The End: What I Would Watch and What I Don't Watch

So NaBloPoMo is at an end. Again, I don't think I won any of the prizes given by the organizers, despite being a diligent, if boring, daily blogger. I also am having second (third? fourth? sixteenth?) thoughts on the wisdom of spelling out my TV habit so clearly, especially when it comes to implicating Shawn in a few of the shows. I know it's not a good habit, and I could spend time dissecting why I succumb to it and don't really try to break it. Maybe next November?

Ah, I just remembered another show I DO watch: Rizzoli and Isles (which came back on this week after hiatus -- TNT). I like Angie Harmon a lot, but the show itself is really hokey. Another police drama with two female leads (detective and medical examiner), but they've both been the target of at least one serial killer (sometimes two) and the show is only a couple years old. Anyway, that gives you an idea of its quality...

I also watch basketball -- NBA and college especially in the spring -- so our TV gets use for that. (Although it's such a small TV that watching sports on it is pretty difficult.) Otherwise I think I've pretty much spilled my guts about my TV habits. **red face**

But pressing on, since embarrassment is a hallmark of this blog. So, what I WOULD watch if I had more time, was willing to spend money on premium channels, etc.

• Dexter (already seen all the seasons but the current one ... got hooked during the writer's strike when they showed clean versions of the show on CBS)
• Homeland -- another Showtime show with Claire Danes (I've seen most of her work since MSCL) that EVERYONE is talking about. I've heard about it from my mom, on NPR, on a variety of blogs, etc. 
• West Wing -- it's streaming free with Amazon Prime, and I would love to go back and watch every episode. I saw many of the later seasons but not as many of the first and never all in order.
• HGTV and DIY, specifically House Hunters and house renovations shows like House Crashers, Bath Crashers, etc. I used to spend hours with those on as background.
• Food Network -- Good Eats is an awesome show. I know it's no longer being filmed BUT Alton Brown has specials on the network and I'm sure they still air old GE eps (and they're really great even when re-runs). Also Trisha Yearwood apparently has a show on Food Network. I love her music and her cookbooks, so I'm sure I would love that show.
• Law & Order: SVU reruns. I watch some of these, but I would love to have a marathon day and just watch my favorites. Ditto for Law & Order: Criminal Intent reruns. Love me some Bobby! (Who I saw once in NYC.)
• Speaking of Ice-T (of SVU fame), I love the show Ice Loves Coco -- a reality show about Ice and his wife. It's so funny and bad. I've seen three episodes: once at the gym and two at my sister's house recently because I was channel surfing while waiting to pick up Shawn at the airport.

I'm sure there are many more, but these are what have been tumbling around in my head this month as I've been writing this series. There are also probably current prime time shows that I could easily get hooked into, but I do my best to avoid any new show trappings!

So you'll notice I do not watch any reality TV (although I would watch Ice Loves Coco, definitely a reality show). I used to watch America's Next Top Model in the first couple cycles -- back when I was in the target demographic I guess. And house hunting shows could count as reality? (HAHAHA, no.) Before we got married I watched hours of horrible bride shows and WAY back when MTV was new to me I loved watching Real World/Road Rules type stuff in college. But otherwise I'm pretty reality free. I also don't like singing competitions (I like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, but I never actually saw the American Idol competitions) or talent competitions (I've watched a handful of America's Got Talent episodes at other people's houses, and while mildly entertaining definitely not how I choose to spend my TV time).

Basically give me a script, some pretty people, a mystery and a good love story and I'm on board. (OK, I'm also on board if the show is pretty terrible, as evidenced by what I watch.)

Hope you had a great November. See you next year.

What I Watch: Cougar Town and Dallas

Two shows that are on hiatus and are more than a little embarrassing to say that I watch.

I started watching Cougar Town when it premiered -- I think the same time as Modern Family -- because it's created by the Scrubs people (and I love Scrubs) and just kept watching it because it was so wacky and weird.

The show is about a group of friends in their 40s, love to drink wine and play a game called Penny Can. They live in Florida. Originally it was about a divorced woman (Courteney Cox) going after much younger guys, but it evolved into a much better show. The title doesn't make any sense now, but they make jokes about it in the title cards -- a blink and you'll miss it kind of inside joke I guess.

