10. John Casey (Chuck) A hardened Marine employed to watch after naive Chuck, a important government asset, John Casey is nothing but annoyed, simmering dry humor.  Played wonderfully by Adam Baldwin (of Firefly fame), Casey never misses to deliver a snappy line under his breath just after saving Chuck…again…and he’s so dang cute.

9. Sam Axe (Burn Notice) Bruce Campbell is screen gold, no matter what he’s in.  But as Sam, Michael’s FBI agent friend who ratted him out but is still loyal, Campbell gives this show an interesting mix of levity and credibility.  The brand of ladies’ man introduced to us in The Rockford Files, Sam has seen and done it all and still has time for a beer.  No one…and I mean no one…has better hair or shirts on television these days.

8. Rachel Berry (Glee) In another life, I was Rachel Berry.  In a parallel world, I am Rachel Berry.  The aggressively talented sophomore “star” of William McKinley High’s glee club, Rachel Berry is the most perfect mix of intelligence, conscience, and obnoxiousness wrapped up in an impressive soprano belter.  The object of continual harassment by the “cooler” kids while and her own affections, Rachel somehow ends up being the competent, talented soul in this whole venture.  I just love her.  And she sings like a true star…while annoying the shit out of everyone.  Mostly I love that this character is so real.  I taught many students who were Rachels…it’s almost heartwarming to me.

7. Deborah Morgan (Dexter) This show is the story of a serial killer Dexter who commands most of the screen time.  But Deborah, his sister, is the most compelling character on the show.  She’s a self-made Detective of distinction who has watched her father die, was engaged/almost killed by the Ice Truck Killer, was shot and watched her beloved Frank Lundy die right in front of her…and solved the Trinity Murders–all without wanting to commit suicide.  But honestly, this character would be lesser without Jennifer Carpenter’s incredible acting.  She gives the most convincing performances that tap into the emotional edge that Deborah walks every day of her life.  I’m fascinated by Dexter’s serial killer, but I’m compelled by Deborah’s humanity.

6. Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) When this show started, I didn’t get Tracy so I paid much more attention to Liz and Jack.  But Tracy delivers the absolute BEST most nuanced lines in this entire show.  And this man-child-star character that appears so one-dimensional is actually evolving in a really interesting way, seen in his developing friendship with Kenneth.  I’m beginning to crave the moments when he’s on the screen.

5. Abed (Community) Played by Dani Pudi (who went to Marquette) Abed is the greatest example of Asberger’s disease as a term of endearment.  Creepy, weird, social inept…yet 100% lovable.  Makes whatever he’s doing absolutely hilarious, especially when paired with Trey.

4. Tom Colicchio (Top Chef) This feels a little unfair because Tom’s a real guy.  But he is the saving heart-and-soul of that show.  Padma, with her weird, distant delivery and snotty food commentary, annoys me in a “who do you think you are?” kinda way.  But when Tom talks, we all should listen.  But I was really sold on Tom in a Diet Coke commercial he did that airs during the show…he’s got a hilarious sense of humor, he knows and obviously loves food, and I think he gives very important feedback.  Watching the show, we can learn from Tom.  The others are just catty without him there.

3. Kurt (Glee) Man I love this kid.  Kurt is “the gay” in the glee club which could carry a particular stereotype, especially because his character knows his way around fashion.  But, in the middle of the season, we got a peek into Kurt’s life that was both endearing and granted him a really solid internal strength that counteracts the intended flamboyance.  And when he sang “Defying Gravity” as a countertenor, I cried.  It was wonderful.  I can’t wait to see where they take Kurt.  He’s got the most potential of the students in Glee.

2. Phil (Modern Family) Playing the insane dad with 3 kids, Phil is everything that fathers both should and should not be.  He’s goofy, loving, caring, girlie, clueless, tender, stupid…he’s what I think I want to be married to.  And what would drive me absolutely crazy to the point of murder.  It’s such a genius character for television, especially among all of the horrible “dad” characters that are either stupid or unreally attentive.  He’s real, I think.

