May Day is my favorite holiday. It's all about flowers, good fortune, and happiness. It's not limited to a certain religion, specific gender, and doesn't depend on spending lots of money to support a materialistic economy.
Well, I guess religious connotations are relative as it is an ancient pagan holiday promoting fertility so dancing, drinking, and having sex outside are part of the celebration. But for our modern purposes: pick some flowers, make a little paper basket, and spread some happiness.
My second favorite holiday is Walpurgisnacht, or Witches' Night, or the Witches' Sabbath which takes place the eve of May Day or tonight. It's named after St. Walpurga, an 8th Century German abbess, although I don't know why. Was she a witch? Traditionally it's the night all the witches come out to reek havoc on the community, terrorize innocent souls, and steal children.
The way to protect your loved ones is to put a pile of cut grass on their doorsteps before the sun goes down as witches are compulsive beings and will feel the need to count every blade of grass before crossing the threshold. If the sun comes up before they are finished counting, they must leave missing their annual opportunity for kidnapping. Until next year.
I just found this article called "Could Your Perfume Be Giving You Diabetes?" from Rodale News. It's from a few years ago. It makes me wonder if this information is out there, why does no one seem to care?
It's about phalates, a common ingredient in personal care products, and how they are linked to not only diabetes, but autism, weight gain, infertility and some cancers. It also explains phalates are found in foods because these personal care products are often washed down the drain, enter our water systems, and/or the human sewage sludge is used as fertilizer on produce. Is it just me or is that really gross?
The article is from three years ago. The information is out there and still, it all goes ignored....
I've been experimenting with nuts lately. Since the AIP diet I've been only able to eat cashews and almonds without too much difficulty as long as they are roasted. If I eat raw nuts, I feel like I've eaten a ten-course meal twice and I look like I'm pregnant with bloat. Bloat is not a good thing.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I no longer purchase almond butter after finding cockroach legs in the last batch. Eeeww. I've craved it for a long time now and considered purchasing nut grinders or food processors shopping on occasion but getting frustrated at lack of selection and bad reviews. I recently read some blenders can grind nut butter but it's hard on the motor. I even found a free Cuisinart blender on Freecycle but sad to say, I was disappointed. My cheap, $5 garage sale Osterizer blender has been going strong for ten years now and mixes much better than the reputable Cuisinart.
After discovering raw nuts are not my friends and wary of even roasted nuts, I needed to do something with the leftovers which included 1/2 cup of roasted cashews, 1/2 cup of honey-roasted almonds, and 1/2 cup of raw almond meal. First, I roasted the raw almond meal. I've never liked the taste of raw nut butter no matter what kind. Then I dumped all the nut leftovers in my blender and pushed the "grind" button.
First it turned to powder. I had hope. Then it continued to turn and mix and started coming together. It was really exciting until after about five minutes the motor started to smell like it was overheating. I turned it off and moved the nut mixture around waiting for the motor to cool. At this point it looked like coagulated powder. I turned the grind back on for another five minutes. I took a bit out with a spoon and it was like real nut butter!! And very warm!!
I think if I had a real grinder or maybe if I would have continued grinding longer I probably would have had smoother texture, but I was worried I'd damage my blender. The texture was fine and it tasted great. From what I understand, it never quite looks as if it'll end up butter but then at the last minute the constant grinding will release the oils in the nuts and that's when it starts getting creamy.
I can't believe all this time I've had this blender that could have made nut butter! Not that I need to start eating a lot of nut butter as it's quite fattening....
Research was started years ago when it was discovered that fresh fruits and vegetables could reduce one's risk of cancer so someone got the bright idea and wondered if supplements would be just as beneficial.
The rationality is incredibly ignorant, but that's how people think. If you can put it in a pill and call it a nutrient then it must be just as good as eating real, live, healthy foods. Nope. In fact the study results indicate supplements increase one's risk of cancer, especially Vitamin E, folic acid, and beta-carotene. Folic acid causes colon polyps. Maybe that's why colonoscopies have become so popular? Poisoned with pills.