It was on ABC but apparently is now moving to TBS starting on January 8. I'm glad I looked it up, as I'm not sure my DVR will automatically record something that's on another channel.

The revamp of Dallas wasn't something I was interested in watching BUT my mom and aunt were here during the series premiere and we decided to have a look. It was so bad it was good. And even Shawn got nostalgic and would watch it with me. 

I don't know how they're going to handle the next season now that Larry Hagman, aka J.R. Ewing, is dead. My mother-in-law said they'd already filmed the next season (or next part of it, since it's a TNT show with split up seasons) so at least they can write him out gracefully. Sadness.

One of the lead characters is played by an actor (Jesse Metcalfe) I first saw on the soap opera Passions. That show premiered when I was in high school -- maybe the summer right before college, and so I watched it religiously for a while. Eventually I stopped and they don't make it anymore. It was REALLY bad.

Passions also had the guy who played Keith on later seasons of Scrubs, so maybe he'll show up on Cougar Town in future seasons (lots of other actors from Scrubs have been on the show), and it will make these two shows being in the same post make a little more sense. Basically writing two-for-one because I'm running out of days in NaBloPoMo!

A Baby and Her Tree

Baby's first Christmas tree, and our first tree as a married couple. We never bothered in the apartments and didn't have a tree to put up last year when we had a newborn. This is a pre-lit faux tree we bought at Hobby Lobby last year for 75% off.

Only the front is decorated, and I didn't put anything at all at the bottom. We have plenty of room to grow and get more ornaments. I have some from my childhood, some that were Grandma Jane's, some that have been gifts (including a birthday present this year, a beautiful glass star), and several we have collected on our travels: Canada, Germany, Caribbean, etc. I would like to crochet some flat angels and some more snowflakes. Maybe next year!

What I Watch: Star Trek

A local channel - ME TV - plays the original Star Trek every Saturday night at 8 pm. Our DVR records it, and Shawn and I will watch an episode whenever we feel like intentionally watching TV together, which isn't often but is usually on Saturday evenings.

When we were dating we'd watch Star Trek: Next Generation together--my first introduction to the Star Trek universe. Although we had the string quartet play theme song as we walked down the aisle after being married we are far from Trekkies.

Shawn has seen most of the original series episodes, but I haven't. And even the ones I have seen I forget and like to watch again. There are a few Shawn will say "let's skip" and some that he hasn't seen or doesn't remember. He wants to skip "Trouble with Tribbles," but I keep saving it on the DVR hoping he'll change his mind and we can watch it again. It's hilariously weird.

The show is so campy and funny, and I'm a big Spock fan. I love Kirk's over-acting and the wacky sets and 60s-style costumes. I love the interplay with Bones and Spock and the inevitable "He's dead, Jim" almost every episode. Poor red shirts (a red shirt crewman almost always dies during an away mission).

The version we watch has had its external shots redone with CGI, so we don't like that as much/would prefer the authenticity of the model ships being filmed on a painted backdrop (or however it worked back then). Otherwise it's a good show we can share, and I guess we'll watch it until we get through all five seasons.

What I Watch: Fringe

Fringe is a show I've watched since its beginning, and I'm not really sure what it was that drew me. Actually it was probably Joshua Jackson. I've always been a Pacey fan myself. But I found I really liked the show, which is another that I watch with a strong female lead in Olivia.

It's now my only Friday show, but before it was on Thursdays after Bones. I had to choose between Fringe and Grey's Anatomy (I chose Fringe, but I could always watch Grey's online later).

Fringe is a scifi show that's not like any scifi I've ever watched ... not that I've watched a lot of scifi. It is not something that Shawn likes at all -- in fact he makes fun of me for watching it BUT sometimes he likes it because of the Walter and Peter dynamic ... the Walter character has some pretty good one liners and zingers.

Basically the show is about a team of FBI agents who investigate paranormal events (X-Files-ish I guess, but with the addition of a wacky scientist who's had part of his brain removed, making him hilariously weird). There's definitely some hardcore romance, which I love. But the longing is so prolonged. Every time Peter and Olivia get together they write some way to tear them back apart.

