What has happened to books in my life?

I blocked off some time on Saturday morning to lay down on my living room couch and read. This used to be my absolute favorite thing to do in the whole wide world. Reading was my passion. I still love it. Love words. Love characters. But something has happened. I find myself wanting to re-read books I have read many times, rather than seek out something new.

Oh - my faculty meeting is starting in a few minutes. I'll return to this idea ASAP. There is something I want to explore here.

Two new blogs

There are two new blogs that I've discovered. The first one is feeding the weird desire I have to be a construction worker. I know, I'm an English teacher -- you can't get much further from construction worker... But there is something in fixing things and building stuff that I just love. I love painting and doing electrical work and seeing something created. My dream is to someday build a house. Anyway - here is The Housebuilder's Bible EXTRA. It is an extension of The Housebuilder's Bible (which I am assuming is a published book.) Anyway - I've been enjoying looking through the blog. It's sort of a British DIY for home building. If you don't understand British phrases and money, it might be a little confusing.

The second blog is the one that inspired my thoughts on the ratings system. This is The Movie Review Diary. Very cool site with movie reviews. I've been inspired to watch a few and am looking forward to Good Night, and Good Luck.

More TV questions

I felt like answering a few more TV questions - so here there are (this time from a different meme.)

1. How much space is left on your TIVO? Well, I actually have a Replay, but there are about 10 hours of space left.

2. Have you ever bought a DVD of a tv series and if so which one?Okay - this one made me laugh! I promise I didn't read the questions before I copied and pasted them. I'm not sure if I can list them all, but here we go. I'll put the title of the series and then the numbers of the seasons I own. (BTW - if you want to borrow something and you actually know who I am -- come on over and check some out of Dee's video rental store.)

24: 1, Alias: 1-3, Angel: 1-5, Babylon 5: 1-5 and the movies, Battlestar Galactica 2005: 1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 1-7, Crusade: 1, Dark Angel: 1-2, Dawson's Creek: 1-4, Doogie Houser, MD: 1, E.R.: 1-2, Everwood: 1, Farscape: 1-2, Felicity: 1-4, Firefly: 1, Friends: 1-9, Gilmore Girls: 1-4, Houghlander: 1, House, MD: 1, Kindred, the Embraced:1, Las Vegas: 1-2, Lois and Clark:1, Lost: 1, Macgyver: 1, Moonlighting: 1-2, Nip/Tuck: 1, The O.C.: 1-2, Once and Again: 1-2, One Tree Hill: 1-2, Party of Five: 1, The Pretender: 1, Roswell: 1-3, Sex and the City: 1-6, Smallville: 1-4, Stargate: SG1: 1-7, Ultraviolet: 1, Veronica Mars: 1, The West Wing: 1-4

Okay - that was crazy. I went through and counted. I have 98 seasons of TV. Weird.

3. What was the last tv show you watched before reading this message? Gilmore Girls from Tuesday night

4. List five shows you won't miss: I guess that means they have to be currently running... Veronica Mars, House, Smallville, Numb3rs, and NCIS

5. List your favorite shows of all time: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Beauty and the Beast, Firefly, The West Wing, Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5,-- I could go on....

Does the rating system need to change?

I read an article recently that made me start thinking about the movie ratings system. It has always frustrated me -- for several reasons, not the least of which is that I think it's meaningless.

What does it really mean to go see a "PG-13" movie? Well - you know that you'll probably find the one requisite "f" word. (You can have one and only one in a PG-13 movie, you know.) Does that really tell me anything about the movie? I appreciate that the industry has recently included a few descriptive words, but what exactly is "strong" violence??? Why do Saving Private Ryan and The Amityville Horror have the same rating? I assume that the violence is radically different in those movies. What about language? Can we distinguish between the foul language of Good Will Hunting, which I would argue is integral to those characters and reveals quite a bit about the life they lead, and any generic action flick, which I would argue has foul language due to lazy writers who can't be bothered to write with a decent vocabulary and lazy audiences who don't want to listen to one. (Okay, that sentence feels like a run-on -- anyone want to give a quick criticism?) (BTW - I do love generic action flicks. Show me a big explosion or a huge wall of water destroying NYC and I'm there. I just get annoyed by the dialogue.)