I read a funny the other day entitled, "Important Facts to Remember as You Grow Older" and one of them gave me a chuckle and has been stuck in my head for days:
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital, dying of nothing.
I guess not. Now we know. They'll all be dying from cancer....
It's that time of year when negotiating stairs becomes a challenge for me. WHY? I don't have a clue! In fact, it was exactly a year ago when I misjudged my porch stairs and was unable to walk for months due to a sprained ankle, chipped bones, and torn ligaments.
Last night, in the middle of the night I begrudgingly got out of my nice, warm bed to check on the latest batch of bone broth. Half asleep I didn't even put on my slippers nor did I turn on the lights. I made it to the bottom of the stairs and didn't realize there was one more step to go, missed it, and crashed to the floor.
I was lucky this time...I grabbed the handrail tighter and broke the fall by slamming my shoulder and head into the archway. Ouch! My head still has a large, painful bump and my shoulder is bruised and raw. I did something to my toe which creates a whole lot of pain when I walk. Sprained, broken or just bruised? I have no idea, but I'm thankful it's not as bad as last year's injury. I can move it, but it hurts. I'm hobbling around again just when gardening is starting and not happy about that. Here is a photo of my mangled, black and blue toe (same foot as last year):
The new house I will someday own will NOT have stairs. Not even one. I think I'll build ramps. I'm done with stairs.
Another tiny house was stolen! This tiny house was on a foundation even, but unfortunately, too tempting for thieves to load it onto a truck and haul it away quickly and efficiently. It was found ten miles away slightly damaged with most of the owner's belongings missing. Can you imagine coming home from work and your whole house is missing?? The is the second tiny house theft. The first one was Jessica and Casey Friday's house. You can read about why they have given up on their tiny house dream HERE and their previous posts give a rather depressing yet detailed account of the theft. They pose some serious considerations, negatives not usually discussed on most tiny home websites and blogs.
I'm having second thoughts about building a tiny house on wheels. First, there is no place to park one. I have been visiting building code offices and most zoning regulations restrict their use even on private land, most RV parks forbid custom-built trailers as they want a uniform look, and park it in the country on land is just asking for trouble unless you plan to stay home 24/7 or it'll tempt your trailer trashy neighbors to make off with it. There is only one tiny house community that I know of called Lemon Cove Village located in California that accommodates tiny houses. Other communities professing to support tiny houses have restrictions that force you to nearly dismantle the tiny house to make it more compliant to codes. In time, tiny house living won't be so difficult. I believe they are the future and the movement is gaining in popularity and momentum. Someday....
Although I still want to downsize, I wonder if 100 square feet is enough breathing space. That's not enough private air to protect one from outside contaminants should the outside air become compromised. That is a huge advantage to my large house - if the air stinks outside I can go inside and with the doors and windows closed and be fairly safe. If one room needs remodeling with the use of toxic materials, I can seal it off and live in the rest of the house. Can't do that with a one room tiny house. I have also heard about some of the disadvantages of tiny houses such as frozen pipes, drainage/plumbing issues, and condensation causing mold due to inadequate ventilation of a small air space.
I'm also having second thoughts about building a tiny house on my own. It sounds like a huge, stressful nightmare. Small construction projects cause me to whine and complain constantly. Do I want to invest all that time and money into so much frustration and misery? I'm not interested in paying for one already built as they can be very expensive. I fear this has been another example of me being irrational. Money-saving schemes make me irrational. The consequence of poverty.
I haven't given up on downsizing, but I'm thinking 400-700 square feet might be more comfortable. Unfortunately, small houses for sale are not that easy to find. I'm still looking and considering options.