There was a huge storyline with an alternate universe, complete with a Fauxlivia. Our Olivia was trapped on the other side in a prison in the dark, and that was the cliffhanger end of a season. I can't tell you how many times I thought of that over the summer -- wondering how they'd ever set it right. Even knowing it was just a character and nothing was even remotely real I still WORRIED about Olivia. (Spoiler: they did sort everything out, although not without doing some damage to the Peter-Olivia relationship ... which then got re-written or re-wired when Peter disappeared from existence only to be pulled back by their love, but their history never actually happened ... or something. Still not clear on that one.)

This is Fringe's final season, and it's like a COMPLETELY different show. We've fast forwarded to 2036 (the characters didn't age because they were frozen in amber for 20 years), and they have to fight to reclaim the earth from future people who have come back to trash its resources. It's bizarre and frustrating, especially because with the super powerful enemy "The Observers" it seems impossible for them to actually triumph.

I keep watching though because I believe that they will triumph. I want to see the resolution of the Peter and Olivia love story. And at this point it's habit. I've watched every other episode so I might as well see it to the end.

Pop Culture Nexus is a site that has a feature on Fringe -- screen caps of the episodes with funny commentary. It stays true to the show -- it's not written in a mean way, as the writer LOVES Fringe. But it adds another element of entertainment to the show I think. I haven't been reading it this season, but I did for a while last season. It's full of spoilers though, so if you watch the show or plan to (previous seasons are available on Amazon for streaming ... free with Prime), probably avoid that site.

Thirty Two

Birthday offerings at Indiahoma UMC

Jane's mama is 32 years old today...

Shawn got the Christmas tree put up and I'm going to work on decorating it today. We have so many ornaments that I've collected but have never been able to actually display. Going to be fun!

Tonight is Bible study so no big evening out for us. I'd like to go out and get Mexican food some time this week.

I also need to get my flu shot and TDAP shot. Suddenly paranoid AFTER our first big travel. D'oh. Jane's vaccinated though, so at least there's that.

It's a beautiful day for a birthday -- overcast, cool and rainy. Our yard is covered with leaves, the Christmas music is playing for the first time this year and I'm in a pretty good mood.

I'm going to try to take advantage of at least one Cyber Monday deal and buy my Christmas cards. I've bought a few different ones here and there when they were super cheap (like only pay shipping cheap). But I want to get Jane's picture using this tutorial. The guest room is set up, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I can get photo editing time during Jane's afternoon nap.

Wish me luck...

RIP Router

I still have a couple more TV shows to write about, but since we came home to a fried router I thought I'd write about that, since it will make blogging that much harder.

Apparently when you power up and power down a router enough times it eventually just dies. They don't come with power buttons -- at least not the model we had -- so wasn't protected from that. Even though it was plugged into a surge protector that didn't save it.

SO we still have internet via the modem if we plug in directly BUT without wifi my Draw Something time is severely limited. Not to mention that reading my Google Reader feeds without my iPod will be nearly impossible for me! Oh how my habits have changed. I don't sit at a computer all day anymore!

Hopefully we'll be back up and running by Tuesday, but until then I'll hobble along and use my Connectify program to create a small wifi hot spot when my laptop is on and connected to the internet.

Home Away

We're homeward bound today. It's been a great trip. Remember when I would obsessively write every detail of every trip? I will probably do some highlights with pictures of this trip, but nothing like my Owen-filled detailed posts of old. (But there will be plenty of Owen in any wrap up ... I still love that kid like a crazy person!)

Wish us luck getting home, although it should be infinity times easier with two of us to wrangle a toddler. And it actually wasn't all bad when I did it myself.

Happy Small Business Saturday, and I hope I can find one en route (unlikely in DFW I'd guess) -- or make it home and do some Etsy shopping just to say I did.

(This tiny laptop of my mom's is nice, and I'm grateful to have been able to use it and keep up with NaBloPoMo, but I'll be glad to get back to my own machine, photos, etc.)

What I Watch: Psych

Psych might be my favorite current show. It's another crime show -- mostly a comedy but with some drama mixed in.

I love Shawn and Gus, and Shawn and Juliet. I love the goofy jokes, 80s and 90s references and the wacky crime solving team.

Another show that I started watching because my mom turned me onto it. And I LOVE it. It's another show I can watch again and again in syndication. I might even watch it if I had the DVDs (I only have DVDs of two shows: My So-Called Life and Felicity).