And then there is the sex and nudity issue - they aren't really the same, you know. There could be a fairly explicit scene that I would be embarrassed to watch that has fully clothed actors. On the other hand, the full frontal nudity in A Room with a View is innocent and rather funny (and not sexual in ANY way. I mean, really - the middle-aged vicar is jumping into the pond. Not a turn on.)

This leads me to another small rant - why have the words "adult" and "mature" become dirty???? Aren't those good things to be? I would like to be a mature adult who makes wise, informed decisions. This certainly doesn't mean that I want anything to do with the adult film industry. It annoys me that these words which mean something beautiful and somewhat mysterious (how do we mature, anyway?) have become words that mean something bad, embarrassing, and very degrading. It makes me want to shake my fist at the vocabulary gods (and maybe Larry Flint and Hugh Hefner.)

Anyway - back to the ratings system. I realize that you can't necessarily quantify art. Who am I to say if one movie is "good" or "artistic" or even "redeeming" for anyone else. I would hesitate to put those types of labels on film. But, couldn't we find a more specific way of categorizing the movies we see? I think that many people I know are put off excellent movies by an "R" rating. For example, how many of you realized that The Last of the Mohicans was rated R? It is one of the most beautiful movies made in the 90's and has zero language or sex. Zero. There two very brief scenes of graphic violence that put this movie over the top. I'm actually pretty sure that it would not be an R today. But I know people who refuse to see it because of the rating.

Of course, a new system would have its own flaws and any system would be inadequate. I just wanted to spend a little time ranting about the one we have. The view's good from the cheap seats....

New Narnia trailer

Here is new Trailer for
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Enjoy!

If you have a PC, I would advise right-clicking on the link and saving to your desktop for easier viewing. If you have a Mac, I'm sure there is some very easy, brilliant solution that I know nothing about. :-) Have a great weekend everyone...

It's Thursday...

and I'm counting my blessings. Sunday afternoon was a great time. Little Chair, Sven (my code names for my sister and bro-in-law) and I sat down for three intense games of Settlers of Catan (Cities and Knights version). We each won one game. How fun is that? Then Little Chair and I went on a long walk. She's amazing and I love her.

I found out that my paper was postponed a week.

Church was awesome.

A student that I was struggling with has had a major attitude change. I literally dreaded having this student again this year when I saw his name on my class roster. Due to a few circumstances I won't go into, he has had a change of heart and attitude recently. I pray that the change is permanent, but even if it's not -- I'm enjoying having less tension in the classroom.

I had a great conversation with someone this afternoon that was encouraging in a strange sort of way. (Sorry, that's just going to be cryptic.) Then, I had a great dinner with a friend.

Tomorrow is a prep day at school. I have to work, but there will be no students -- lots can be accomplished! :-)

I'm grateful for the blessings in my life. Thank you, God, for remembering me.

Agggghhhhh

It's Sunday morning and as I was checking my e-mail before church, I got a tad overwhelmed with life. So -- I thought I'd just rant for a second. You can send me a little cheese to go with my whine if you like. :-)

Anyway - the biggest thing is that my sister is leaving TOMORROW. She and my beloved brother-in-law are headed to the other side of the world indefinitely. They are moving there. Not vacationing. Moving. I hope to visit in 14.5 months. That's a long, long time. Anyway - we are going to be hanging out today and I am so grateful for this time. But I'm also very unsure how to process this loss. I love my sister. Very much. It's been so awesome having her nearby for the past few years. I realize that e-mail is here and even webcams...but it's not the same as being able to sit down for a real talk with hugs.

In a much smaller scale - I was at a conference for most of the weekend, and I have a paper due in class tomorrow night. I also have to lead a Department Meeting after school tomorrow, and grades are due on Friday. I'll be in Overland Park all day Tuesday for an education luncheon. I actually don't think there are enough hours in the day. (And I've got a few personal issues that I am trying to work through and understand. I almost forgot that part...) But you know what? Today is for my little sister and her hubby. Everything else will just have to wait.

