This week Deeps and I talk about the
Big Red Blog’s Donors Choose campaign, Derek, and we offer up some listener shout-outs. Plus we talk about disappointing fights on Heroes, The Riches, the cancellation of Drive, LOST and sneaky ladies, a second look at Ugly Betty, and a documentary called
The King of Kong.
Plus I reveal my hatred for My Name is Earl and my horrifying past with decoupage.
Listen to this week's episode.Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher.
Labels: 2007, movies, podcast, television
By: Alyssa | Sunday, April 29, 2007 at Sunday, April 29, 2007 | |
Click on the Donors Choose button and donate for
a very good cause. I just got a big package in the mail yesterday from some teachers we helped in the December campaign - I'll try to post a few photos and letters later.
We helped a lot of kids with very little money. Call me greedy - but I want to help more kids. So if you have a few extra dollars floating around, please consider a small donation. Don't make me bust out a sad story about how I was terrible at math and my father was the only person who was patient enough to teach me.
I guess that was the story.
May 11 is the end of the campaign!
Labels: 2007, good stuff
By: Alyssa | Friday, April 27, 2007 at Friday, April 27, 2007 | |
Yesterday was a gorgeous spring day; not too hot and not too cold. I opted for a stroll to take a break and walked down Newbury St.
For those not familiar with Boston, Newbury Street is a pretty exclusive, high end shopping thoroughfare. It is where one might go to buy some very fancy pants.
I wandered a few blocks and passed several restaurants where diners were eating at sidewalk cafes. One cafe in particular was filled with extremely chic and bored-looking people. They picked at small plates and stared vacantly when not fidgeting with hand-held devices.
Two impossibly thin women were huddled close together, large dark sunglasses, beautiful scarves and clothes draped in the most pleasing manner. They spoke in hushed tones and shared a tiny salad.
I really hope they had an entree coming after the salad course. I love mixed greens as much as the next person, but four small pieces of lettuce does not a meal make.
Labels: 2007, Boston, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | at Friday, April 27, 2007 | |
If you're a podcast fan, like
Grumpy Frump, but are a little behind - do not worry. Summer will probably be slower.
Or not.
But you might have more time. Or not.
I've been training for the May podcasts. This is our biggest sweeps coverage ever: cliffhangers, show renewals, and of course mysterious mysteries. We're planning on doing specials for Veronica Mars, LOST, and possibly the Sopranos. Then there are all those summer movies rolling out... starting with Spider-Man 3 next week.
We may need a short hiatus in June.
If you'd like to see what all the fuss is about, take a gander.
Listen to this week's episode.Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher.
Labels: 2007, podcast
By: Alyssa | Thursday, April 26, 2007 at Thursday, April 26, 2007 | |
Last night we did some grocery shopping in Porter and swung through Davis so that Deeps could pick up some tickets for the
Boston Independent Film Festival.
After buying the tickets we headed home. At a stoplight he thrust a printout of the schedule at me.
Me: What's this?
Deeps: The schedule. I thought there might be some stuff you'd like to see.
Me: I can't really read this right now?
Deeps: Why?
Me: The type is too small and we're driving on a bumpy road.
Deeps: Are you kidding?
Me: No! This is maybe six point type! We're driving!
Deeps: I had no idea your vision was so poor.
Me: It's not that bad.
Deeps: Can you hear me?
Me: Don't start.
Deeps: I want you to know that as you become more infirm I will take care of you.
Me: SIX! POINT! TYPE!
Jerk.
PS
Don't forget
Mr. Boehm's Wild Ride challenge at Donors Choose.
Labels: 2007, marriage, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at Wednesday, April 25, 2007 | |
After nearly 40 years of service - teaching Math to middle and high school kids - my Dad is finally retiring.
In addition to having a party with pony rides and face painting, I thought we could do a little more to help the teachers who might follow in his footsteps. So today I'm happy to announce that we're hosting another Big Red Blog fundraiser for Mr. Boehm's Wild Ride.
Over the next couple of weeks, you can donate to the challenge at
Donors Choose. That means I don't have to deal with any paperwork or messy checks and you get a nice little tax deduction. Plus you score big karma points. (
Learn more about Donors Choose.)
Last year we raised over $400 to help kids by buying dictionaries, notebooks, and chapter books for young readers.
So click early, click often and tell your friends.
Mr. Boehm's Wild Ride is coming to an end....
Labels: 2007, good stuff
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at Tuesday, April 24, 2007 | |
Spring showed up on Friday. By Saturday afternoon Summer was upon us.
