“The Lockout”

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 1 of The League. This will be my first foray into recapping, but I’m hoping to make it a regular occurrence. My recaps of The League will be the full-length version of the ones that appear on my family’s fantasy football newsletter “The Crying Towel”. Without further ado:

Previously on The League: a bunch of friends in Chicago have a fantasy football, you guessed it, league. Aside from the few out of town, thereby off-screen, members, the league is made up of Ruxin, Taco, Jenny, Kevin, Pete, and Andre. Ruxin won last year’s season and is the current owner of the Shiva. Andre, however, had the worst season and is in possession of the Sacko.

We open on a video-forum that the league members share. In said video, Ruxin is exercising his bragging rights by making a not-so-terrible copy of the Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle” with his very own “Shiva Bowl Shuffle.” He even went so far as to recruit some of his fantasy league team members to provide backup: Maurice Jones-Drew, Brent Grimes, and Sidney Rice.

On the other hand, Andre, is being forced to serenade public transit users by playing flute and performing as a troubadour while his league-mates look on.

Later, at the bar, Ruxin, Kevin, and Pete mock Andre for his ridiculous hair, which he was forced to grow out as yet another Sacko punishment. This look favors neither his bone structure nor his severely receded hairline. According to his friends, he looks like a “magician who also rapes” (instead of a rapist who does magic) because, for Andre, magic always comes first.

As it turns out, Ruxin shows off the Shiva Bowl ring he had made. It is as gaudy as you would imagine (going so far as to say “Suck It” on the side). Andre makes a Lord of the Rings reference which no one gets or appreciates. Taco suddenly appears, home from his round-the-world trip, fresh out of the Taliban (“worst April of my life”) and a bona-fide television star. Well, at least in Algiers. Taco won a recurring role in an Arabic show, Sands of Passion as an “American rapper/cowboy/cautionary tale”, named Buck.  His catchphrase? “Bang, bang, what’s the hang?” The show included correct, if poorly pronounced Arabic, as well as an alternate ending to Taco’s story arc. Spoiler alert: he would either end up marrying his on-screen girlfriend or become a suicide bomber.

Meanwhile, Kevin’s wife Jenny is attempting to train their new puppy. While reading the training book, she realizes that it probably wouldn’t be that out of the question to train her husband using the same methods: lowering her voice and stomping a foot for emphasis. Because this is a TV show, it works. Normally, I would hate the trope of a wife “training” her husband, but in this case I’ll let it slide. He kind of deserves it for wanting to knock Jenny up just to prove his virility. It seems he’s feeling quite down because not only does he sucks as a team-owner, but his wife managed to make it to the Shiva Bowl. Anyway, Jenny’s training technique, while sound, clashes with Pete’s (a double-click on a pen). Adorably, both methods are reinforced by scratching Kevin’s ear. That right there is why you can’t blame Seth Rogen’s character for assuming them to be in a relationship. They’re just really cute together. Anyway, it turns out that Taco also has his brother trained. He “highnotized” him, or, hypnotized him whilst high.

Before we know it, the league, minus Ruxin, is assembled and ready to establish draft order. They have quorum, so they go ahead and start. Of course Ruxin’s name is picked first. Pete throws the paper back in and they re-pick. In a diabolical plan, Ruxin is made the penultimate pick so the draft doesn’t seem rigged and Andre gets the bottom slot as yet another Sacko punishment. When Ruxin appears, he calls bullshit and totes suspects their scheming. Before breezing out, he tells them the season will be suspect unless he wins. His parting line: “Pile into your clown car of lies, because you’re all going down.”

The next day (maybe? Who really knows?) everyone but Jenny and Andre are at the public library to meet with former league member Rafi who is day-drunk. I guess he really needed to distract himself from the fact that his Mexican child-bride was deported. Rafi’s there to help with the last Sacko punishment for Andre: banish him from his awesome apartment, despite the fact that it is draft headquarters, and film a Seth Rogen-directed porno before he returns.