Here's a great clip from Portlandia on microliving:
Years ago when I was a teenager I read in a beauty magazine about a girl who stopped washing her hair. The thought grossed me out, but she explained how she believed the toxic ingredients in shampoo were damaging our skin, scalp and body. We weren't born to use chemicals and our hair has a natural cleansing process if we'd just leave it alone. She described the transition between constant shampooing and no shampooing. I was fascinated. After a few weeks of a greasy, dandruffy, oily head, her normally thick, yet dry, stringy and unmanageable hair became full, glossy, and gorgeous for the first time in her life. She claimed she hadn't washed her hair in years. I had thick, frizzy, dry, unmanageable hair and her story definitely made an impression. I didn't give up my shampoo at the time, but I've never forgotten it.
Today I found an article by a woman who has done the same experiment. You can read about her experience HERE. Shampoos are loaded with chemicals, many of them proven to cause cancer. It amazes me with all the information we have based on research that has been done, shampoos are still sold. No one seems to care because we are so conditioned to believe we are required to wash and strip our hair of all its natural oils and if we don't...eeewww...society will look down upon us and no one will like us. After all, it's all about being liked.
I have found few products I can tolerate and I only wash my hair once every two or three weeks as it is. I've also had many people ask me which shampoos are non-toxic and others who have told me they have very little tolerance to any soap. I usually suggest using baking soda, or like I do, Planet dish washing liquid, but even those options might not work for the extremely sensitive. But no shampoo!? Hooray! This anti-shampoo movement is being called "No Poo".
I love it! We can't control what chemical companies and manufacturers produce and market. We can't control the lies they tell with their fancy advertisements and erroneous claims. We CAN vote with our money, and by not purchasing these chemical-laden, toxic products, let those chemical and manufacturing companies know we aren't interested in poisoning ourselves anymore. The No Poo movement is one step toward a chemically-free world.
In addition to movies, I watch a lot of television in my self-imposed exile from society. I never used to watch TV at all so when I first moved to the middle of no where, I discovered a whole new form of entertainment and proceeded to catch up on years of missed couch-potatoing. Getting whole series out of the library with no commercials has spoiled me and for a while, Hulu was showing many of them for free. Before videos were invented, one had to watch one episode every week and wait patiently for the plot to continue the next week. Now we can binge-watch one episode after another for hours at a time! Hooray for TV MARATHONS!
There are too many shows to include all so I'm selecting only those I would recommend. Most are from cable networks like HBO or Showtime so often the quality is outstanding. I don't last more than one episode with bad television. One hour of wasted time is enough for me. Often networks cancel bad shows after a few episodes although some lousy shows manage to stay on the air for years. One of life's mysteries. I tend to like human nature dramas especially historical fiction. I'm not very tolerant of most stupid comedies, I never watch cartoons, and I have an aversion to cop shows or lawyer shows unless there is some kind of twist that makes them interesting. I also avoid older television series as the video quality tries my patience and the storylines are dated. My tastes might not be the same as yours, but maybe there will be a title or two from my list you might enjoy.
For any series I suggest to start at the beginning. I love pilots. I enjoy seeing how they set the plot, develop the characters, and sell the idea in less than an hour. If the show is good, the first season is usually the best. Sometimes the second season is better, but not usually. Some shows maintain their quality throughout their whole run and are consistently worth the watch especially those on the cable networks. Others fall apart after the second season as the storylines get boring or too complex.
Here is my list of recommended television shows:
Being Erica (2009-2011) who is a 30-something not quite satisfied with life and she starts seeing a therapist. His special skill is he can send her back in time to redo something she regrets. You know, if I could find a counselor who could do that it would be worth the money! It makes one think about the past, what you would change if you could, and how it might have affected the rest of your life. Also, it makes you wonder about your current choices and how they will change your life. The lead actress is excellent.
Breaking Bad (2008-2013) is about a high school chemistry teacher who is poor, of course. His wife is pregnant, his son has special needs, and he finds out he has cancer. He needs money. Badly. He runs into one of his ex-students who flunked his class because he was constantly stoned or skipping, and they start their own meth lab. The series is very dark, depressing, and violent. At one point I stopped watching. Some of the scenes really stick with you forever and not in a good way. It's difficult to imagine there are drug dealers out there who live like that in real life. However, it also has great storylines and outstanding actors. I loved the secrecy and how this sweet, mild-mannered teacher had to totally reinvent himself and do really horrible things totally out of character. As a former teacher I loved the constant too bad you didn't pay attention in class or you'd know this messages. LOL.