I was having a delightful walk down Charles street on Friday. People were smiling and making eye contact. Everyone was in a good mood.
I stopped to pick up some coffee and ran into an impressive group of mommies and multiples - twins mostly. The kids were playing happily and the moms were chatting away. The coffee was very exquisite.
The heat kept right on through the weekend - we did a lot of work for the in-laws in New Jersey. Today Boston set a new record of 86 degrees.
The first flush of spring makes people do weird things.
I saw a perfectly normal looking woman chasing a squirrel up a tree. Later a French tourist strode forward so confidently that she walked into traffic and her friend pulled her back onto the sidewalk, just in time.
People tripped, they wore totally inappropriate clothing (tube tops are never okay!) and they all had a fantastic day.
Today I got my first flush of spring (or summer) too - I need to kick up the SPF in my moisturizer. After a few minutes in the sun I turned a little pink.
Labels: 2007, Boston, weather, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Monday, April 23, 2007 at Monday, April 23, 2007 | |
Right - so we went to visit Deeps' parents this weekend to help them clean out their house. After 30 years, they're planning on selling and retiring.
They have 30 years of stuff. We did huge amounts of yard work and cleaning - I cut down half a pine tree. Deeps and I hauled about 400 tons of old junk out of their basement and then spread 60 cubic yards of mulch without a rake.
You should understand that after doing this, sleeping poorly and then driving five hours from Jersey back to Boston we still did a podcast.
Because we love you, podcast listeners. This one is a little more ... well, I say like a lot when I'm tired. I'm really, really sorry.
This week we talk about
Drive on Fox, The Sopranos, Supernatural (I even talk about the thematic similarities between their latest episodes), LOST, The Shield,
Acceptable TV, This American Life on TV, why TV is awesome, and we do a review of
Casino Royale and
Fountains of Wayne's latest offering
Traffic and Weather.
Whew!
Listen to this week's episode.Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher.
Labels: 2007, movies, podcast, television
By: Alyssa | Sunday, April 22, 2007 at Sunday, April 22, 2007 | |
I took this picture on Commonwealth Avenue just about a year ago. Last April more stuff was blooming and lush. This year, not so much.
But that should all change this weekend.
After about five days of rain, the sun is out. The puddles are drying up. People are out and about.
Spring is a time of renewal - new ideas, new life, and new energy. So I say farewell to winter (I mean it - I'm turning the heat off) and hope for the best for this new season.
This must be what it's like to be a Sox fan - or for that matter a Cubs fan.
By: Alyssa | Friday, April 20, 2007 at Friday, April 20, 2007 | |
I'm tired of the rain. You're tired of the rain.
And the rain is keeping me from doing fun stuff outside. So rather than complain about the rain again, I'll offer up this week's podcast - in case you missed it.
Listen to this week's episode.Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher.
Labels: 2007, podcast, weather
By: Alyssa | Thursday, April 19, 2007 at Thursday, April 19, 2007 | |
It's been raining since Sunday morning and I don't think it's going to end until tomorrow.
No floods for me, thankfully, but the lack of sunlight is starting to make me a little cranky. Did I mention the gale force winds?
The nice thing about the rain is that my lawn is finally starting to green up (a bit). And the rain means less pedestrians out and about as I walk to work.
The wind is another issue - it makes for harrowing navigation as trash cans roll around on sidewalks and in the streets.
I've seen the skeletons of several destroyed umbrellas peeking out of garbage barrels. The lagoon in the Public Garden was just refilled last week, but started to flood yesterday. This weather is best enjoyed by dogs and ducks.
Labels: 2007, weather
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, April 18, 2007 at Wednesday, April 18, 2007 | |
I don't really make stuff up for the blog, takes too much work. Enhance? Perhaps. Punch up? Possibly. But let me emphasize - this actually happened.
The scene - the local frogurt joint that was bustling with people. Some kids were waiting in line in front of us - a girl about seven and a boy about nine.
A narrow hallway runs from the front to the back of the store - a counter lines that narrow hallway. The kids get their cones and start to walk away from the counter.
A large piece of cone breaks off from the girl's hand and falls to the floor. Her brother makes some comment like, you dropped something.
The little girl bends over and picks up the cone piece and casually says "It's clean" before popping it in her mouth. Her brother shrugs as if to say, yeah - I don't see any dirt.
My husband's jaw drops. We both smother snickers as the kids walk away.
