Time To Give Up The Dream

I've been watching Alias on DVD. Not sure if you caught this gem from JJ Abrams that ran from 2001-2006 on ABC. The main thing I get from this is...working for the CIA is cool! Why couldn't I do that? How hard could it be to learn hand-to-hand combat techniques, be able to disable bombs, break any code out there in record time, wear cool disguises and travel all over the world? I'm in. Upon further investigation (going to the CIA website), I was disappointed to learn that I technically have no marketable skills to provide the CIA. First of all, the majority of field positions are available to people ages 23-27. Ok, so I missed out there. What about a linguist position? They accept people up to age 35. Despite the fact that I majored in French in college and can speak it fluently, even Michael Vartan who plays a CIA agent on the show is more bilingual than I am. And French isn't really the main language they're looking for today. They prefer that you be fluent in Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Farsi and Kurdish. Come to think of it, I don't really keep secrets all that well. I think it's time to give up the dream...and live vicariously through Jennifer Garner.

Beating The Heat With Summer TV

With temps in the 90s this week, there is only so much outdoor activity I can handle. That's why I'm thankful for the return of some of my favorite summer shows. Breaking Bad, True Blood and The Big C are some of the good ones. And while I suffer through shows like Weeds and Entourage, it's still nice to see some familiar faces. I have decided to put up with Rescue Me (despite a few lackluster seasons) because this is the final season. And I suppose I have to see how Vince recovers from reahab and whether Mrs. Ari takes Ari back. And what a surprise to have new shows like Wilfred that are actually entertaining. So Nancy, Tommy, Walt, Cathy, Sookie and Lafayette...it's good to see you again!

To Stream Or Not To Stream

I have been a faithful Netflix subscriber since 2006. As mentioned in a previous post, I have about 126 movies in my DVD queue and 78 in my instant watch queue. I pay just over $10 per month for these services and with the Roku box, I can stream Netflix movies through my TV. Woo hoo! Imagine my surprise when I received an email from Netflix today stating that in September, I will have to choose between receiving DVDs in the mail or watching instantly. I can, of course, continue the same plan I have now, but it will cost me over $16 per month. I don't fault Netflix for this rate hike. I'm sure they lose money by having me as a member. In fact, thanks to feedflix.com, which calculates the amount you pay per DVD, I know that they do. I guess I am just wondering if I really need both streaming and DVDs in the mail. Most of the TV shows I want to watch aren't streaming yet (except for the odd gems like Arrested Development or Studio 60), but it is nice to sit back and choose from 78 movies to watch at instantly. Is the extra $6 per month really going to break the bank? Netflix adds new movies to streaming all the time. And I like getting those new movies in the mail the first day they're available. My bet is that I'll maintain the status quo and pay the extra money to keep my account as it is. What will you do?

A Lanaster Always Pays His Debts

I got HBO because True Blood was starting again. I can now catch up on all the shows I've missed over the past 6 months, including Game Of Thrones. I watched the 10 episodes over a period of 5 days and must say, I am spent. My first thought was that it reminded me a lot of Ken Follet's book "Pillars of the Earth". It's obvious from the beginning who the good guys and the bad guys are. And as someone pointed out, anybody could die at any time. I thought it was so ballsy to set it up as if Bran were going to die at the end of the first episode. I liked his character and was glad to see him live, but not all of my favorites were so lucky. Nothing was more devastating (and surprising) than the death of Ned Stark in the second to last episode. As my friend Terry said, "Joffrey is the new Malfoy." I totally agree. And how cool that there are dragons again? They are way cooler than the baby velociraptors from Jurassic Park. How long do we have to wait before the second season? I know that the show is based on a series of books. I'm tempted to read ahead to spoil the plot lines for myself. As you may know, I don't care for conflict in drama. If nothing else, at least I won't be so caught off guard when my favorite characters are beheaded.

How Many Is Too Many?

How many movies do you have in your Netflix queue? Currently, I have 127. Some of them have been there for over a year. In addition, I have 13 movies saved on my DVR. I guess I'm wondering if I should whittle the queue down to the 40 or so movies/TV shows that I'll actually watch. I guess there's no harm in keeping Repo Man on the list. I may get around to it someday. It's the movies like "Incendiary" or "Purple Violets" that I added because they starred someone I like and I have no idea what they're about. Is there such a thing as too many movies in your queue? My friend Gib had over 800 movies last time I checked, so I suppose 127 isn't so bad.

My "Survivalist" Mentality

Is it just me, or has television scared everyone else into thinking the end of the world is coming? I'm not talking about the news, or crazies who say the Rapture is upon us. No, I'm talking about shows like Jericho and The Walking Dead. For some reason, the writing is so good that I actually feel like at any moment a nuclear bomb could go off or a disease could turn everyone I know into zombies and I'd have to run for my life. I first noticed this when I found myself buying 36 bottles of water from Sam's Club. Why would I need this much bottled water? Well, for when I'm on the road trying to avoid creatures wanting to eat my flesh. And I've sort of put together a "go" bag with clothes, a first aid kit and non-perishable food items. Throw in movies like "The Road" and I find myself making sure my gas tank is always full...just in case. Of course, I'm sure it's good to have a disaster plan in place anyway. You can never be too prepared. When the zombies are banging down your door, contact me on your hand-held radio and I'll come save you.