Californication (2007-2014) Hank Moody, played by David Duchovny, is a celebrated Hemingway-type author living in Los Angeles amidst too much alcohol, drugs and sex. It's like a modern remake of the 1970s movie Shampoo where the main character is too cute for his own good, slightly crazy, gets into all kinds of situations, yet is so good-natured and blase about everything he just floats along laughing at how ridiculous life is. I love his best-friend/agent who is as insane and their bro-mance is adorable. The characters are outstanding, storylines creative, and the writing excellent. LOL hilarious at times with memorable scenes and noteworthy lines. Lots of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll with an underlying "who gives a shit, life is short" theme. Excellent profile of Los Angeles and all the sleaze it has to offer.
Dead Like Me (2003-2004) features a young woman, George who after high school has no direction, no ambition. She is living at home and has a strained relationship with her mother who forces her to get a job as a low-paying, entry-level office grunt. She has a bad attitude. Her first day on the job she goes outside for lunch and is killed by a flying toilet seat that fell off a space shuttle. She is recruited by the local grim reaper (Mandy Patinkin) to join a team of other grim reapers. It's their job to snatch up the souls of those about to die so they can continue to the afterlife. Each episode the grim reapers are given their assignments. If the toilet seat death wasn't clear, it's a comedy. About death. Along with some very poignant moments of grief and loss, there is a humor that blankets each episode providing a wonderful emotional dichotomy. I suppose a lot of people wouldn't enjoy humor about death and that could be why it only lasted two seasons. I loved it. The first episode is heart-wrenching when she gets her first assignment and she learns how important it is to follow the rules.
Deadwood(2004-2006) is a western. I love anything historical, but this isn't the typical western we have all come to know and love from our childhoods with good guys and bad guys, damsels in distress and white horses. It's the real thing focusing on life in the mining town of Deadwood, South Dakota during the 1800s. Characters include both fictional people and real Wild West celebrities such as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane with guest appearances by Wyatt Earp and other famous gun slingers. The sets are AMAZING and incredibly realistic. Knee-deep in mud. No white horses for miles. The characters and plot lines are outstanding, and Timothy Olyphant as Seth Bullock, the sheriff, is delicious. The script is written in a 19th-century verse which is beautiful, but they pepper it with an excessive amount of nasty words. It took some getting used to even for me. It only lasted two seasons and when it was over, I went through horrible withdrawals. It was voted by critics as a series that was canceled way too soon. I agree.
Desperate Housewives (2004-2012) I always wondered what all the hoopla was about with this show and curiosity (and boredom) got the best of me. Of course, it's narrated by a dead woman. Right up my alley. I've never been tolerable of nighttime soap operas, but this was entertaining with great characters and interesting storylines.
Dexter (2006-2013) Dexter is a blood spatter expert in the forensics department of Miami homicide. He's really smart, incredibly geeky in a boy-next-door kind of way, and psychopathic. He ritualistically murders bad people who the police department can't bring to justice so you root for him even though he's a serial killer. I love it he always takes the time to explain to his victims why he is about to kill them, displaying 8 x 10 glossies of their victims so there is no misunderstanding. They deserve it. For all his lack of emotion, he clearly feels something even if it's just vigilante vengeance. He narrates the episodes and thinks to himself with lots of philosophical opinions on life and human nature. He has a really dry, sarcastic sense of humor that is priceless. Outstanding writing and very intelligent. Never a dull moment.
Doc Martin (2004-now) A small, coastal, British village gets a much needed new doctor. He's a city surgeon with really horrid bedside manner which is incredibly entertaining. He has absolutely no patience with stupid people and seems a bit autistic, unable to comprehend emotion or convey empathy. It's delightful, with a great cast of characters and wonderful scenery. Can I move there?