Draft Day: Before the draft starts, everyone minus Andre, heads to the roof of Andre’s apartment where Ruxin has staged a Bachelor-esque celebration (complete with a single red rose and flutes of champagne) in honor of the new season. Taco goes inside to let the porn crew in, closing the patio door behind him. The rest of the group is, you guessed it, suffering a “Lockout.” While the actors are “acting” and the cameras are rolling, the auto-draft kicks in. Everyone gets stuck with terrible picks. (Poor Jenny gets two kickers and two defenses, both early in the draft). Andre, however, is furiously scanning Fantasy Football for Dummies, and is surprised by how quickly the draft is moving. He, too, drafts a terrible team.

After a brief reappearance of the Shiva ring, which we shall hopefully never see again, the episode ends and we’re left to wonder how bad the auto-drafted teams really are.

Anticlimactic Summer Plans

I’m pulling a Hannah, and there’s no way I will apologize for such behavior, because she is awesome. Anyway, the other day, Hannah posted her summer reading list, and I figured, why not do the same? Especially since the guilt of not posting in over a fortnight is crippling me. But that’s the way it goes, nothing happens in the summer, least of all May. Just me bumming around, waiting for friends to come home, waiting for work to start, making playlists for the imminent hours to be logged at the lovely BVFAC. So, without further ado, my summer reading list:

Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt

Loud in the House of Myself by Stacy Pershall

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (because I haven’t read it in 3 years)

The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris

The Magus by John Fowles

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (because it’s my dad’s favorite book and I haven’t read it in over a decade)

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy by various authors, and not insignificantly the BBC

On the Road by Jack Keruac (because, unlike Hannah, my beatnik phase is just dawning)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Portrait of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (despite the fact that mom spoiled it for me)

Hey Rube by Hunter S. Thompson

Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman

Believe it or not, that’s only about a third of my real list. But, keeping things in perspective, I probably won’t get more than this read seeing as how they’re almost exclusively literary fiction or non-fiction. Challenge accepted. I already knocked out This Side of Paradise (Fitzgerald) and Unfamiliar Fishes (Sarah Vowell). Aside from these, I also plan on reading the the 5th, 6th, and 7th Harry Potter’s in anticipation of the new film. Expect a couple of book reviews and a few more Harry Potter posts before the end of the summer. If you have any suggestions, throw them at me in the comment section!

Donde esta la biblioteca?

Borders is broke and I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, that may be one less bookstore to go to. On the other, another reason for me to get a Kindle. It’s not that we need fewer bookstores, it’s just that Borders is a small, independent bookstore killer. And I, for one, love small bookstores. One of my favorites is just across town. It’s so picturesque:

It’s actually difficult to navigate the inside of the store. Even the stairwell is lined with stacks of books. And yet, chaotic as it seems, it’s organized. I found just what I was looking for my last visit. I managed to pick my dad up a first edition of one of my favorite books. It’s the kind of place where, if a purchase comes to $27.13, they’ll waive the change if you don’t have the pennies. You can have a conversation with the owner and get lost in the stacks.

Borders kind of kills that feeling. I try and only go to Borders when they’re a last resort. I’d much rather stop by Half-Price Books. Borders tend to be loud, bright, and smell of coffee. Which, while not wholly unpleasant, is not what I want from my bookstore experience.

Nonetheless, everyone has gotten much lazier when it comes to books and reading in general. It’s much easier to log onto the internet and pull up the New York Times home page than it is to stop by a newspaper stand (they still exist!) or get a subscription. I feel like fewer people are utilizing libraries, too. I already have a request list of books I want from my hometown library for when Spring Break rolls around (23 days left). iPads, Nooks, eReaders, and Kindles have all blossomed into popularity. How can you not want one with an ad like this:

Independent bookstores also tend to be more expensive. But, as one with the retirement dream of owning a small, independent bookstore (here’s looking at you Books & Pies!), I really hope people don’t fall out of love with books. Just think about how powerful the imagery of Gatsby’s library is… that’s more like it.

