And then he fell right into her vagenda
Once again, I seem to have let months slide by without an update. Not much has happened, though, and when something did happen, I usually posted about it on Twitter, so hopefully most of you know about it.
Really, the biggest thing that happened was that we got a new dog.
He's a rescued pit bull that Mr. Sus decided to get, totally on impulse. Lucky for us, he's turned out to be the best dog we've ever owned. Seriously, all our other dogs have either been dick bastards (like Rosie and Ginger) or so dumb and decrepit that it's like having a special needs kid (like poor Max). But Beans (so named because he farts, like, all the time) is not only affectionate and good-natured, but genuinely wants to please and is smart enough to figure out how, mostly. Amazing. Especially considering how badly abused he was before he was rescued. The woman who was fostering him found him tied to a tree with twine that was embedded in his neck. He had been stabbed, his hips were dislocated, and he was half-starved. That was nine months ago, and you would never know it if you met him now. If you're looking for them, you can just make out the scars under his fur, and he usually squats to pee because of his hip, and he's fearful in new situations, but otherwise he is the sweetest, happiest, friendliest dog you ever met. It's miraculous, really.
In other news, thanks to dianora2 and some other people, I decided to give Fringe another shot.
I managed to get caught up over the holidays and am now fully on board the love train. It's easily the best Sci Fi show on television right now. Easily. And while it is kind of an X-Files rip-off, the writers have obviously learned from the mistakes of XF (and Lost, too), so to me it almost feels like watching a new, improved XF. The mytharc has a very linear progression that manages to be both satisfying and intriguing, while actually making sense. They also didn't dick around with the sexual tension between the leads interminably (Hart Hanson, I'm looking at you). Instead, they let it develop steadily and naturally over the course of the first two seasons (a very respectable time-frame IMO), acknowledged it, and then threw some serious, heavy-ass roadblocks up between them. Good times.
It did take me a while to get into it, and I totally see why I bailed when it first aired. The first season is pretty mundane stuff, and for a while it just feels like it's going to be an endless string of monster-of-the-week episodes. Also, it's pretty gross. Really gross, actually--do not attempt to eat while watching Fringe. But as the mytharc starts to develop, you realize that all those MOW eps were actually leading somewhere, and a lot of the things they introduced actually come back in future episodes are important parts of the larger mythology. Go figure.
Season two is when they really hit their stride and start drawing you into the emotional stories of the characters, which is when I got utterly and totally hooked. Monsters and supernatural events are all well and good, but what I really care about is the people. And boy, did they get me caring about the people. Walter absolutely breaks my heart every single week. And while I found Peter and Olivia pretty wooden at first (and Peter downright unlikable in the pilot), they develop nicely over time, until that early woodenness (which I attribute to Anna Torv's difficulty with the accent and Joshua Jackson not really knowing who Peter was at that point) evolves into a natural reserve that is absolutely integral to both characters, as it masks hidden depths of heartbreak and is a point of commonality that eventually draws them together.
There are also a lot of easter eggs built into the show, which are fun to look for, but not essential to your enjoyment of the show or understanding of it. Also, any episode where an Observer features prominently is my favorite. Always. The Observers push all my Doctor Who buttons, and are therefore love.
I do, however, have some trepidation about the rest of this season, because some of the stuff that's going on now smacks a little too much of that Rimbaldi nonsense from Alias. And it would just figure that I would dive into a show just when it starts to go downhill. Regardless, I will enjoy my Friday nights until that giant red ball of water explodes, or until Fox cancels it. Whichever comes first.
P.S. Now that Rob Lowe is on a decent show making fun of himself are we allowed to like him?
Really, the biggest thing that happened was that we got a new dog.
He's a rescued pit bull that Mr. Sus decided to get, totally on impulse. Lucky for us, he's turned out to be the best dog we've ever owned. Seriously, all our other dogs have either been dick bastards (like Rosie and Ginger) or so dumb and decrepit that it's like having a special needs kid (like poor Max). But Beans (so named because he farts, like, all the time) is not only affectionate and good-natured, but genuinely wants to please and is smart enough to figure out how, mostly. Amazing. Especially considering how badly abused he was before he was rescued. The woman who was fostering him found him tied to a tree with twine that was embedded in his neck. He had been stabbed, his hips were dislocated, and he was half-starved. That was nine months ago, and you would never know it if you met him now. If you're looking for them, you can just make out the scars under his fur, and he usually squats to pee because of his hip, and he's fearful in new situations, but otherwise he is the sweetest, happiest, friendliest dog you ever met. It's miraculous, really.
In other news, thanks to dianora2 and some other people, I decided to give Fringe another shot.
I managed to get caught up over the holidays and am now fully on board the love train. It's easily the best Sci Fi show on television right now. Easily. And while it is kind of an X-Files rip-off, the writers have obviously learned from the mistakes of XF (and Lost, too), so to me it almost feels like watching a new, improved XF. The mytharc has a very linear progression that manages to be both satisfying and intriguing, while actually making sense. They also didn't dick around with the sexual tension between the leads interminably (Hart Hanson, I'm looking at you). Instead, they let it develop steadily and naturally over the course of the first two seasons (a very respectable time-frame IMO), acknowledged it, and then threw some serious, heavy-ass roadblocks up between them. Good times.
It did take me a while to get into it, and I totally see why I bailed when it first aired. The first season is pretty mundane stuff, and for a while it just feels like it's going to be an endless string of monster-of-the-week episodes. Also, it's pretty gross. Really gross, actually--do not attempt to eat while watching Fringe. But as the mytharc starts to develop, you realize that all those MOW eps were actually leading somewhere, and a lot of the things they introduced actually come back in future episodes are important parts of the larger mythology. Go figure.
Season two is when they really hit their stride and start drawing you into the emotional stories of the characters, which is when I got utterly and totally hooked. Monsters and supernatural events are all well and good, but what I really care about is the people. And boy, did they get me caring about the people. Walter absolutely breaks my heart every single week. And while I found Peter and Olivia pretty wooden at first (and Peter downright unlikable in the pilot), they develop nicely over time, until that early woodenness (which I attribute to Anna Torv's difficulty with the accent and Joshua Jackson not really knowing who Peter was at that point) evolves into a natural reserve that is absolutely integral to both characters, as it masks hidden depths of heartbreak and is a point of commonality that eventually draws them together.
There are also a lot of easter eggs built into the show, which are fun to look for, but not essential to your enjoyment of the show or understanding of it. Also, any episode where an Observer features prominently is my favorite. Always. The Observers push all my Doctor Who buttons, and are therefore love.
I do, however, have some trepidation about the rest of this season, because some of the stuff that's going on now smacks a little too much of that Rimbaldi nonsense from Alias. And it would just figure that I would dive into a show just when it starts to go downhill. Regardless, I will enjoy my Friday nights until that giant red ball of water explodes, or until Fox cancels it. Whichever comes first.
P.S. Now that Rob Lowe is on a decent show making fun of himself are we allowed to like him?