Downton Abbey (2010-now) This series is about the life of British nobility and their servants beginning just before World War I when the Titanic sinks. Love the history and the realism. Outstanding storylines, characters, costumes, and settings. Superb in every way.
Finding Carter (2014-now) Carter, a teenage girl, is arrested at a party and through DNA testing it is discovered she was kidnapped as toddler. She is reunited with her biological parents and siblings while the woman she misses and considers her mother is in hiding from the police. It's good. Unfortunately, I lost interest after one season, but I think it's because I had to remember to find it on the network site one week after it aired and I kept forgetting. Then it disappeared for a couple weeks. I guess it just wasn't that memorable, but a great story.
Forever (2014-now) is about a doctor/medical examiner who is immortal and comes back to life every time he dies. He's been dying off and on for 200 years, constantly reinventing himself so as not to be discovered. His experience with death makes him very knowledgeable and his brain is an encyclopedia of historical facts mostly because he's lived them. He's rather cute, charming, and has a comic Sherlock Holmes style reminiscent of the game Clue. I think he should die more often as he can go weeks without dying. Great storylines even for a police show. Here is the season one trailer:
Foyle's War (2002-2015) Foyle is a police officer/detective in Britain during World War II. Excellent storylines, outstanding characters, wonderful acting and realistic backdrop of wartime survival in a small British village. I love history. This one is very realistic and well-done.
Game of Thrones (2011-now) Based on the best selling novel series by the same name, it's a medieval fantasy about the competition for power. It has hundreds of amazing characters and even dragons! I really like the wolves for pets. Lots of blood, intrigue, strong female characters and beautiful sets/scenery. It follows the books almost exactly with a few departures. Outstanding everything and very addicting.
The Good Wife (2009-now) I avoided this show for a long time due to my aversion to lawyer movies. After a while I got curious. It has great characters and storylines.
Gracepoint (2014) This was a one season detective drama based on the murder of a boy in a small town. It was borrowed from the British show Broadchurch which was exactly the same plot and even shared the same starring actor. I liked the American version better and they changed the ending slightly making it more complex. Excellent actors, beautiful scenery, great story, outstanding who-done-it, and I'm not much of a mystery fan. I do wonder if they'll somehow figure out how to bring it back for a second season.
Grimm (2011-now) is a really creative, fantasy cop-show with a twist (my requirement). It is based on Grimm's Fairytales. Portland, Oregon is perceived as the center for everything strange and subversive - the perfect setting for monsters. There is a whole other species of creatures living among humans called Vessen. They can morph between appearing human or as their own species. Grimms are people who throughout history have made it their mission to kill them. Nick is a detective with Portland homicide who discovers much to his surprise he's a Grimm and he is given his aunt's trailer filled with journals, historical accounts, and weaponry used to kill these creatures. He's definitely got some superpowers. He discovers early on not all Vessen are evil and as a Grimm and a police officer, he uses his knowledge to find bad Vessen and bring them to justice. The special effects are awesome. After watching the pilot I determined it was too scary for me and I stopped watching. A year later I watched again, for lack of better television viewing choices and was hooked. The trailer for the first season:
Hung (2009-2011) The storyline features a recently divorced, high school teacher living in a lake cabin for lack of another option. The cabin burns down, he has no money, no way to fix the house, and owes money to everyone especially his ex-wife. Teachers are poor anyway, but divorced ones are really in dire need. At one point his ex-wife who was also his high school sweetheart tells him he's a failure at everything, and the only thing he ever had going for him was the size of his male appendage. He meets a quirky woman who is also trying to find a job and together they decide to go into prostitution. With her lack of business skills as a pimp and his lack of hooker experience, they negotiate the underworld of the sex industry with much amusement. As a former teacher, I found this fun. Teachers are always expected to be perfect role models. Yeah, right.
