I have spent the last 4 1/2 days sick in bed and on the couch with the worst stomach flu I’ve had…. EVER.
So what have I done while lying in bed not able to eat or drink anything?
I’ve been watching food network.
I know right? Here I am stuck in bed leaving only when I have to… well… you know… And I’m watching shows about all the food I can’t have. Food Network Challenges with amazing edible results, Diners Drive-ins and Dives about all the places with food so bad it’s good and so good it’s bad, Alton Brown, Gida (everday italian), Sandra Lee (semi homemade… ugh), Paula Dean (even though I can’t stand her), Rachel Ray (we won’t even go into how much I dislike this woman on a normal day), Marc Summers (unwrapped) and so many other shows… All about food, which for the last 4 1/2 days has caused me nothing but heart ache (well stomach ache).
There is this new show “Ask Aida”. Aida Mollenkamp answers questions as she cooks on her show, questions sent in by viewers (in the form of e-mails, videos, audio…) fed to her by tech guru Noah Starr. Now, honestly, I don’t know why there is a need to have a second person on the show except that they can talk to eachother… But really, a tech guru character… To open up e-mails? They make a good team, Noah is cute and smiles a lot but really? I think they could have thought of something better for him to do than sit infront of a computer and open up the oven every once in awhile. I don’t know, check it out for yourself. http://www.foodnetwork.com/ask-aida/index.html
Anyway, be warned, there are some nasty stomach flus running around out there. Protect yourself!
1. Wash your hands THOROUGHLY before you eat or drink ANYTHING (warm water, soap, sing mary had a little lamb or your abc’s, it’s what we teach the little kids). This is the one that I forget sometimes… Even if you’re just eating a peice of candy, or gum, taking a drink from your water bottle… If you’ve touched anything that someone else has touched, better safe than sorry.
2. Drink orange juice, filled with vitamin C and tastes great
3. Along that same line drink lots of fluids. I don’t do this nearly enough and I’m almost always a little less than hydrated. It made this last fight with the stomach flu even worse I think.
4. Take your vitamins, I know, I know, but it’s good for you.
5. Avoid sick people. Easier said than done… But really sound advice.
And if you do happen to get sick… Try not to torture yourself as I have by watching shows all about the things you can’t have… It’s just… Not good. I don’t know why I do this to myself ( as I write this Giada is on in the background… Will I never learn?)
Filed under: TV
Tonight I was sitting in the living room watching TV (oh alright fine, I was watching American Idol. Happy? I’ve given in, not that good really) and there was a trailer for this new science fiction series… Dollhouse…
The basic premise is that there is a gorup of people known as Dolls, who are kept in a Dollhouse… Wait no… Let me back up.
This group known as Dolls are also known as “Actives”, the Actives have all had their personalities wiped so that their brains can be imprited with different traits. The muscle memory, skills, plain old memory of different personas, the Actives are then hired out for different jobs; everything from crimes to fantasies. Since this is a business, the Actives are monitored by another group, the “Handlers. Once their tasks are completed the Actives return and have their brains wiped clean again and are kept in a holding facility, nicknamed the “Dollhouse”.
So apparently once imprinted the Dolls take on a whole new life. They have the memories, the feelings and all that comes with being… Well… Us.
The main character is Echo (played by Eliza Dushku), and as with most of these shows she is quite attactive (think Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias, Alex Mac [okay, maybe not that one but the rest]) you know, if you care about that sort of thing… Me well I…
Oh come on now, I don’t care if you’re male or female. If you have to watch someone run around on TV it might as well be an attractive woman, it just makes it more enjoyable. We as a culture like beautiful things, cars, computers, babies, minds… People… I know that there are issues for some people because the stars of shows are normally beautiful. But the reason they are is because, well… It’s what we want to see. The hours I spend watching telivision are my escape. I’m not looking for TV to replicate my everyday life, I don’t really want to be reminded of that when I’m zoning out.
Anyway, back to Dollhouse.
People getting imprinted with alternate personalites is kind of a creepy premise. It should come as no surprise then that the show is premiering on Friday the 13th (February 13th 2009 to be exact). Tonight was the first time I’d seen anything regarding this show and I’m already excited about it and have scoured the web to read more… That reminds me, I should set the Tivo…
I have always been, and probably always will be a fan of science fiction and fantasy films, books, TV shows… Probably for the same reasons that I listed for liking to watch beautiful people. I like when things are out there. Things that make you stop and think. Ideas and concepts that, at least for now, are un-reachable. I like getting drawn into a world that is nothing like my own. I appreciate it when a show allows me to do that. I’m really hoping for that in Dollhouse.
Here are some links in case I sparked your intrest. Feb 13th… Fox…. I won’t be missing it!
Official site: http://dollhouse-tv.org/doll/?en
TV.com: http://www.tv.com/dollhouse/show/75224/summary.html
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135300/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollhouse_(TV_series)
Promo shot for the show… I think we know who this is aimed at…
Over the last month or so I’ve been playing Little Big Planet (a extremely fun Playstation 3 game).
The game is incredible, you run around as a Sackboy (or girl) and collect points, stickers, costumes, vehicles and loads of other things for you to customize your world (and make your own levels). I’m not very good, I tend to take WAY WAY too long on the jumping puzzles. Let me put it this way, long enough for Chris to leave the room, make a snack, come back, and yep… still trying to get up to the third level… ::sigh:: I never claimed to be good at this kind of thing.