We move closer to the cash register to pay for our yogurt. I can't help but notice that my feet are sticking to the floor. Clean is a relative term.
Labels: 2007, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, April 17, 2007 at Tuesday, April 17, 2007 | |
This week Derek returns to join me and Deeps to chat about the return of The Sopranos. We take a look at the first season of Sci Fi's The Dresden Files and review the pilot of Sci Fi's new show Pain Killer Jane. We also hit Big Red Podcast favorites like LOST, 30 Rock, The Office, and House.
Deeps makes another case for watching Friday Night Lights (he lurves it!). Derek watches the vampire show we talked about last week, he's captivated by it. So we learn something today - Lifetime isn't just for women. It is also for Derek.
Listen to this week's episode.Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher.
Pretty play button
courtesy of Adam Weiss - he's letting me use it for the site. Thanks Adam!
Labels: 2007, podcast, television
By: Alyssa | Monday, April 16, 2007 at Monday, April 16, 2007 | |
I came home late on Wednesday after attending a meeting. Deeps was home just a few minutes before I arrived, but in that short time the cat had made her presence known.
Deeps: Uh - the cat has been smashed up against me since I got home.
Me: She's planning for the future.
Deeps: So she didn't think you'd be home?
Me: Her brain is small. She's consolidating her power base.
Deeps: I was sitting in a chair leaning forward a little bit and she shoved herself behind me in the chair.
Me: She wanted to know that if I wasn't around there'd be a food bringer.
Deeps: You're only like two hours later than normal.
Me: Sometimes that's all it takes.
Deeps: So in the cat world, if you're gone like a weekend - you've secured yourself a new owner.
Me: Or if you're married, you've gotten a new mate in like 12 hours.
Deeps: Wow.
Me: You should remember that the next time you go on a business trip.
Deeps: Hey, that goes both ways.
Labels: 2007, poopus, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Friday, April 13, 2007 at Friday, April 13, 2007 | |
Sometimes pop culture presents you with problems. I came into the living room to find my husband watching Star Wars on the new TV.
Deeps: I don't know what order Mondo will show the Star Wars movies to his kids.
Me: It's a big challenge for modern parents.
Deeps: Do you start with Phantom Menance and then explain the change in the effects when you get to A New Hope?
Me: Or do you start with a New Hope and pretend the first three didn't happen?
Deeps: And how do you explain being weirdly attracted to your sister?
Me: It's a big problem.
Deeps: Mondo has a lot of time since he doesn't actually have any kids yet.
Me: I'm glad he's thinking ahead.
Labels: 2007, marriage weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Thursday, April 12, 2007 at Thursday, April 12, 2007 | |
After saving for a couple of years and reading dozens of articles in a feverish state - we pulled the trigger and upgraded our old television to the new flat screen HD TV.
As you may know, we record a
weekly pop culture podcast, so we watch a lot of stuff on the TV so you don't have to. Don't believe me?
I watched four hours of a show on Lifetime about vampires.
When HD first came on the market we'd get excited and inspired when we'd walk by to see big screens flash with amazing imagery. But they were expensive and we were saving for a house.
But through diligent savings (on my part) and a well-timed coupon (on Deeps' part) we thought the time was right. We hit the Costco and fought our way past the hordes of shoppers to load up a flat bed cart and haul big TV to the front.
I don't have a lot of advice to share, but if you're interested in buying a HD TV I'd suggest ordering your HDMI cable (you need that to get the Hi Def programming from your HD equipped cable box to your television) on the internet before you buy your TV. When it arrives, go buy the television because you'll have shopped and saved and been smart and then you'll want the instant gratification of HD television - and you'll have to buy a $60 cable. Online it costs around $12-20.
If
you didn't know about the cable racket - the cost of those little component cables for your fancy AV equipment - then surprise!
Last night we watched some of the Discovery Channel's HD programming - specifically the
Planet Earth mini series. If you have HD television you've probably seen it.
There isn't that much HD programming so you'll spend a lot of time watching nature documentaries - which are incredibly impressive. Planet Earth is especially interesting and impressive when you look past the images and think about what it took to capture them. The mind boggles.
I also caught up with a few episodes of
Dexter on Showtime HD. As much as I was impressed by the Planet Earth - the
opening credits of Dexter are even more stunning in their composition and metaphor for everyday violence.
I'll try to de-nerd for tomorrow's entry.