Jane the Virgin (2014-now) is a comedy based on Mexican soap operas (telenovelas). It's about a young Catholic-Mexican-American woman who plans to be a virgin until she is married. At a routine medical examination, she is artificially inseminated by accident! Makes one trust doctors even less! The whole plot pokes fun at soap opera surrealism with every kind of character one can imagine: rich people, drug cartels, nuns, movie stars.... It's fun. Although I have little patience with comedies and lose interest easily, this one is really cute. For now. We are in the middle of the first season.
Jericho (2006-2008) This is a post-apocalyptic story about the terrorist bombings and annihilation of twenty-five American cities and the aftermath of a small town. The first season is at times overly sentimental and the dramatic scenes are unnecessarily long which gives one ample time for bathroom breaks without pausing the DVD player. It was cancelled and fans brought it back for a short seven episode second season that needed to tie everything together and end the story. Second season didn't "tread water" as one of the producers described so it was much better, faster paced. The main character was very charming and likable, but I kept waiting for his superpowers to kick in. Still, it was a good story, the characters were great, and I like survival themes based on human nature. Once they add political corruption or sci-fi to the mix, I lose interest. I'm guessing it's the same for most as these shows often get cancelled when they get too conspiracy-driven and complex.
Justified (2010-2015)
After my
Deadwood marathon and subsequent withdrawals,I went looking for something to satisfy my need for a Timothy Olyphant fix. Raylan Givens (Olyphant) is a U.S. marshal in Florida who doesn't
follow the rules so he is transferred back to his hometown in the Kentucky
Appalachian mountains to wrangle the bad-ass hillbillies-turned-drug traffickers who were his childhood
friends and family. He does have superpowers! Besides his sexy, slow Kentucky
drawl (definitely a superpower!), he has Wild West gun slinging skills and he can shoot them all dead
before they even draw their guns! His ex-best friend and nemesis, Boyd
Crowder, is the hillbilly ring leader with a
knack for "articulation" and blowing things up. The first couple
episodes he's always yelling FIRE IN THE HOLE! LOL. Even when they
are about to kill someone, they show really good manners. Love the show and
Raylan Givens makes me swoon. This video features the bad guy Boyd Crowder with glimpses Raylan Givens the marshall:
Kyle XY (2006-2009) A teenage boy is found in the woods, naked. He can't speak nor does he understand anything around him. Law enforcement and child protective services have no idea who he is or from where he came. While they try to figure it out, he is placed with the family of a counselor as a foster child. He learns things at the speed of light and has superhuman abilities he doesn't understand. I always enjoy an element of superhero-ness! Although it is an ABC teen/family show, the whole first season is fascinating because you have no idea who or what he is. What is especially intriguing is the ongoing commentary on his humanity, how he learns by example and adjusts to his environment making sense of our weird human quirks. It only lasted for three seasons. I think because they got away from the human aspect and delve recklessly into sci-fi which can get tedious and unbelievable. The star, Matt Dallas, is adorable.
Lost (2004-2010) I really loved this show from the beginning to almost the end. A plane crashes on a remote island and the survivors soon discover the island is very...strange. The series boasts one of the largest casts in the history of television and is filmed in Hawaii. The first few seasons were spectacular. I thought the last season was very weird. It was like the writers weren't quite sure how to end it. I kind of had an idea what was going on and what the island really was so I wasn't too surprised, but getting to the point was confusing and weird like the writers lost their direction and needed to kill time. Excellent characters, great scenery, and wonderful acting made it easy to become addicted. The pilot was superb. I think I watched it three times.
Mad Men (2007-2015) is an awesome recreation of the 1960s. It's about a New York City advertising agency, its employees and their families, and the weirdness of the era. One of the most memorable scenes for me (there are many) was when the main character's family was at the park picnicking and as they go to leave, they throw all their garbage in the bushes! I nearly jumped out of my seat screaming. The show's theme constantly addresses how naïve we were as a society back then and how we've changed. Our whole thought processes have been reformed including how we think about marriage, business ethics, women's rights, and the environment. Awesome characters, acting, costumes, and writing.