Anyway - I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed and I don't like living life like that. Life should not be a series of crisis and high drama. There is time. There is energy. And when there's not, often it's not as critical as I think it is. Okay, whine over. You can return to your regularly scheduled programming...

Return to the TV Meme

I haven't done this in awhile, so I thought I'd give it a shot. (I'm taking a quick break from writing a paper. The paper currently sucks mud.) Remember - the following is from "TV Tuesdays." I only answer the questions (in purple font.)

Week 10 - Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip...

Jay Leno once quipped when he was alone in an elevator his mind always reverted to the lowest song he could think of: "Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Jed..."

Love them or hate them, TV theme songs stick with us for years! If you're stuck on some lyrics, click here for a comprehensive page with words I never even knew existed. (Who knew I Dream of Jeannie had lyrics???)

On that musical note:

1. What is your favorite TV theme song?

Well, right now it's the theme song for Smallville. "Somebody saaaaaaaave me!" :-) Over all? maybe Angel, Beauty and the Beast, or Dallas. Dallas is the only show that I watched for the credits and never actually watched any of the show. (It came on after The Dukes of Hazzard. Another good theme song...)

2. Which song drives you crazy enough to hit mute on the remote?

I'm not sure I watch any shows where I don't enjoy the theme songs. I guess "The Beverly Hillbillies" song gets on my nerves. So does "The Brady Bunch."

3. Which song are you proud to say you remember (most of) the lyrics to???

Growing Pains - gotta love B.J. Thomas! "As long as we've got each other..." I actually can't recall another obscure show to which I remember the words. There are several that don't have any words and to which I can remember the tune -- The Waltons, Remington Steele, and I might even be able to pull off Airwolf and Magnum, P.I. if I thought about it...

Thanks for playing, and remember:

"Got kind of tired packing and unpacking,
Town to town and up and down the dial
Maybe you and me were never meant to be,
But baby think of me once in awhile.

I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati..."

Do I rock?

I found a site with several quizzes for blogs. I thought this one was fun... Maybe I should listen to more Bright Eyes and Dashboard Confessional... :-)

You Are an Emo Rocker!

Expressive and deep, lyrics are really your thing. That doesn't mean you don't rock out... You just rock out with meaning. For you, rock is more about connecting than grandstanding.

What Kind of Rocker Are You?

New Blogs

I found a few references to Serenity on the net and they led me to a few blogs that intrigue me. I might start reading these guys... :-)

Catallarchy - (scroll down if you want to read the Serenity entry)

Further Up & Further In - Okay - I might just like this blog because its title comes from the same C.S. Lewis book that the title of my blog does - The Last Battle. Anyway - here is a little informed speculation about what Lewis would have thought of Serenity. Kinda cool.

And here is Relevant Magazine's review of the movie.

I promise, Serenity is not all I think about these days, even though it has taken an inordinate amount of space on my blog. I'll start talking about something else soon... :-)

On the brain candy side of things - here's a fun poster of Tom Welling and the new villain of Smallville -- James Marsters! (He's playing Brainiac.)

Veronica Mars releases on DVD today. This was most definitely my favorite new show of last year. (Yes, it beat out Lost.)

Here it is -

Watch Serenity online

Hello Everyone - just in case you were still wavering on whether or not you should go see Serenity (you should) here are the first nine minutes of the movie online. It's streaming video (I prefer QuickTime.) I warn you - you'll want to see the rest. :-)

The beginning of Serenity

I am having problems getting the clip to play smoothly, but hopefully the server will adjust. I wish that it was the next ten or so minutes of the movie that you could see. That might be my favorite part. Joss does an amazing "one-er" that introduces you to the cast and the ship. (A one-er is a long moving shot without cuts, usually done with a Stedi-cam. Joss is somewhat famous for them.) This one-er involves seven different scenes and the entire set of the ship. All without a single edit. It's awesome.