Labels: 2007, nerds, podcast
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at Wednesday, April 11, 2007 | |
About six months ago Deeps and I spent a weekend digging holes. Lots and lots of holes to plant a lot of spring bulbs.
We dug holes for 300 bulbs.
We opted for this solution for a few reasons a) bulbs are cost-effective over time if you pick the right ones and b) my husband hates gardening so he's really embraced low maintenance perennials.
A few months after planting our bulbs we had a freaky spot of warm weather in December and early January. My bulbs sprouted and started to grow. Some of them really got going; I knew that would be trouble.
Then the deep freeze of February rolled in and the newly sprouted plants died. Even my luscious looking rosemary plant finally went dormant. The winter was so warm - for a while - that I thought I'd gotten some mystical evergreen rosemary plant.
Now it's April and daffodils are sprouting around town, but not in my back yard. I haven't mentioned to Deeps that we may need to spend another weekend digging holes. I don't have the heart to break the news yet.
Meanwhile, the squirrels have been digging like fiends in the lawn and the garden beds. I think they're working for
evil Blue Jays.
Labels: 2007, evil bird, yard
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at Tuesday, April 10, 2007 | |
This week Deeps and I (along with the cat) chat about a lot of television including resolving dramatic problems The Office, dirty cops on The Shield, women in chains on LOST, hairdos on House, Thomas Jefferson on 30 Rock and of course the problem with vampires (in Canada or anywhere else).
And we split out our discussion of movies into a bonus episode where we cover
Green for Danger,
Dead and Buried,
Spellcaster,
Days of Being Wild and some tangents about Uwe Boll – because I’m crazy like that (oh and the great piece I reference is found here at
Something Awful).
Listen to all the podcasts from this week:
The Cat’s Meow and
Bonus Movie Episode. Find old episodes at the
Big Red Podcast's site.
Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher.
*If you listen carefully, you might hear the cat meowing in the background. She was bored.Labels: 2007, movies, podcast, television
By: Alyssa | Sunday, April 08, 2007 at Sunday, April 08, 2007 | |
I haven't seen my coyote friend in a while, but I expect he'll be back out again soon because I've seen lots of geese hanging around near his old haunt. Also known as the place I walk to get to the train.
I'm cool with the
coyote as long as he's cool with me.
I don't really live in an especially isolated area. I'm blocks from public transportation, lots of restaurants, a movie theater - all the stuff you'd find in any neighborhood in any city. Just like Chicago... which is why I laughed when I saw the
story of the coyote in the Quiznos.
Oddly enough, we got a new Quiznos a few months ago. I'll keep my eyes peeled.
Labels: 2007, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Friday, April 06, 2007 at Friday, April 06, 2007 | |
We returned home last night and unloaded the car after a quick trip to the grocery store.
The trunk was open and we were loading up to carry groceries in the house when we could hear something loud.
Me: Can you hear that?
Deeps: Yeah, it's loud.
Me: Sounds like a smoke alarm.
Deeps: Like our smoke alarm.
And so we were greeted by the sweet, dulcet tones of
100 decibels of blaring noise. You can hear the blaring from outside the house and inside it is deafening. My ears are still ringing.
I'm not sure why the smoke detector is so touchy, but I think it hates spring (pollen). Or it likes to torment the cat. She was so freaked out she was cowering under the daybed in the basement. Deeps found her when he pulled out the ladder to deal with some of the peskier alarms.
We replaced the batteries last weekend after a similar event - we came home from our first trip for fro-yo and heard the blare. This latest event was triggered, we believe, by a defective detector.
It's been disabled and we've figured out how to replace it. So I've thrown it on the ol' weekend shopping list. If I'm still unable to hear by then, I'll hand my list to the guy at Lowes and hope for the best.
Sadly, the alarm damaged our hearing and terrorized the cat - but it didn't do anything to drive away the evil blue jays. Next time birds, next time.
Labels: 2007, house, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | at Friday, April 06, 2007 | |
Today is better than yesterday - last night was gross because the sky opened up and unloaded buckets of slush. Mostly on my head. Grody. To the max.
My brain is a little frozen and I haven't had a chance to come up with my most scintillating blog entry. On the bright side, I'll pitch my podcast again. If you've never listened to a
Big Red Podcast, you might want to check out the last couple of episodes.
This week we spent about 30 minutes talking about Hot Fuzz (opening at the end of April), LOST and Zach Galifianakis' new DVD and
last week we talked about a Vermeer, art heists and documentary work - and LOST again.
