 40 different puzzles. There's just something whimsical about them. I might have to do something like this on my own.

{First seen on swissmiss}

Shoot the Left Ramp!

The other day, Tanker said he was craving pinball. I called Fat Cats to find out if they had some pinball machines. The guy told me he did, but that they call it Ice Ball. It didn't matter what it was called, as long as they had it, so after work on Thursday, we made our way to the neon palm trees of Fat Cats. Turns out Ice Ball isn't another name for pinball. It was skeeball, which just wouldn't cut it. We ended up at the movie theater where they had two pinball machines, one of which was out of order. After an hour and a half of shooting the left ramp, riding the Chicago Loop and dunking the dummy, we went to see Sweeny Todd. The first thing Tanker said after the movie - "All I could think about was shoot the left ramp!"

I was hooked, too, so Saturday morning we returned to the theater determined to learn every nook and cranny and hit all the jackpots. You might not think it, but pinball is intense. Look at this concentration, that furrowed brow...

I've been watching Friday Night Lights again (clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!) and let me tell you, there is heartache in football. But pinball matches it - the way your heart sinks when you see that ball slip past your flippers or slide into that alley that conducts it straight into the pit. The thrill of getting millions of points off one ball! It's an emotional rollercoaster. At first, I was doing awesome! But as the hours (yes, hours) progressed, I got worse and worse and Tanker got better. Here are the scores:

The other pinball machine was working this time, so we decided to give it a chance. The theme: Pirates of the Caribbean. It was a lot fancier than the other machine. It had a deadman's chest that would open and flash red with a pulsating heartbeat and a ship with moving sails that you can sink. Pretty fancy.

But the biggest change is that the points were handed out like mad. Where we struggled to get between 4-6 million points on the Rollercoaster Tycoon, the points were flying like mad on Pirates. Bonuses of hundreds of thousands of points, millions scored on one ball. Not that it's easy. I mean, it's still a challenge. You have to defeat the Kracken, find a 100 crew men, and all sorts of stuff. Intense indeed. Still, check out this score:

Yeah, it's not mine.

Last night, every time I closed my eyes, all I could think about was shooting the left ramp.

Just What I Needed

Season 4 of Project Runway starts tonight! I need some Tim Gunn in my life. Now I just have to find someone with Bravo.

Latest Obsession

Scrabulous on facebook. I hate Scrabble so much. I don't know why I play this game, but I can't get enough of it.

(I purposefully chose the one game I am currently winning out of the four I'm currently playing. I really suck at Scrabble.)

Another Good Thing About Fall

Oh sure, the leaves are pretty. I love the crisp air, the chilly mornings, the smell of leaves, and the Halloween ghosties floating in trees. But there's something else that makes fall a special season: TV. I'm not ashamed (ok, just a bit) to admit that my weeknight plans must now consider my most dependable friend. I'll think twice before scheduling something on Thursday nights because of 30 Rock and The Office. And you better believe I was eagerly anticipating the latest cycle of America's Next Top Model. But there's a new show on Wednesdays that also helps me overcome my midweek depression: Pushing Daisies. It's already gotten a lot of critical acclaim. I missed the series premier, but luckily my roommate recorded the replay on Friday, and I watched it before The Bachelor on Monday. I just caught the second episode, and I totally have new TV crushes. Think Amelie. The show has the same highly stylized and quirky feel. Do I wonder if this is sustainable? Yes, I kind of do. But right now I'm just enjoying it.

This Would Be The Best Thing Ever

I really want my own library like this one in Olive Bridge, New York. It was designed by Peter Gluck for a Japanese history scholar, and the downstairs holds 10,000 volumes. If I had this place, I might watch less tv.

Be Kind, Rewind

I don't know when this movie comes out, but I want to see it.

Sometimes You Need a Little Christopher Walken

This video always cheers me up:

But what really makes me happy (and a little sad, which is the best kind of mix) are these letters from Adrienne found on Brandon Bird's website:

Adrian Tomine

I was pleasantly surprised to see Adrian Tomine on the cover of my new New Yorker that was supposed to arrive last week, but instead came today. To be quite honest, I didn't know who the artist was, but I recognized him from the cover of a little journal I picked up last Christmas. I'm not sure which JD Salinger book the girl is reading on this bus, but I'm going to say its Franny & Zooey.

I love that you can get this (and other New Yorker cartoons) made into personal notecards, although they're a little pricey at $40 to $50, but it could be worth it. You can also get it as a print for a whole lot more.

While I was searching for an image of the current New Yorker cover, I came across a past one, also by Adrian Tomine, that I really like, too.

What can I say, I'm a sucker for pictures of girls reading.

*I also posted this entry on Snapdragon because I couldn't decide which one it really belonged to.

Wanna Be on Top

Today is the best day ever (or at least this week). For one thing, they finally replaced our dryer. We've been without for the past two weeks and let me tell you, things were getting desperate. Second, today is payday. Yay!!! And to top it all off, tonight is the return of America's Next Top Model! I need me some Tyra Wisdom to get through life. (Her talk show doesn't count.)

Bitten

This swissbit has totally captured my fancy because there are just some times in your life when you need a nail file, scissors, red light, pen, and USB port. You can even get one that has an MP3 player, up to 2 gig. SwissArmy is always just a little bit ahead.

Just so you know...

I decided last night that I needed to come up with an Amazon Wish List. Mostly because it's kind of like shopping, and since I was stuck inside all day because of the snow, I needed an outlet. Anyway, if you're ever in the market for a present for me, you can check this out. I'll continue to update it (probably).

Cash Cab Update

On Wednesday, I was dismayed to find that Cash Cab had been replaced by How It's Made. I thought maybe it was just a fluke because the TV Journal still listed Cash Cab in that timeslot. Unfortunately, How It's Made is on right now instead of Cash Cab. I'll admit, I'm disappointed. It's not that How It's Made isn't a good show. So far I've learned how they make RV trailers, mass-produced pottery, erasers, apple juice, yogurt, and steel. It's just that I don't really want to learn things. I want to show what I already know by answering a series of trivia questions with a dollar amount attached. It makes me feel smart when I get the answer and the contestants don't.

Cash Cab

My new routine this semester has me watching Cash Cab on Wednesday and Friday mornings before I head off to campus for conferences. It's the best part of my day. I was hoping to step into the cash cab when I was in NYC, but since we didn't take any cabs (relying on our own two feet or the subway), it wasn't to be.

Babies

For about 5 seconds all my friends and loved ones having babies were going to get these prints from Modern Tots, but then I saw the price. Sorry!

Umm... Adorable!

I flipped through the Restoration Hardware catalogue at work the other day, and I just can't get over these. Sure the idea is cute, but really it's the name... SMITTENS! So clever.

A Southern Season

No trip to visit Mike and Amanda would be complete without stopping by A Southern Season. I love this store. I don't even know how to describe it. It combines a gourmet market with a stationary store, a Williams-Sonoma, and a cute boutique. It's overwhelming. And they have this wall of imported chocolate bars... mmm... I wanted to take pictures of its awesomeness. After I took the first one, a clerk came up and told me pictures weren't allow (now that's a sign of a good store). I snuck a second one of the jams because I just couldn't help it. But this time, the flash was off.

Response to Pink Room

I can't keep myself from reading Oh Happy Day, even though it frequently makes me feel dissatisfied with my pedestrian, run-of-the-mill life. Jordan always posts such cute things, like this retro pink kitchen.

Well, in this case, I actually have a tangible grasp on this cute post. Kind of. My very own sister has the beginnings of a retro pink kitchen.

Yeah, I know I'm still living vicariously, but maybe not forever.