Anyway, I watched tons of reruns on Ion and USA during my pregnancy. I wouldn't be surprised if Jane recognized the theme song: "I know, you know that I'm not telling the truth. I know, you know you just don't have any proof..."

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving from our turkey to you.

What I Watch: The Big Bang Theory

I love this show, and it's one of the few that Shawn will watch with me regularly and intentionally. It's centered around academics -- totally stereotyped but also hilariously accurate sometimes.

One of the characters is socially inept but also OK with it (his mother had him tested so he knows he's not insane) -- Sheldon is so funny, and the actor who portrays him (Jim Parsons) does such an amazing job with his body language and dry one-liners.

Sheldon has a "girlfriend" in later seasons -- Amy Farrah Fowler -- who is played by Mayim Bialik, formerly known as Blossom (whose book Beyond the Sling I recently read).

We always laugh out loud at this show, sometimes because it reminds us of something we've experienced, but usually just because it's so outlandish and such a ridiculous portrayal of the way academia works.

It's definitely one of my favorite shows and one I would be sad to give up if I ever did abolish TV entirely. It's also one that I can watch repeatedly in reruns, which I did earlier this year when Jane was still small enough to keep facing away from the TV (what a bad mama!).

What I Watch: Community

Here's another NBC sitcom that's currently on hiatus. I've watched it since the beginning because of Joel McHale. I was a big fan of The Soup (don't watch anymore because I actually HAVE cut back on TV watching, despite what this month is showing me/us). I watched it back when it was Talk Soup and Skunk Boy was the host. (I didn't watch it when Greg Kinnear was the host, but that's probably because we didn't have cable then.)

Anyway, I think Joel McHale is super cute and funny, so I checked out his show and I liked it and kept watching. It doesn't get the best ratings because it's kind of a wacky only-some-people-will-get-it kinda show. And I like being one of those kinds of people I guess.

This is a show about a group of friends -- originally a study group for some class -- at a community college (I think in California?). The main character, Jeff, was an attorney who'd never completed his undergraduate degree, so he gets fired and decides to go get it so he can get back to practicing law and making money. The other characters are so assorted and have different reasons for being at the school -- some fresh from high school all the way up to an old retired guy played by Chevy Chase.

All in all it's a really clever show. There is some drama behind the scenes with the show's creator being fired and Chevy Chase being apparently a real pill about everything. I have no first-hand knowledge obviously, but I do read things and sometimes information sticks around in my head, although not always in pristine 100% correct condition.

They have really good bumpers at the end of Community (Troy & Abed in the Morning...) but I often miss part of it because of the previously mentioned DVR issue since NBC airs their shows to straddle the break between shows. Annoying!

I'll be glad when the show is back on the air. It was supposed to start in October, but now it's been pushed to February. This is the fourth season, so maybe it will be the last given ratings and the incongruity of being in community college for so long? (Although that's not even the most bizarre thing about the show.) My DVR is set, so whenever it comes back -- Thursday or otherwise -- I'll catch it (or most of it I guess).

My Daughter is Not a Princess

Jane isn't old enough to watch TV (and the irony is not lost on me that I watch enough TV for two or three people myself), but someday maybe we'll watch this clip together. A Supreme Court justice is telling one of the characters (Abby Cadabby -- the weird one I can never figure out why she's able to do magic in the books we read) about careers. Being a princess is not a career.

Since I've been home my Gran and dad have both called Jane "a little princess." I know it's a term of endearment, and I haven't said anything like "don't call her that," even though I cringe a little when I hear it. (I don't think they called Owen "a little prince," but I wouldn't doubt it entirely, especially for my Gran.)

Jane is a lot of things. She's funny and amazing and smart and strong and beautiful (and every synonym of those words). But she's not a princess.

What I Watch: Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy is a drama -- really a soap opera -- set in a hospital in Seattle. I haven't watched it since the beginning. I'm not sure how I got sucked into it. I know my sister used to watch it and I probably started watching reruns on Lifetime (back in Alexandria?!), and so I've watched the newer seasons since then.

I liked Izzy (Katherine Heigl), but her departure was pretty weird and her story line had degraded -- I hated the Denny hallucinations and brain tumor stuff. Otherwise I think Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), the main character, is my favorite. And I like her relationship with Derek (Patrick Dempsey). I couldn't understand the adoption story line -- it seemed very fake that they wouldn't be able to keep their baby with them as a foster child during the process, especially after she had bonded with them. But I'm sure there is some grain of truth there. It was irritating to watch though.