TV on DVD for very, very cheap

I forgot to mention earlier that Warner Brothers is having a huge sale on complete seasons of TV. Each of the following are under $20. That's cheaper than you can rent them! You do have to go to Wal-mart or Target. Amazon.com is not having the same sale. I'm not sure that the sale lasts beyond tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 8.) Target site Wal-mart site

Smallville Seasons 1&2
Gilmore Girls Seasons 1&2
West Wing Seasons 1&2
ER Seasons 1&2
The Dukes of Hazzard Seasons 1&2
Everwood Season 1
Nip/Tuck Season 1
Full House Season 1
Friends Seasons 1&2
The Waltons Season 1
Dallas Season 1
Lois and Clark Season 1
Giligan's Island Season 1&2
Wonder Woman Season 1
Everybody Loves Raymond Season 1&2
Arli$$: The Best of Arliss
Wanted: Dead or Alive Season 1
One Tree Hill Season 1

The aliens brought me back...

hi Everyone - I haven't been abducted by aliens, although sometimes it feels like parts of my days are disappearing! Where do the hours go? My bedroom currently looks like a tornado ran through it, and it's been that way for awhile now. (I've realized that the neatness of my bedroom has a direct inverse relationship to my stress level.) Maybe I'll pick it up tonight. :-)

I'm having dinner with my little sister tonight. I'm excited! She is moving to the other side of the world really soon and I'm starting to get a little sick about it. I think I've been avoiding thinking about the consequences of her move. I mean, sure she's leaving -- but that means she'll be gone. I guess I just haven't thought about it like that yet. It kind of hit me the other night as I was falling asleep. I am really going to miss her. But, we get to have dinner tonight, so I'm not going to borrow tomorrow's trouble.

I've also been mulling over what I am going to say about Serenity. I saw it for the third time last night and I think I've come to a couple of conclusions. First of all -- it doesn't matter how good a movie is, a good TV show is going to beat it for me. I was thinking about how much I loved the TV version of Firefly over the film version. There is just so much that television can do that movies can't. I mean, it's the difference between two hours of movie and 20 hours of TV. It's the character development and quiet little moments that get cut out of a movie. The throw away moments between characters that reveal their hearts. I also miss the complicated sub-plots that TV can explore and movies have to delete for time considerations. All in all - TV wins for me. (Of course, it goes without saying that most TV is mindless drivel. It's only the really good stuff that I'm talking about.)

Which leads into another discussion -- what's good on TV this season? Well - here's what I am watching --

Crossing Jordan - It's a medical/police procedural, but with very quirky characters.

The West Wing - Still not as good as when Sorkin was writing, but I love the characters.

Kitchen Confidential - I might give up on this one. I'm not a fan of sitcoms, but I like the actors.

Las Vegas - My guilty pleasure! This show is just fun...

CSI:Miami - The CSI with heart. I've talked about this before.

Gilmore Girls - What can I say? The dialogue, the dialogue, the dialogue...and Kirk, Sookie, etc.

NCIS - It's a military show with quirky characters. I love Abby...(and DiNozzo.)

House - The lead is so crabby. And yet, there is great heart. He's wonderful! I highly recommend this show. The first season is out on DVD.

Commander-in-Chief - The word is still out on this. The first episodes were okay. I like the premise of a female, independent VP becoming President unexpectedly.

Veronica Mars - One of the best shows on TV. No question. (and Joss Whedon loves it...He's got a cameo in an upcoming episode.) :-)

CSI:NY - It's a little boring and needs some spark. The actors are awesome. I can't figure out why this is so bland.

Smallville - What can I say? I confess I watch this for Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum. This is a good example of my denial of "the way things are." I keep hoping for the redemption of Lex. What am I thinking? Lex Luthor is one of the iconic villains in American culture...I still want to save him.

CSI - the original...it's been getting creepier and darker for awhile. And what's with Warrick getting married??? Hello??? Can we say "artificial roadblock" to relationship with Catherine?

Numb3rs - I like it. Geeks solving crimes. Where's the bad? :-) Also - Peter McNicol is in it.


There are a few others that I am recording with the intention of watching later:

Close to Home - I haven't watched the premiere yet, but Christian Kane is in it. We'll see.

Threshold - aliens invade. That's all I know.

Lost - I'm several episodes behind...

Desperate Housewives - Interesting take on suburbia.

Grey's Anatomy - This seems to be eye candy, but there are some serious issues every now and then. Enough to keep me interested.

One Tree Hill - I'm about a season behind, but I still love the high school angst...