Never the less, really fun game, and with a very cute main character. You can change the fabric your Sackboy is made of and add clothing pieces (everything from capes to swim suits, top hats to wigs). The possibilities are endless. Even still, the Sackboy in his pure, un-altered form, is adorable. So adorable that I went on a hunt for a plush Sackboy. Unfortunately I couldn’t find anything. Just this guy…..
But… He’s not for sale…
Why???
He was made by one of the developers Mom’s (what a cool Mom! Check it out on their blog -Click Me-). While that’s great for them… What am I to do?
How do I live without my own cute little Sackboy?
Luckily, Chris suggested I search Etsy.com, the place to buy all things handmade. I found someone who crochets Sackboys and sells them. But not only are the finished dolls for sale… So is the pattern. Only problem is that it’s a crochet pattern, and I don’t crochet.
Or….
At least I didn’t until Thanksgiving weekend… Thanks to the pattern, the internet, and a book from Pattie (thanks!). I am now the proud owner of my very own hand crocheted Sackboy (well, Chris is, I gave it to him).
Not as good as some… But pretty good for my first crocheted thing ever… And I’d say… Pretty cute.
Maybe over Christmas break I will make one that looks like my Sackboy (if it works out I’ll post pictures of both my character, and what I make).
One last trailer from the game… I LOVE SACKBOYS!
Chris and I sat on our couch last night and watched Barack’s acceptance speech. Pillow in hand I hung on his words, inspired by his message and in complete awe at what I was witnessing. I never thought that I would care about politics. I never thought that I would be as (and please pardon the clique) proud to be an American as I am today.
Who would have thought that so many people would turn out to vote, not only for Obama, but just vote? Try to make a difference?
Who would have thought that with two states still uncounted that one man could get 349 of the electoral votes?
And I, certainly did not think I would see Florida and so many other “RED STATES” go to a Democrat.
I make a vow today to stay informed, to stay involved. Our country can only be for the people, if the people make their voices heard.
Yes We Can!
Warning: I’m about to be very nostalgic and sound like an old lady…
I’ve been noticing lately that cartoons and kids shows in general are not of the same quality that they were when I was a kid. Kids shows don’t seem to have some of that witty humor that, though it was lost on me as a child, allowed older people to watch the shows alongside kids and not get bored. While I think Teletubbies are cute. I certainly wouldn’t call them quality programing and they surely don’t have that dual audience in mind (and is that show currently being made anyway?).
I found myself on amazon this evening searching for some of my old favorites. Some, have been brought back on DVD, some are just the old VHS tapes being sold. But it’s nice to see that they’re still around. Here are just a few of them.
I miss all of these shows and many others… Mr. Rodgers, The Mickey Mouse Club, TailSpin, too many to mention…. I feel like todays shows for younger kids are just sad. There are a few shows, like Dora and Little Einsteins that are kind of clever. But shows like those are few and far between. And the shows aimed at kids just a little older are full of rude children who get away with everything. I know it makes me sound old, but television was so much better when I was a kid. At least for kids shows.
I hope that children’s programing returns to something like what I remember. I would be so happy if we had a few shows that were just fun, didn’t involve kids being bad and getting away with it. I can’t be the only one who feels like this. I feel like the shows were so much more interesting when I was a kid. Even now I could sit down and watch these shows and be perfectly happy. I have my doubts that there are very many shows on today that will have that same appeal.
Hopefully there are some budding producers and creative people in the television industry that feel the way I do. Hopefully they’ll act on their feelings. If not… When I have children they’ll be watching videos of my old shows and won’t know what live TV is.
I warned you.
I must admit, that like it or not I am obsessed with Americas Next Top Model. I know I know, it’s not exactly the kind of show I thought I would ever watch either, believe me. But there is something about this and other fashion shows that just draws me in.
Maybe it’s because I can see what goes on behind the camera and within the girls during the shoot. Maybe because I think it would be very cool to be a model, photographer, or designer (graphic or fashion) in the industry. I find these kinds of shows enticing, exciting and interesting.
Put aside the drama inside and outside of the house that the contestants share. And also try to forget the endless bickering. What you have is a look at girls trying to be pretty and the artful photography that comes out of this show, I think, is pretty amazing.
They’ve done shoots with the models falling…
Covered in paint…
Hanging on a rock wall…
And even normal fashion stuff like posing in water with another model…
And what I find great is that even if the girls don’t win, they have all of those photos to put into their portfolio. And many of them go on to be in national ad campaigns.
This is Michelle from cycle 7 in a magazine ad (she didn’t win, she didn’t even make top 3).
I find the world of fashion interesting and confusing all at the same time. On the one hand I cannot see myself spending thousands of dollars on one outfit. But on the other hand, the amount of thought and effort that goes into making these clothes and the ads that sell them is incredible.
As an artist, especially as a visual artist, I find the shapes and colors used within the modeling industry very thought provoking. It’s all about lines, angles, color and all of the other things you learn about in school, the media just happens to be people and clothing that costs thousands of dollars. So when you look at it from that angle… I guess it’s not such a surprise that I enjoy these shows so much.
