Media Monday Frenzy

It's a Media Monday frenzy!  It's probably the cold and dark weather of winter that has me spending more time in front of a screen or reading books, but I'm digging it nonetheless.

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FILM:  First off, I saw the movie Silver Linings Playbook with Duke.  It's kind of a hard film to describe, sort of an indie dark romantic comedy... but it struck both myself and Duke because of the subject around mental illness and depression.  It was ultimately a happy movie, and I recommend that people who like films such as Little Miss Sunshine check out this flick.

I also bought Pitch Perfect on DVD so I could enjoy that silliness over and over.  :)  I forgot how hilarious Fat Amy is!  I have been practicing my horizontal running.

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TV:  I am so glad that new TV is back... my favorites are American Horror Story Asylum, Revenge, Don't Trust the B- in Apartment 23, and The Mindy Project.  I also catch up on Grey's Anatomy, Glee, The New Normal, and of course The Office/Parks & Rec.  I could probably talk about each of these at length, so if you want to discuss, leave a comment.

What Would the Dowager Countess Do? (source)

Also, you may have noticed Downton Abbey is not on this list.  Well, that's because I watched it with the Brits.  I KNOW EVERYTHING.   So I'm not watching along on PBS, but when the Blu-Ray comes out later this month, I'll probably rewatch it all over.  I definitely think this season is stronger than the second!

I have two newer addictions, however.  I started watching the emotional roller coaster that is The Biggest Loser.  I don't know why.  It's just captivating TV.  I think it's because I love Jillian Michaels, but I'm not sure.

The other addiction is... Dexter.  Yup, another great show I just haven't been watching.  So Duke and I are starting from the beginning (we're in Season 2), and I'm also catching up on the last couple of seasons of House M.D.  I know, we're behind the times.  I'm behind on Mad Men too.   But at some point this TV overload has to end.  I should just make a list of TV shows to watch when I'm retired and have more time.  Now I resort to catching up with TV while I cook breakfast and eat it over the sink in the kitchen.  Blah.  I need to stop and exercise more.

BOOKS:  But I still read!  After seeing Life of Pi in theaters, I decided to read the book.  I really enjoyed it.  It was harder to follow than the movie, but it was very imaginative and worth the time.  I don't know why I never read it before, since it has been on my Kindle forever.  If you like magical realism, this is great.

A less interesting read was The Calligrapher's Daughter.  I wanted to love it.  It's about Korea, after all, in a time my grandparents lived through.  But I just didn't connect.  It moved sporadically, storylines didn't feel tied up, and it was ultimately slow.  Not bad, just slow.

Lastly, my favorite of the bunch, was The Tipping Point.  This was a quick read for me, and I loved it like I loved Freakonomics.  It made me think a lot about the people I know in my life, the path of trends, and influencers in my life.  If you like books like Freakonomics, this is a definite must-read.  The Power of Habit was another good one along the same vein.  In fact, someone from work borrowed that one and hasn't returned it.  Huh.  Must track it down.

Anyone else read or watch something good lately?