Reading & Watching, Another Way to Travel

I have not started another travel scrapping project but have one or two in mind. I have to visualize how I see the trip and what feel I want for the pages before I start. In my mind, I call it percolating time.  The bubbles are rising but the pot isn't ready to take off the stove yet

Lately, a lot of my free time has been taken up with 'in home travel' by either reading or watching tv series. I seem to vacillate and I've realized it depends on how cold it is. Really cold out and put me in front of the tv, next to the fire and nestled under a down throw. Warm and semi drowsy.  Thus, reading has taken quite a back seat in the recent week.

A new-to-me one I've started watching is Orphan Black, on BBC America.

I'm only in the beginning of season 1 and apparently season THREE is starting in April.  I wonder where I'll find season 2 - for free! 

Another BBC one (found on Netflix) I thoroughly enjoyed was The Honourable Woman, 8 episodes and I gobbled them up! Seriously, watch this one of you like current and tense political shows with all the Byzantine ways of the Arab/Israeli situation.

Broadchurch, Season Two, is ok but perhaps after watching my sweetie David Tennant in the not-so-great American version of B1, Gracepoint,  after watching the British original, I'm now a bit tired of his gaunt, exhausted look. Yes, the series was always dour but this has been just wearying.  You sort of wonder if there's something in the water out Broadchurch way... I'll continue on with it but not with a happy anticipation.

But I did find this one video to show a bit of a happier outcome in Broadchurch Season 3?

Maybe next week I should read more.

AAM Monday: What I'm Watching

For the longest time I was not a tv watcher. Then came a new husband who is not a tv watcher At All but I thought we could watch movies. Fail. He fell asleep 90% of the time.

As I am too cheap to go to the movies and not in a hurry to see the latest & 'greatest' films, I got myself Netflix. Then for my 60th birthday, he got me a big screen 40" tv. Seriously, people, that was the big one 10 years ago! Netflix + on Demand, and I've got it all. Oh yeah, an Apple tv box too.

Lately, especially since I had a lot of time sitting and icing my new knee, I've binge watched some times (Brothers and Sisters & a few other oldies) but rationed out many more series.

These have been my current faves, usually enough to have one hour of tv per night with the occasional 2 hrs.

Sunday night has been sacred for my friends at Downton. Year after year.

But now that we have a hiatus from Downton, I have become glued to these women.

I love any show set in DC's political world.

Then there's the intrigue and wonderful snark with this crowd of lawyers.

Another DC set that I hope will be renewed involves the CIA & the White House. Perfecto.

More on the fluff side and set in LA are the folks in this one.  Again, not the caliber of others but good interaction amongst the cast.

Then there's this one. The sub heading says it all. Finally, finally, growing up.

Can you understand why I really haven't taken the time to start watching the most recent season of these guys? Bad, so very bad. Breaking Bad bad and so deliciously bad. Evil with the southern drawl. "Democracy is so overrated." Frank and Claire. Just plain bad.

What are you watching these days?

What Am I Watching

Well in the am, when I come down to get my tea, I often stop and look at the little birds that come up onto our deck for bread crumbs or sips of liquid via the snow.  Later in the day, I can occasionally watch some of the brain damaged cardinals fling themselves at our glass doors. The doors have a reflective coating to reflect heat outwards and so the cardinals see themselves and either want to mate or kill 'that other bird'. They don't tell me what's on their minds.  For two years I've put up images of owls which is supposed to scare them and they ignore the images. Or maybe they have never seen a real owl round here. I sure haven't.

But other than these few birds, I've not watched a lot of telly lately.

Redbox had specials so he and I watched Captain Phillips. Very good especially for $1.27. The next day I had a free offer so I got Blue Jasmine. Woody was mean spirited here but again, it was free and Cate Blanchette did a great job.  So far, that's probably all I'll see of the nominees for Academy Awards unless Redbox comes through with another one or two.

I got two videos from the library. A Single Man with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.  Much more of a downer than I realized but a wonderful period piece of LA in the early 60s. Mr. and Mrs. Bridge I never watched so I can't comment on that one. I may get it back again.

I nearly had a conniption Super Bowl Sunday, when after watching the Super Bowl, I went over to PBS for the latest Downton  Abbey. Ack! I thought it would play twice that evening but no, it was Sherlock Holmes.  Scrambling to find PBS on Demand, the newest episode wasn't there yet on Sunday night. Fortunately for my sanity, it was available Monday.