In the coming months I’m going to work on finding the perfect balance of book owning and technology using. Because, believe it or not, I’m not a Luddite. And, despite previously stated that I didn’t want a Kindle, I kind of do. I’ll still buy books – tangible, hard- and soft-cover, broken spined books – but I’ll buy some digital copies, too. My friend Rachel made the (valid) point that it’s just not realistic to study abroad and bring lots of books. And, in this instance, Kindle wins.

How to Survive Finals… without really trying

Once again, it’s finals week on the GW campus. For some that means writing scores of pages for papers, cramming for exams, moving into the library, and getting off campus as soon as possible. I take a slightly different approach to my end of term exams. Here’s my handy-dandy list of finals’ week must haves.

• Food. Not snacks, meals. There’s simply too much going on to take the time to go to the grocery store and prepare all of your meals. Especially since you’ll be going home in a week and you don’t want all of the food to spoil. So, if you’re like me, take-out will become your best friend. Chinese and Italian are always good choices. Chipotle, too, of course.
• Munchies. Load up on the quick-fixes. My must-haves include Joe-Joe’s from Trader Joe’s, cherry & s’mores flavored pop tarts, and lots and lots of Diet Cherry Pepsi.
• Distractions. Procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate. This is when your laptop knows no other screen than Twitter, Facebook, or your favorite blogs. This is also a great opportunity to break out that book you’ve been meaning to read but never found the time. For me, it’s Catcher in the Rye.
• Socialize. There are no classes, meaning you, and everyone else on campus, has suddenly been gifted with downtime. Organize movie nights. We’re watching one a night for the rest of the week. So far, we’ve watched Pride & Prejudice and Love, Actually. Tonight we’re curling up for Gone With the Wind. If studying really is a priority for you (which, honestly, I can’t fathom), form a study group. I know my university band is holding a private study party in the band room.
• Stretch your Legs. Being cooped up and studying non-stop will drive you up the walls. I know, I’ve witnessed it. Besides, ’tis the season to be jolly. Take a walk around campus or through the city (a field? Is that how rural campuses work?). Last night after work, some friends and I celebrated the first real snow-fall of the season by taking a stroll down to the Lincoln Memorial.
• Avoid the Library. If your undergrad library is anything like mine, it is unbearable at the best of times. Make it ten million times more crowded than normal, fluctuate the thermostat, and put in those god-awful florescent lights, and it’s impossible to get any work done. If, for some odd reason, you must go to the library to work, make sure that you pack water, snacks, and some noise-canceling earbuds. Permaybe some sunglasses, too.
• Holiday Shop. What better time to get your holiday shopping out of the way. Plus, if your school, like mine, waits until the last possible moment before Christmas to send you on your merry way home, this is the only viable time-frame for getting those gifts. Also, what could be easier than slapping down and dishing out your pre-paid university money at the campus bookstore? Who doesn’t love a shirt/coffee mug/stationary set with your school’s logo? Crazy people! That’s who.
• Have Fun! It’s very rare for an undergraduate course to put all of the weight in grading the class on the final. That kind of shenanigan is generally saved for law school (oh, goody. I can’t wait.). If you’re really freaking out, go ahead and calculate what the worst-possible grade you can get on the final while still doing well in the class. That’s why I’m not studying for Arabic as I type this. That’s being saved for Gone With the Wind-times.

I’m not saying that finals aren’t a stressful time – for most sane students, they are. But balance your nose-to-the-grindstone study habits with some relaxing activities. You deserve it! I just choose to save my major stress-related meltdowns for more important things, like the day that Stargate SG-1 finally stops streaming on Hulu and I have to shell out the big bucks for the actual DVDs. (It’s a legitimate concern, guys! 10 seasons of awesomeness really adds up.) And, remember, as my good friend Amanda said: ‎”It’s ok because remember you only need like a 3.0 to get a job, right?” Is that how that works?

