Addicted to Bad

Lately I have been watching deep dark dramas.  Finding my dark side is not necessarily a bad thing.  In fact, I've released a lot of negative energy when Walter White rids the world of a drug dealer, or Nancy Botwin marries a drug kingpin to avoid her own execution.

The beauty of tv is that it has evolved into binge watching on Netflix.

So, just what keeps me entertained these days?




Nancy Botwin and her cavalier attitude.  She seems to always manage to get by, or does she?

Weeds




When I first started watching Bryan Cranston in this role, I thought "How on earth?  What is going on?"  But through the first episode, I realized he could totally carry off the role and I was immediately hooked.  This show has to be one of the best ever to hit the tv screen.  Thank you Netflix!

Breaking Bad




Ok, so I watched this because it came recommended.  First Weeds, then Breaking Bad, followed by Homeland.  I had no interest in the war on terrorism.  It terrifies me.  But Claire Dane's character is hypnotising and you feel for her and at the same time you want to choke her.  At the essence of this series:  human.  We're all humans.  We are all taught to hate based on one incident.  Look deeper and you may find that oil, money, and politics really do rule the world.  Love this show.

Homeland




I was never a Kevin Bacon fan during his Footloose days.  But as Kevin matured, he became this demure guy with a secret.  His passion shows through in this show.  Still I struggle to get through the gory sick episodes, but I do it for Kevin.  (insert corny smirk here)

The Following





I told you yesterday that I had become just a wee bit addicted.  History Channel has done a fabulous job telling the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok.  A bit of a Robin Hood feel to it, makes you wonder if he really did exist?  I think he did and if he did, well he's my ancestor.  Or so the story goes.  (psst, so is Robin Hood)


and who could forget Vikings





and now for something light


Meet the Bluths.  Jason Bateman was the reason I started to watch.  Then Michael Cera's quirkiness caught my interest.  But Will Arnett?  And his chicken dance?  I'm a crazed fan now too.  And don't we all know families this dysfunctional?

Arrested Development



Hank Moody (David Duchovny) is a tad crazed, a tad calm, just overall filled with problems.  Yes, you want to bring him home for dinner and ask him all sorts of questions.  Like why?  why?  why?

Californication



What's on your watch list lately?


signed, the willow

The Emancipation of Jeannie

Why I dream of Jeannie.

When I was a young girl, our TV viewing was limited to TV Ontario and CBC, but for a brief period a local TV shop offered to give you some TV channels from the US!  This was sheer genius and everyone subscribed. No one truly understood what was actually going on then.  Now, we would understand the practice to be "pirating" television from large US conglomerates.  As I understand it, he recorded tv shows on a very primitive VCR (this was the 70s), or reel-to-reel system, and rebroadcast the signal (or recorded shows) to us in chunks.  You didn't know what would be "on" or when. But you could cruise the channels (with a dial, no remote, nothing past channel 13) and you'd have a pleasant surprise when the USA network, or WTBS would appear.  This is how I came to know of "I Dream of Jeannie" and Barbara Eden.  For years, I had this idea that I might find a genie in a bottle on a beach one day too.

But, I learned something from Jeannie.

From Crackle: The Americanization of Jeannie

I learned that it was acceptable to live with a man and not be married to him first.  It was okay to go hide in your bottle (*insert tongue-in-cheek reference here*) and pout.  It was fine to cause mischief and play "dumb".  It was also okay to not do the dishes, because you could blink them clean later.  It all worked out in the end, even when Roger Healey tried to sway you over to his bachelor pad with his ascot.  


I loved Jeannie.  She was iconic and revered to me.  Some called her a sex object!  She caused men to have nasty thoughts about her and little girls to bare their midriffs later in their teen years.  But wait!  Jeannie found independence in a time when women were expected to stay home and cook and clean.  It was Jeannie who paved the way.  For me, anyhow.  She had a naivety, surely.  But she was 1000's of years old and had come from the middle east (with a robot accent) and popped out of the bottle after being trapped by the Blue Gin.  


Yes, Jeannie was a swell gal.  She shaped me in some ways.  Sad, huh?  Shaped by a Sidney Sheldon character.  Oh well, I like to think that the TV pirate of my home town also shaped a lot of the kids growing up in the 70s and 80s.  Without that pirated tv, we would have no clue about American culture. We'd still believe that the man on the Polka Dot Door has still never met the Polkaroo!  Or that Rod Coneybeare, The Friendly Giant had a chicken living in a book bag. Or Mr. Dressup let stray puppets live in the treehouse in his backyard and go to the car wash in a BMW (2:00 mark).  


{Please click through for your own benefit.  I had a tear form in my eye for The Friendly Giant and Mr. Dressup.  Oh, and couple giggles when Rusty popped out of the book bag and Casey paid for the carwash with a $2 bill!}


So, thank you Mr. Nutter for going to jail and risking it all for the sake of some entertainment in a sleepy little northern Canadian town.


signed, the willow

Gym-nastic!

Sometimes when *Mila* is flopping around the basement doing her gymnastics, we get the most interesting images on the TV behind her.

Like this:

Kevin from the office eating broccoli.

Can you do this?

or this?

signed, the willow

Hike and a Birthday

This past weekend was Thanksgiving for us in Canada and also my husband's birthday.  Here's some of the highlights.  Enjoy!

We had a little roaring fire after dinner.

 

And then there was this major sporting event that couldn't be missed!  It was the Winnipeg Jets vs. Montreal Canadiens.  I was torn being a Habs fan, but all those years I spent in Winnipeg, and they got their team back?  Sorry Montreal.  You took the win, but Winnipeg deserved those cheers!  And *Steve* parked the TV in a window so we could enjoy this beautiful weather.

Waiting for some marshmallows?

On holiday Monday, we took *Steve* for a hike.  Here he is proudly holding the caramel latte I made for him.

We packed a picnic basket filled with goodies (and candy bracelets, oddly enough) for a little tailgate party.  We turned down the wrong road, saw cars parked everywhere.  So we acted like Disney's lemmings and followed the crowd.  We thought we were lost until we spied a familiar creek.  Turned out the landmarks we  were now looking for?  Well.  We'd been there about 50 times.

The forest was utterly Carolinian and amazing.

All hardwoods and very much reminded me of a place to have a fairy-inspired wedding.

Maybe one day?

I don't even know what to say about this tree stump stripped of its cloak.  Interesting.

A place to stop and enjoy Tiffany Falls

This lady had some serious gear.  Jealous?  Yes. Until I saw that she couldn't bring a dog or child with her.  Instead she had to bring a husband to carry said gear.

This is the dog we brought.  We overheard some girls say "Oh, that's the kind of dog I want to get.  I love those dogs."  What?  Random mutts?  Croatian highland sheepdogs?  Corgi shepherd mixes?  Where have you ever seen this "type" of dog before?  Maybe here, on my blog?  I bet that's it!

He's very proud to be out on his birthday.

See?

Posing, even.

*Mila* took a call from her grandparents.

and then we let *Steve* have the camera.  Our turn.

She has my calves, and actually has ankles.

The water here is so sulfur filled, that it's grey or silvery at times.

The camo-like bark of the sycamores.

Happy Thanksgiving was had in Canada.  Aren't we smarter to do it before the snow falls?

signed, the willow