The seasons continue to get more and more drama filled in terms of fantastical things happening to them to make big cliffhangers -- gunman loose in the hospital, plane crash, etc.

I also kept getting confused this year on the timeline -- their progression as doctors from interns to residents to attendings -- apparently takes five years? But this is the ninth season, and so they just became attending physicians and kept referencing "five years ago" when showing clips from season one. I still am not sure I understood that right. Or which seasons were supposed to represent two years.

Thursday is my most jam packed night for TV recording. I usually watch all my NBC comedy shows (whatever three or four are on that I'm watching) and call it a night. I watch the Grey's, etc. later on the weekend.

What I Watch: The Office

The Office hasn't been the same since Steve Carell left, but I still love it because of the Jim and Pam story line. The drama is over there, but I like a happy ending.

I've seen several of the original British "The Office" episodes, but definitely after I had seen the Americanized versions. I probably didn't think it was as funny as it would have been otherwise. I also really like it even though I don't work in an office anymore (and I guess I haven't for much of the run, since I worked from home for several years in there). Especially at the beginning some of the jokes seemed to ring true to life, making them even funnier.

I keep watching this because I'm hooked into the characters' story lines. It's still funny and an OK way to spend 20 minutes. This is its last season though, so hopefully I won't fall into whatever replaces it in the time slot.

//////

Jane and I made it to Oklahoma no problem. We had a tight connection in Dallas, but our flight arrived and then departed from the same gate. I think it was even the same plane! I was worried about our car seat not making it in the 45 minute layover, but of course it did. The strap on the car seat bag broke, which is annoying and hopefully I can replace it -- let me know if you have ideas for that! -- but otherwise it was an uneventful trip. Jane was fairly good. She didn't cry like I thought she might.

Being here so far has been a challenge, since Beth is spending time with her boyfriend, my mom is working today and Shawn is en route to his conference. So I'm basically single parenting in unfamiliar (and not childproofed!) environs. I'm exhausted. Add that to the lingering sickies and I'm not a lot of fun to be around. Poor Jane! (And Gran!)

I put Jane in the play pen so I could knock out this post -- and give myself a rest. She took a good morning nap, but this afternoon was way more interested in watching Owen play than resting. So I'm in for it tonight I know.

Gotta get back to Gran's -- AKA land of no Internet. Makes me wish I had an iPhone so I could DrawSomething from there. Until tomorrow...

What I Watch: Up All Night

Let's see, a 30-minute show about new parents with a baby keeping them up all night that premiered in fall 2011 ... yeah, that sounds like something I would tune in for since I also had a baby keeping me up all night then. (In reality she slept great as a newborn ... it's now as a toddler that we're really losing sleep.)

This show stars Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph. They tweaked the set up of the show from stay-at-home dad to stay-at-home mom from season 1 (Rudolph being Applegate's boss on a talk show) to season 2 (Rudolph just being a wacky friend with no evident employment), so that's a little weird. It's not my favorite show, but I like the premise of seeing how a fictional family deals with a baby/kid.

(In real life Will Arnett is married to Amy Pohler -- of Parks & Recreation -- and they have two little boys. BUT they recently announced their divorce after 9 years of marriage and it makes me sad. Not all celebrity breakups make me sad -- Robsten, what? -- but this did. I have no idea what happened, obviously, but if I had to pick shows based on loyalty I'd definitely go with Parks & Rec. Not only is it a better show, but I almost always side with the ex-wife in celebrity breakups. Team Aniston! Wow, I am so lame.)

ANYWAY, on the show the baby's name is Amy, who is pretty much the most adorable baby ever ... I assume it's a set of twins, and if I saw them together it would be cuteness overload! On one episode Amy was unable to sleep anywhere but her parents' bed. The solution: put a pillowcase in her crib. Uh, maybe my baby's broken but that does NOT work for us. Jane mostly sleeps in her crib now anyway, but I wear a path between our rooms throughout the night as she wakes up.

Another episode, I think last season, has the family taking a cross-country flight at the last minute for a wedding. They're at LAX, the lines are long, Amy needs a diaper change so they do it in a security bin. Funny. Traveling with a baby is no joke.