Surprise Me, I Dare You

Vampires. They’re a pop culture phenomenon that I admit I’ve been sucked into following. While they’re not exactly a new sect of paranormal popularity (Dracula, Nasferatu, Anne Rice, etc.) the last five years have really seen a spike (haha) in mass-marketing. Having read and viewed my fair share of vampire stories, I feel that I can be semi-reliable when I say that there’s really only one archetype for every vampire story of the last score of years. To wit: I will compare and contrast four sources: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood (The Southern Vampire Mystery Series), The Vampire Diaries (tv show), and Twilight (don’t mock. I can feel you mocking from here and I don’t like it.).

Main Character: A young female ingenue who can hold her own. Typically a social outcast, fiercely protective of her loved ones.

• Buffy Summers: Perhaps a little to badass to be an ingenue, per se, but young and female. She is the Slayer after all, charged with killing all things demonic.
• Sookie Stackhouse: Her telepathy got her pegged as an outsider at an early age and made it difficult to pay attention in school.
• Elena Gilbert: The death of her parents put her out of the realm of popularity as she became a little reclusive and less of a partier.
• Bella Swan: Classic outcast story. Awkward, clumsy, people-don’t-understand-me-and-I-just-moved-across-the-country-to-a-backwoods-town.

Backwater Town: Small town, USA. Population: less than 20,000

• Sunnydale, CA: There’s one main street in the small town. It’s on top of the Hellmouth. Not exactly prime real estate (unless, of course, you’re a demon).
• Bon Temps, LA: Hicksville, USA. They do all of their shopping at the Wal-Mart two towns over. Everyone is racist and/or homophobic. Supernatural baddies galore.
• Mystic Falls, VA: Small town America. One local hangout for all the kids which doubles as a bar for the adults. Classy. Also, it was a vampire haven in the late 19th century and descendants of the founding families include werewolves and vampires.
• Forks, WA: It’s rainy there. All the time. And a quintessential small town, I guess. You know, the perfect place for all of those sparkly vamps and shape-shifting pups to hang out and are sure to never, ever be discovered.

The Boyfriend: Vampire. The proverbial “nice guy.” Tends to brood. A lot. Generally has dark, ridiculous looking hair. Has a terrible accent.

• Angel (Angelus): Dark hair? Check. Broods a lot? Check. Tortured soul? Check, but only because those damn gypsies cursed him into carrying around a soul and feeling regret for his actions unless he manages to find his “one moment of happiness.” Terrible Accent: appears only in flashbacks to his days in native Ireland.
• Bill Compton: Dark hair? Check. Broods a lot? Check. Tortured soul? Does the phrase, “It is pure NIHILISM!” mean anything to you? (If not, read: check.) Terrible Accent: Anytime he’s from the south. Which is always.
• Stefan Salvatore: Dark hair? Check. Broods a lot? Check. Tortured soul? Check. I mean, he did turn into a vamp by drinking his fathers blood. Then forced his brother to turn, against his will. Oh, and that was after he stole his big brother’s girlfriend. Don’t worry, now he’s all remorseful and only feeds on bunnies and other cute woodland creatures. Stefan escaped the terrible accent, but he is dating a girl who is identical to his vampire ex-girlfriend, so we’ll call it a wash.
• Edward Cullen: Dark hair? Check. Broods a lot? Well, he may be the youngest vamp on the list, but he broods so well you’d think he invented it. Tortured soul? Well, he’d tell you he doesn’t have a soul, but it doesn’t stop him from acting like he’s the most woebegone creature on the face of the Earth. Also feeds on innocent woodland creatures. Terrible Accent: only when on-screen.

The Bad Boy: Obviously the more swoon-worthy of the leading men. Sometimes comes with a nice accent. Oh, and has the ability to emote. And a sense of humor. Also not one to shy away from the booze.