I'm finishing up the final episode, of the final season of Treme. I'm still enjoying it now that I accept that 1/3 of the show at least is going to be music. There's a lot to be resolved in this last show...which I'm sure will not be resolved but left for me to 'write' the next episode as I'd have it.

Finally, I've seen so many of the Doc Martin shows at random, I plan to start the series from the git go and watch them in order.  Maybe a day or so of binge tv later this month.

I'm also watching Girls which is better now that they are maturing a bit. I might get sucked back into 24 and Sherlock Holmes is also on my list. If you have any suggestions of shows that can be watched On Demand (I cannot deal with commercials any more.) let me know what you're enjoying lately on the Tube, Netflix or Redbox.

"Deja Vu All Over Again?"

Last night I watched the first episode of "Last Tango in Halifax". That's Halifax Yorkshire not Halifax Nova Scotia. I almost turned it off with the snittiness of the female lead, Celia, in the opening cafe scene. Oh well, I thought, this must lead to better things if we're seeing her as a whiny old woman now. 

 But as the story progressed I felt as though we were on familiar turf.  Very familiar as it turns out.  Anyone else remember "As Time Goes By" still being shown on our daytime tv?

  

In both series, we have two senior citizens, definitely not your typical OAPs in England, both no longer married and who were once in love with each other.  But... an undelivered letter kept the romance from going further. Both couples married other people, and now, half a century later, they meet up.  With the internet and its many ways of finding people you once knew, Last Tango in Halifax doesn't need the 'secretarial agency' ploy used in As Time Goes By.  Nonetheless, we were on familiar grounds.

 

Of course the original ATGB was over 20 years ago, but there are some of us who have watched tv for that long. I'm one of them. In fact I can even recall when there was no television. Imagine that!

I will continue to watch the show and get my fix of life in Yorkshire but wonder if it will continue to be a comparison match for me. That's summat to think on, right lass?

In case you are wondering, here is the reference to the title of this post.

 

Just Don't Have the Wall for It

This ad caught my eye a few weeks ago, and when it was in our weekend paper again, I took a pic of it. We do have an old house, old like early last century! It's over 100 yrs old now and the rooms are small, designed for life as it was then.

Whenever I find a wall that will handle a 73" tv, I'll think about it! But right now, I'm content with my 'old' 40" screen. Even that is a bit big for our tiny living room where, really, only I watch my movies. Or maybe we need a new house? ya think?

Wordless Wednesday...sorta

Live Video and more

LIVE SINGLES IN YOUR AREA ARE WAITING TO TALK NOW!

No, no, no...wrong channel. Twas a live video chat last night with Cathy Zielske who chats about it here. The chat was courtesy of Renee Pearson and if you want a great 'How Will I Ever Get Comfortable with PSE" teacher, Renee and her IT backup Kent are the greatest. Check her classes, for it was there that I really cut my digi teeth. Now I mostly skip on the digital yellow brick road.


And no, I can't get Cathy her Amanda Hugginkiss cause she already has that wonder-man Dan. Would that I had a screenshot of that temperature raiser.


It certainly was a fun night, with ice clinking, and people crawling on the floor, and Nick and Nora Owls. This is why digi scrapping is so great, ya know? So how was YOUR Wednesday night???

Wordless Wednesday: 2 Too Many

Scrap the Daily

The BIG truck for the big tv, and the workers who were in a whirl of their own unloading. Dick bumped into me while I was taking that shot, and there was no time for a second one they were so quick. Whooosh! I am content.

Sweet Saturday

Last night was a great time with my Artist Way peeps where we altered books for an exhibit the Pratt Library is having. We enjoyed ourselves so much that no one, NO ONE, took pictures. That's a real first for our group. We do have a round 2 coming up to complete the books so maybe someone will stop making art to document the process. It certainly is a full moon week.

Today I have a whole week ahead of me - on my own. Despite forgetting my birthday ON the day, my dh had ordered my gift which arrived yesterday.



There is still a bit of fiddling to do to get the cable box and the dvd player in a different location but that'll happen. We aren't sure if we want to make/buy a platform to raise the tv up so that all the crapola can go underneath it. We'll see. I seriously want to do something about the stained glass window in the hallway which is directly opposite that tv wall. It appeals to everyone but me, mostly because it has always interfered with watching a tv in the daytime. Upscale problem, huh? So sometimes I prop a piece of cardboard up against it, and sometimes I just wait till it gets dark.

Maybe the Sebastian has a better idea about dealing with that afternoon sun.