And I'm about to do it today. This will be my first flight alone with Jane since she's been able to walk. I'm hopeful it will go OK, as they are two short flights. But she's heavier, we're both a little sick (so worried about her ears!) and we're both used to our routines. I've got my bag of tricks -- some new small toys, snacks, books (favorites and new) -- and hope that we can be OK on our way to OK. At least on the way back Shawn will be with us (he has a conference).

Anyway, Up All Night is a silly little show that isn't at all representative of life with a baby. They take some aspects of it and blow them out of proportion, which is exactly what a TV show should do I think.

What I Watch: Parks & Recreation

Another sitcom in the NBC Thursday night block. I've watched this from the first episode, probably because it just came on after something I already watched. But I actually love Amy Pohler from Saturday Night Live -- she created and stars in the show -- so it's possible it was an intentional decision to start watching.

In any case it's intentional that I KEEP watching.

Pohler's lead character Leslie Knope is a government employee (working in the parks department) in an Indiana town. She's idealistic and efficient and loves her job and town. She's also a goofball and is surrounded by quirky, nutty characters who fit together in really weird ways.

Here's a funny clip with two of my favorite characters, Tom and Donna:



I also really like that characters get together romantically and then seemingly stay together. Romance isn't a big part of the show (although the Leslie and Ben storyline is great), but there isn't a big effort to have some sort of ongoing sexual tension between characters (like Sam & Diane, Ross & Rachel, etc.). Maybe that will change as the series progresses, but I hope not.

The show, like most sitcoms for me, isn't long enough and I wish there were more. I guess if I watched everything on DVD plus extras it might seem right. In any case, I like this show a lot.

What I Watch: 30 Rock

I've watched NBC's Thursday night comedy block for what seems like a long time. I feel like since ER was on (Seinfeld and Friends for sure), but probably only sporadically since then and for a few shows.

Now it seems like I watch the whole block, and I have a real issue with my DVR. The way NBC airs their shows they end right in the middle of the top or bottom of the hour. So no matter what I do I miss part of the "bumper" after the show. What I could do is just set my DVR to record every Thursday from 7-9:05 and watch it in a continuous stream (a la a VCR), but then I might miss a show if its moved to another night (seeing as how I don't really watch commercials). So I get by with missing the last joke on every show.

Anyway, one NBC comedy I've watched for a few years is 30 Rock. At first I avoided it because it seemed too "popular kids" -- it doesn't have a mass following but it has a loyal enough following that it stays on the air. Also it's very smart and has Tina Fey. What was I thinking? 

Well, I saw an episode on an airplane and since then I've been watching, watching, watching. I've seen a few back episodes on Comedy Central but definitely haven't seen all of the early seasons.

I liked watching it in New York, thinking "oh yeah, I know that," even though seriously their NYC is almost as absurd as the one on How I Met Your Mother.

Fey's Liz Lemon character has the BEST lines. And the show about the creation of a Saturday Night Live-like show is great. It's usually layered and nuanced, sometimes so much that I'm sure I don't get everything they're putting out there. The show also has its fair share of gross and what-were-they-thinking moments. I find the Kenneth character especially weird and troubling sometimes.

I love the banter between Fey and Alec Baldwin. No sexual tension, but just a comic boss-employee relationship with two characters who have radically opposing political leanings (while still managing to keep the entire show very liberal ... something you don't expect really from a sitcom: a political bias).

The show is ending this season, and hopefully I'll find it in me to NOT replace it by watching whatever takes its time slot ... although it actually seems to share a time slot with another show I watch (because 30 Rock isn't super popular it hasn't always had a full season, which is bizarre).

What I Watch: Criminal Minds

Another crime drama introduced to me by my mom. Surprise surprise. I remember watching it first at her house -- it was a two-part episode rerun that went late into the night. I was so tired the next day, and although I had avoided watching this particular show I decided I liked it and got sucked into the characters. I caught up on most of the back episodes via Bravo and Ion.

It's a show about FBI profilers who travel the country helping local law enforcement solve gruesome cases, usually serial murders or other psycho things. They're always on the hunt for an "unsub" or unidentified subject. And I'm pretty sure each main character has had a psycho out for him or her individually throughout the course of the show's run.