• Spike (William the Bloody): Once a merry prankster in cahoots with Angel, they were never really best buds. Spike has too much panache to be all doom and gloom like Angel. Plus, sexy British accent. And he’ll spontaneously burst into song. (Most notably in Once More, With Feeling. But he burst into The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” a few episodes before that.)
• Eric Northman: Oh, you know. The ushe. 1000 year old Viking vampire. Body of a norse god: tall, blond, ripped. Menacing, with a touch of devil-may-care evil, and a ton of joie d’ vivre. Plus, he has the slightest Scandanavian accent and will speak Swedish with his progeny (with whom he has an adorable relationship).
• Damon Salvatore: Oh, lord the “eye thing”. Brilliant, expressive, blue eyes.  Ripped body. Funny. Loves to dance. Evil, but delightfully so. He would never allow any harm to come to the ones he loves. But that doesn’t stop him from emotionally (and, on occasion, physically) torturing Stefan (his baby bro) for all eternity for the whole making-him-turn-against-his-will-after-having-stolen-his-girlfriend-and-always-being-the-favorite-son thing.
• Jacob Black: The only non-vampire that falls into the bad-boy category. Not really that much of a bad-boy either, excepting the fact that he rides a motorcycle and… ditches school? Not really one for the random acts of evil, this one.

The Werewolf: Pretty straight-forward. A man who, every full moon, must turn into a, say it with me, wolf.

• Oz: One of the Scoobies (Buffy’s merry band of Slayer-helpers). The boyfriend of Buffy’s best friend (you know, before Willow turned gay). Locks himself up during the full moon to protect the innocents.
• Alcide Hervaux: The most prominent of the werewolves in Bon Temps. Decent guy when he’s not pining over his shape-shifting bitch of an ex. Not to be confused with Sam Merlotte, Bon Temps’ resident shape-shifter.
• Tyler Lockwood: Well, his uncle was one, too, before the big, bad Damon ripped the still-beating heart out of his chest. He’s triggered the werewolf curse, but has yet to actually transform.
• Jacob Black: While technically a shape-shifter limited to one form, he thinks he’s a werewolf, so we’ll count it.

The Big Bad: You know, the antagonist. Tries to kill the protagonist. Not to be confused with the Bad Boys. Though they can be quite antagonistic on their own.

• The Master/ The Mayor / Adam / Glory / The Trio / The First: All different. One big bad per season was the general rule. You can lump Spike and his wayward ex Drusilla in there, too, but I’d rather you wouldn’t. All are generally set on world domination and/or destruction. They thrive on the general evil-ness that the Hellmouth emits and all want to see the Slayer (aka Buffy) dead.
• Rene Lenier (aka Drew Marshall) / Maryann / Russell Edgington: Again with the one big bad per season deal.  The evil gets arguably evil-er as the series progresses.
• Katherine / Elijah / Klaus: The Vampire Diaries is usually very generous with quick reveals concerning intricate plot twists, but fans are left hanging as to what, exactly, these three big-wigs want with the Doppleganger Elena. (Elena is Katherine’s doppleganger and distant descendent who seems to hold the key to breaking the curse that keeps the vampires from walking around in the sun.)
• James, Victoria, and Laurent / The Volturi: More menacing than evil, in retrospect. There’s a lot of threatening to eff things up, but not that many things (or people) actually get effed up.

See? Formulaic. Each category is conveniently filled. I can tell you each story if you fill in the blanks: [Main Character] suffers a personal loss or trial such as the death of her parents or a relocation. Then, when she least expects it, she meets [the Boyfriend]. Then, [Main Character] befriends / rekindles friendship with [Werewolf]. Just as [Main Character] and [Boyfriend] start to settle into a comfortable rythym in their relationship, [Main Character] meets [Bad Boy]. While at first she shies away from him, she is drawn to his ability to emote and not be a perpetual debbie-downer. [Boyfriend] gets more depressed and broodier than usual. [The Big Bad] attempts to kill/maim [Main Character]. [Bad Boy] helps to save [Main Character] but gallantly steps back as [Boyfriend] gets the credit.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat as necessary, occasionally throwing a wrench in the [Main Character]/[Boyfriend] plot and spicing up the interaction between [Main Character] and [Bad Boy]. Listen to the fans squee sickeningly.