Merlin (2008-2012) is a British series on the early years of Merlin the magician. Instead of the typical legend of the elderly wizard, the story focuses on Merlin as a boy before Arthur becomes king. Arthur is gorgeous, entitled and spoiled. Merlin realizes it's his destiny to protect Arthur and becomes his servant. It's a little cheesy, but it has great of dragons and beautiful scenery. Kid-friendly, too, although some of the special effects might be too scary for little ones. Season one trailer:
Miranda (2009-now) is a British comedy featuring comedian Miranda Hart. It's borderline weird and stupid while poking fun at society's expectations and those who are socially inept, but the star's antics are often hilarious. Very British. The seasons and episodes are short and each new season appears on free Hulu.
Nashville (2012-now) is a nighttime soap opera drama about the country music industry in Nashville. I love the variety of characters, the storylines, and the music. I love Hayden Panettiere play the spoiled teen sensation. She's so outrageous. Excellent. I'm addicted.
Nurse Jackie (2009-2015) is an ER nurse who is a drug addict with a stressful job that she masters with brilliance while juggling her family and her demons. She definitely has nursing superpowers, but watching her try to balance everything while popping pills is like a train wreck waiting to happen. Edie Falcon is outstanding and the supporting cast excellent. I adore Merritt Wever's quirkiness. She definitely deserved her Emmy award. The writing is superb.
The 100 (2014-now) isabout earth becoming uninhabitable due to an overabundance of radiation after a nuclear war and the only survivors were those on the space stations. The culture created from being cooped up on a space ship is fascinating. Any tiny infraction and the perpetrator is "floated" - death by space. Unless they are under age, then they go into juvie jail to await their eighteenth birthday and a court hearing to determine if they are capable of being model citizens. It's ruthless. After 97 years, the space stations are running out of air, so they send 100 juvenile delinquents to the ground to see if it's habitable yet. If it's not, bye-bye loser kids. I love the show. I'm addicted. Normally the writing is outstanding, but season two's finale just aired and it was absolutely horrible. Maybe it's the beginning of the end for this series? Season one trailer:
Orange is the New Black (2013-now) is about a prim and proper woman who gets mixed up with the wrong people and goes to jail for drug trafficking. The reality of a woman's prison. After its first season it was nominated for some Emmys and they couldn't figure out where to put it: drama or comedy. As I recall due to the confusion, it didn't win anything, unfortunately. It's certainly a mix of horror and comedy. I definitely don't ever want to go to prison. I couldn't imagine surviving the experience, and that is the whole plot. How does a clean-cut, normal, never a legal problem person survive in a prison full of murders, drug addicts and others who would have no problem killing you in your sleep just because you have blonde hair? Excellent storylines and performances.
Queer as Folk (British 1999-2000, American 2000-2005) is a community of gay friends dealing with the issues of sexuality: gay rights, religion, AIDS, discrimination, and family. Both series follow along the same storylines for two seasons and then the American one takes off on its own. The American series has really gorgeous men with Gayle Harold as Brian, major swoon material. I loved the characters and the storylines.
Rev (2010-now) is a British sitcom about an Anglican minister who is assigned an intercity church. The building is run down, but they have no money for repairs. There are about ten regular parishioners, most of them homeless and all of them bizarre. The vicar talks to God a lot which is usually pretty funny. The supporting characters are awesome. Mick, the drug addict is LOL hilarious! He's always showing up at the vicar's house trying to talk him into donations to charities, etc. The vicar's wife has no patience with him and he calls her "The Nasty Mrs. Vicar." I found a video for him:
Revolution (2012-2014) This is another post-apocalyptic story about the end of electricity throwing modern society into a pre-technological primitive state. Fifteen years after the destruction of civilization, the United States has been sectioned off into separate republics controlled by a variety of corrupt governments and there is a revolutionary faction causing problems. They want the real America back. Most of these post-apocalyptic stories have the USA broken into multiple countries. Decentralization is a bitch when it comes to control, I guess. I preferred the first season and the description of life after civilization. Second season became too sci-fi and unrealistic for me. The characters and acting were excellent. Lots of strong women kicking ass and surviving.