I can't believe there are really so many serial killers out there. Wouldn't there be more national media coverage of some of the gruesome things if the TV show were real life? Thankfully it's not, but ugh. Some of the crimes they solve (and they almost ALWAYS solve them/the criminals are all so dumb or unlucky) are downright horrifying. So it's not a show for kids.

I tend to roll my eyes when the profilers get everything about the unsub right with just a few guesses. I also take issue with how they popcorn around the room while they're giving the presentation to the local law enforcement -- seamlessly moving from one person to the next on a single thought. I can't believe that's how things actually work in profiling, and I know people can't give a multiple-person presentation like hat without practicing. But really, what do I know? I watch gobs of TV each week!

There was a bit of a hub-bub a couple seasons ago when two of the female characters were written off (and it seemed they didn't ask to leave). It became a sausage-fest with one female tech who gets limited screen time most episodes. Thankfully the writers/producers/whoever reversed that and there are two women back on the team -- one of whom is Jeanne Tripplehorn, so that's pretty cool.

My favorite character is probably Spencer because he's so ridiculous. He's a special agent just like the rest of them but he has a PhD and is somewhat of a prodigy so they always introduce him as "Dr. Reed." As far as I can tell he's not a medical doctor, so the Dr. courtesy title is way overdone. That's something that irks me every episode because there's ALWAYS an introduction scene.

Now the new character played by Tripplehorn (have no idea what her name is on the show) also has a PhD. But I haven't noticed them calling her Dr. Whatever. Such a weird and random and small thing for me to notice.

I also really like Joe Montagna -- he is pretty relaxed all the time. I think he comes off like he doesn't really give a shit, where some of the other actors seem to stay super intense all the time. Maybe that's just part of how their characters are written though.

A lot of scenes on this show are DARK. I don't have a big TV so sometimes I can't see anything that's going on, and that's frustrating/annoying. But a minor issue I know and one that could maybe be corrected with a bigger TV. Meh.

If I watched more TV this is probably one that I could watch reruns over and over because it isn't mentally taxing to watch, especially when you've already seen most of the episodes and have a general sense of how the main characters' personal story lines have evolved. Although it's a case-by-case show there is some individual screen time about the characters about their lives outside of work, especially when it overlaps with the work (like when a serial killer is after one of them especially).

Complaint Box: Doctor Appointment

New Jacket from Auntie Sue

Ugh. Today was Jane's one year doctor check up. Everything is fine -- she's growing (and actually slimming down because of all the walking), but the WAIT just to see the doctor.

We had an 8:30 appointment, so we were there by 8:20.

Check in Lady: Have you filled out paperwork?

Me: Well, we've been coming for a year now, so yes we have.

CIL: Oh no, if you haven't been here since October 9 of this year you need to resubmit your paperwork.

M: Why didn't anyone tell me this?

CIL: They were supposed to tell you to come 45 minutes early for your appointment when they called to remind you. I'm sorry. Here, fill these out.

Uh ... I guess that means it takes 45 minutes to fill out AND for some numbskull to type everything into the computers.

I had forgotten to bring my ring sling, so I was actually holding Jane while writing out everything. I don't understand why they didn't just input the previous charts' information into the computer system since they were still going to have to type in whatever I was writing on this stupid piece of paper. Otherwise they could have sent me an email with a link to a form and I would have typed it in myself. ARGH.

I was overly pissy and sloppy in the writing. On the important parts I wrote as clearly as I could with a 23 lb. toddler squirming in my too weak arm. My signatures were illegible, I put down Shawn as a contact "outside of the household" before I realized that made it seem like we weren't together (we most assuredly are!), but I was hurrying through everything hoping I could still keep my 8:30 appointment.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

The waiting room was FULL of sick and well kids. There wasn't anywhere to sit after I got up and picked up my driver's license and Jane's insurance card (both of which they should already have copies of, but whatever). We ended up eventually sitting at the end of a row where Jane could see TV -- she didn't watch it consistently but she did relax and look at a few minutes of Phineas and Ferb. BAD MAMA!

We weren't seen until after 9:30. We didn't leave until nearly 10:30 what with additional waiting in the exam room -- both for the doctor and later for the nurse to give Jane her shots.

If I were a better person I would have been happy to wait, thinking about how lucky we are to have access to medical care in a clean, safe and warm clinic. Jane wasn't upset. She liked being out and about and seeing all the other children. My sweet baboo.