Clocks slay time… only when the clock stops does time come to life.

Another unproductive day. I woke up late and spent most of the time contemplating the dream I had last night and life at college. Sometimes it feels like I’m still waiting for the whole college experience to begin. It’s not that I’m not happy with my time at GW, it’s just that it doesn’t necessarily feel like the most typical, cliche version of events.

Anne and I bonded today, talking about our lives. It was a nice talk. I realized that I tend to be a pretty serious person. Not that I’m never goofy, but I don’t bring barrels of levity to every situation, either. I dearly love to laugh, but I don’t feel like I do it as often as I’d like. I’ve noticed in the last few weeks that I’m very fixated on my future instead of the now. I also tend to spend some time reminiscing. I don’t know how to better interact with the now, but it’s always going to be now, with my future passing by. Does that make any sense? I guess I need to work on seizing the day, taking the bull by the horns, carpe diem, yadda yadda yadda. My life just seems too busy to find time to change – what with classes, work and interning. But before I can change my habits, I need to figure out how. Next semester will be a more freeing time, what with no internship to contend with. On the whole, I’m content – I’m just not always happy. The spring will be a nice change of pace - I’ll have some more time for me.

The big issue I tend to wrestle with is finding my niche here at school. I have friends and I hang out with them a lot, but I still find it hard to beat my occasional reclusive behavior. I’m always harried by time. I feel like Quentin Compson, but, you know, without the incest and suicidal tendencies.

Maybe that’s the heart of the issue there. I don’t have my time to read – to completely absorb myself inside another life, to bear their burdens instead of mine for awhile. I’ll work on some homework, finish watching the Bama game, and give my current hero, Winston Smith some time to come alive. And maybe inspiration will strike and I’ll be able to work on my writing for a while. If only I had a fireplace or a beautiful old library…

Tuesdays with Maury, Wednesdays with John

A long time ago I came to terms with a simple fact: I am a geek.  Not only do I read like it’s my job (in actuality, I probably read with more diligence for fun than I would if I were at work), but I have for as long as I can remember always plod through summer with sheer excitement for school to restart. I like to learn. I have a reading list this summer that I compiled for myself. It has sixty-nine books on it, all of them either non-fiction or literature. I’ve been out of school for 17 days and I’ve already read ten books – none of them on my list.

And, for as much TV as I watch (which, believe me, is a lot), it actually helped me, come college! Even the non-educational, completely fictional, escapist shows that I watch helped me ace quizzes and classes in college. And parents say TV rots your brain. Honestly, ten seasons of Stargate SG-1 and seven of the West Wing helped me pass Astronomy and PoliSci, respectively.

The first few books on my reading list: Faiths of the Founding Fathers, The Oxford Companion to World Mythologies, and Generation Kill. I was looking forward to reading Anne’s book about quantum physics, but I forgot to borrow it from her before we parted ways for the summer.

But, seriously, even some of my favorite cartoons  are geeky. Regardless, I can’t wait for Futurama to come back to TV this summer. Also, is it just me, or does the theme song for Futurama sound reminiscent of the chime-y intro to 17? Decide for yourself:

But the geeky thing about me that really seems to take the cake: I love over-the-phone political surveys. Always have. I think they’re fun. Sometimes I bond with the pollsters. Like yesterday, for example. I bonded with the guy interviewing me over the fact that we were both too young to vote in the 2008 election. Apparently, we’re the same age, and even have the same birth month! Go figure. See, politics can be fun. (Speaking of, you go John Sides!)

“Oh, Hallelujah: Tuna!!!”

Absolute, hands-down, best moment of work this year?  Seeing a law school student stroll into the library wearing a pink shirt with graffiti-style text on the front. That may sound silly, but my excitement could not be curbed when I recognized that the shirt was one commonly worn on one of my favorite childhood Nickelodeon shows, Wild and Crazy Kids. Better yet, the shirt was worn just enough that I’m fairly confident he was on the show!!!