Sex and the City (1998-2004) This is another series I always wondered why it got so much media attention. It's about a woman living in NYC and her group of friends. She writes a column called "Sex and the City" about relationships and each episode is based on the theme of her current column's subject. My favorite episode was one on wedding and baby showers. The main character, Carrie, attends a baby shower for her friend's third or fourth child and is expected to remove her shoes before entering the house. She's not happy about this as her shoes are part of her fashion ensemble and to remove them would ruin the look. After much complaining she removes them anyway. At the end of the night her $500 shoes are missing. Someone stole them. The friend offers to replace them until she finds out how much they cost, and she gets bitchy and judgmental about how with a family she can't afford to buy such extravagant items. Carrie's remedy is priceless. As someone who has bought an overabundance of wedding and baby gifts, I loved it. The whole series was incredibly well-written and thought provoking. The supporting characters are outstanding.
Six Feet Under (2001-2005) This is a story about a family-run undertaking business. Death has always been a taboo subject. No one likes to talk about it, but everyone thinks about it. This show makes death acceptable as a normal human experience and every episode addressed a different way in which a person can die, the aftermath, and grieving process. Fascinating storylines, great characters, and well-written.
Smash (2012-2013) I love a good musical and this show was my guilty pleasure for the two years it was on the air. It's about a Broadway play based on Marilyn Monroe so lots of great music and outstanding choreography. The storylines were good, acting sometimes questionable, but the music was absolutely addicting. I'm pretty sure I watched each episode at least twice, but the first season finale I watched at least twenty times. Really. And CRIED. Really. And I wore out the soundtrack.
The Sopranos (1999-2007) is about the New Jersey mafia focusing on one boss family and all his sleazy cohorts. The subject didn't interest me, but after years of winning all kinds of awards and garnering lots of constant media discussion, I got curious. I wasn't sold on the first episode and almost quit watching, but it reels you in with really awesome, complicated characters. By the third episode, I was hooked and I watched non-stop eight seasons of psychopathic blood baths and mental games. It was fascinating. And scary. Many memorable, haunting scenes I wish I could forget.
Switched at Birth (2011-now) This is about a high school girl who while doing a science assignment on genetics finds out she's not her parents' daughter. she was switched at birth in the hospital. The two families find each other and meet, one family somewhat rich and the other not so much. This was another ABC teen/family show. Kind of cheesy, but I liked the plot and characters. I lost interest after three seasons.
True Blood (2008-2014) A fantasy-drama about Louisiana vampires with a few werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies, and other supernatural beings. The Japanese invented fake blood so vampires were able to "come out of the closet", but are met with fear-based discrimination. Lots of parallels to gay equal rights movement. "God Hates Fangs" LOL. Brilliant. Great opening credits and southern culture. The storylines are way over the top, lots of bloody violence, and surreal to the point of humorous, but it's fun.
The Vampire Diaries (2009-now) Another vampire series, but the vampires in this one are gorgeous. It's Twilight for TV, but with better acting, better plot, and better storylines. It's a little less surreal than True Blood, more stressful than humorous, maybe a little less violent, but not much, and more teen theme driven. It's also missing the more complex themes and these vampires are not generally out of the closet, but watching the gorgeous Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) be a neck-biting smart ass is worth it. I would enjoy being a vampire. I wouldn't have to worry about chemical sensitivity!
Vikings (2013) is an historical fiction series produced by the History Channel. It's incredibly realistic. The village scenes are filthy and battle scenes are bloody. Really bloody. The characters are outstanding and the religion/culture fascinating. Rarely do we see historical narratives on this time period for TV, yet this show is so realistic it's often more documentary than fiction.