We're not geniuses, but I thought the last couple of episodes were more interesting and wide-ranging than we covered in our February sweeps episodes.
Number 26 is on deck for the weekend. Huzzah!
Labels: 2007, podcast
By: Alyssa | Thursday, April 05, 2007 at Thursday, April 05, 2007 | |
Now that it is a tiny bit warmer (41 degrees!) I've been walking from the Charles stop on the T through part of the Beacon Hill neighborhood, down to the Boston Public Garden and over to my office by Copley Square. It's a good 15 minute walk if I'm picking up the pace, or I can do a nice 25 minute stroll if I have the time.
I love the hike for a little extra exercise - in the morning it helps me get in the right mind-set for work. In the evening I clear my head and by the time I meet up with Deeps, I am much less grumpy after a tough day.
Even better - the T is so slow that I usually get to work at the same time I would get to work if I took the train the whole way. Huzzah!
The only downside is that I am witness to a little less weirdness. Drunk guys don't try to engage me in
discussion about garden gnomes and I don't see
buskers with orange pimp hats. It's a little sad, but I'm keeping my eye peeled for oddities in Beacon Hill - after all,
the rich are different.
Labels: 2007, Boston, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at Wednesday, April 04, 2007 | |
I grew up in Indiana. I think my dad wanted boys but he got girls and he worked with it. He basically treated us the way (I suspect) he'd treat boys. So we learned about sports, basic car maintenance, and some home improvement stuff.
And while I understand the fundamentals of football and basketball, I never really cottoned to baseball. I thought it was slow and boring. I remember my dad driving us to Cincinnati to see the Reds play. I remember the stadium, the seats, wanting a hot dog and that's about it. Baseball didn't capture my imagination.
This isn't a huge problem, but it's been a sticking point in the cities I've made my home for much of my adult life: Chicago and Boston. People in both of these cities are nuts about baseball, bordering on... not not bordering on - actually fanatical
in their love and reverence for the sport and their team.
I don't share their enthusiasm and find myself at a disadvantage with respect to water cooler talk or party chatter. Everyone wants to talk about their team, the game, the pitching, and I smile and nod.
Sure - I've tried to learn, watch a few games, and I can kind of fake it. But aren't I too old to have to fake anything? That's what I tell myself. Usually when baseball talk gets too deep I'll excuse myself from the conversation or if prompted, I'll confess my lack of interest.
I always get the same look. I'm not sure I can describe the look, but it's much like the expression I see when I tell people I am lactose intolerant. No cheese? No ice cream? Horrors.
Labels: 2007, Boston, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at Tuesday, April 03, 2007 | |
Kristen gave birth yesterday - read all about it over at
Milkweed Hill.
She called around 11 AM to tell us that Isobel was born just a few hours before. K sounded tired but relieved. She mentioned that she'd been listening to classical music during the labor but got bored with it and switched to podcasts - including the
Big Red Podcast. I guess hearing us jabber was soothing....
Anyway,
they've got another cutie and we couldn't be more thrilled for them. So congratulations K and Ernesto, well done!
Labels: 2007, babies
By: Alyssa | Monday, April 02, 2007 at Monday, April 02, 2007 | |
I got special permission to write about this story - since it didn't happen to me and I didn't witness it.
A friend recently attended a child's birthday party - a first birthday. The parents had made lovely Lego shaped cakes, made by hand with lots of care and attention to detail. The kind of loving detail that your average one year old probably won't admire so much - being that he still isn't potty trained.
The child became excited when he spotted the giant Lego placed before him. His own personal cake. He was so excited he could barely contain himself. He thrust his hands into the cake and squeezed to his heart's content.
Then he vomited all over the cake.
Nobody wanted any of the other cake after that.
That's why I'm not sure it is a good idea to have big birthday parties for one-year-olds. But I'm not a parent, so what do I know.
Labels: 2007, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | at Monday, April 02, 2007 | |
This week Deeps and I discuss the wonders of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in
Hot Fuzz (remember Shaun of the Dead?), celebrity Q&As, waiting in really long lines, Hey it's that guy - British edition, noir on a desert island, and
Zach Galifianakis's new DVD.
Derek is off doing exciting stuff like selling kidneys on the black market or buying a house or something. He'll be back soon. He is powerless in the face of my cheese potato casserole. Brunch is awesome.
Listen to
this week's episode of the
Big Red Podcast.
Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher.
Labels: 2007, podcast, television
By: Alyssa | Sunday, April 01, 2007 at Sunday, April 01, 2007 | |