Childhood pop culture smacked me over the head again when I saw this text from last night on my news feed this morning:

(610):
I just made a 90′s Nickelodeon TV theme song power hour mix…I don’t want to build it up but your head might explode

Don’t remember some of the great Nick shows of the ’90s? Here are a couple of my favorites:

Son of a Nutcracker!

I know it’s the holiday season because delightful advertisements have sprung up on my television.  Now, I refuse to get a Kindle or a Reader, or any of those other electronic reading doodads out there, but this commercial almost made me want one.

But, as much fun as that looks, I want to stick with a good old-fashioned book. I like the smell of books and the nostalgia that surrounds them.  I like that they’ve been around for centuries and a lot of those texts are still relevant.  I like opening a book for the first time and I like feeling the familiar crack of a worn-in spine once I’ve reread a book for the umpteenth time.  I hate it when books are dog-eared, but I like that they can be. They’re personal; you can write in the margins or underline or (gasp) highlight.  To me, they’re classic and classy.  And, I’m sorry, but what’s a nicer decoration to a room than a nice bookshelf of books, be them mismatched paperbacks or leather-bound first editions?

And don’t even get me started on how much I love libraries. Seriously, don’t. I could prattle on for a while.

Tonight’s Gonna be a Good Night

I love the feeling of classes winding down and finals approaching.  It’s not that I’m excited for finals so much as reading week. An entire week to do nothing. Okay, sure, I could use it to study, but we all know that that won’t happen.  I anticipate trips to the zoo, museums, the movies, and long days in the dorm.  Amanda and I kicked of our reading week in style last night even though it doesn’t officially begin until Tuesday. Here’s how it went.

On Sunday night upon our return to the dorm from our Thanksgiving break, we popped in the first disc of Aaron Sorkin’s most recent episodic endeavor, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006). It’s chock-full of our favorite actors, including Bradley Whitford, Timothy Busfield, Amanda Peet, and Matthew Perry. Last night, after I got home from work at midnight, we really started to rally. We watched episode after episode starting at about 1 am.  By three, we hit the 4-episode story arc that ends the one-season series.  Needless to say we had to finish.  So, as Amanda worked on a project and I finished knitting a scarf, we absorbed ourselves with Studio 60. It was glorious; maybe the best decision I’ve made yet in college.  We didn’t turn in until 6:45 am, but that was okay because I didn’t have class until 12:45.  Many a time we replayed a scene.  Our Facebook statuses at about 5 or 6 in the morning really reflect how much fun we were having.  Back and forth we posted quotes from the series, often lapsing into raucous giggle fits.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we woke up Ellen and Anne. Here are some examples of our Studio 60-induced statuses:

Molly: has been having this fight in two different millennia now.

Molly: “once had this dream of having enough money and buying the entire West Wing cast just to keep them on retainer. For, you know, whatever. Maybe make them perform scripts for me.” - Amanda. cause us being roommates really was meant to be.

Molly: there was popcorn with butter. I couldn’t snap.

Amanda: wants this to be my family forever. no matter what else happens.

Amanda: is glad about that.

Amanda: just loves you is all.

Amanda:“When I have a baby, I want my husband… or whoever the father is… to be just like Danny. I want to be sure that he’ll have my kid’s back.” - Molly, on standards and expectations.

Today we went Christmas shopping at Target, getting decorations and cold-weather pajamas.  Afterwards, we stopped for some Anne-approved pizza.  When we got home, we watched one of my favorite movies, Pride and Prejudice (the 2005 Kiera Knightly version).  I was so excited when I picked up the DVD from the library I didn’t even mind that I had to go to the other campus for it.  It was completely worth it.

Now, as I type this, Amanda and I have restarted our Studio 60 marathon.  In all fairness, we started on the 5th disc, so there are only about five episodes to go. That’s no problem for us. (Apparently it was. We fell asleep after before the first episode was over with.)