1. Sue Sylvester (Glee) Such a fantastic evil walking through the halls of WMH.  Played impeccably by Jane Lynch, Sue Sylvester is the coach of the Cheerios who will stop at nothing to destroy the glee club just because it’s fun to watch innocents die.  With her swaggering arrogance, heartless manipulation, and refusal to apologize or show any evidence of a conscience, Sue is what everyone secretly wishes they could be if life really had no consequences.  But she does have a heart; she fell for Rod and when it didn’t work out she took it out in multiple ways on everything that crossed her path.  So wonderful.

Honorable Mentions: Liz Lemon & Jack Donaghy (30 Rock), Cameron (Modern Family), Fiona (Burn Notice)

And of course, there are characters I miss and am looking forward to seeing again come the new season this winter: Jack/Kate/Sawyer (Lost), Michael/Sam/Fiona/Michael’s Mother (Burn Notice), Casey/Sarah/Chuck (Chuck) to name a few.

Yeah.  I’m so back.

The cast of Glee in all of its glory.

Oh Fox, you’ve made me a believer.  I was nervous when I first heard about this show.  Marketed as a musical television show and premiering directly after the American Idol finale in the spring, I thought for sure this was a loser, entering the annals of such epic failures as Cop Rock and Viva Laughlin.  If history has proven only one thing it’s that television and musicals are not happy bedfellows.  And then there was Glee.

Set at fictional William McKinley High (in Lima, Ohio, no less), you’d think it’d be the story of all Glee clubs in high school (although we called ‘em show choirs): a bunch of nerds not good enough for sports make asses of themselves on stage in mediocre-to-embarrassing musical numbers choreographed by adults whose greatest moments were understudied the leads in Cats in college.  But that’s where you’re wrong.  Oh, it’s got the nerds…but it manages to address the jock-vs.-music nerd epic battle and “solve” it.  It’s got teen pregnancy, crooked teachers, a failing marriage, a wishy-washy principal, a crazy cheerleading coach, and Emma Pillsbury (possibly one of my favorite characters on the small screen).  And that’s in the first two shows.

Drama aside, what it also offers in an incredibly talented and able cast (Matthew Morrison (Tony nominated) and Lea Michele (Grammy winner) are both major up-and-comers on Broadway) singing some of the greatest mixes of pop and Broadway standards.  And these little ditties fit seamlessly into the story, given the backdrop of the glee club (which solves the problem that happens for a lot of people when “musical” enters the description of anything: random breaking into song.)  There’s no random breaking into song!

Is it the perfect tv show? No.  I’ve got my issues.  The storylines have been hit or miss this season, as have the choices of featured music.  But the cast is so good, the writing so sharp, and Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester (the Cheerios head coach) so deliciously evil that this equation is primed for greatness to ensue.

Of course, they wrapped their first season this week.  And I’m sorry but any show that leaves me with “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Funny Girl) and “My Life Would Suck Without You” (Kelly Clarkson) in the same show, both executed beautifully (in their own ways)…well, I’m gonna give you a big ‘ol hug.

This show is just pure fun.  And I want more.  But I’ll have to wait until April 13.  That gives all non-watchers plenty of time to get on the horse and catch up.  You won’t be sorry.

Weird Wednesday List of Note

1. My office smells like cancer.  Not in that I know how cancer smells, exactly, but that whatever chemical I’m ingesting through my nose right now will surely cause a fatal disease.  My office is a converted chemistry lab…converted in that they’ve put a computer and a chair on an old lab table.  The “hood” is still here; I could fire up the bunsen burners if I wanted to; and the amount of corrosion going on atop any metallic surface is enough to make anyone worry.  So when I say it smells toxic, I’m actually not over-stating this in the least.  I’m leaving in a minute before the chemical headache sets in.

2. I ordered new winter boots and they came on the most blizzard-laden day of December.  This is sheer luck but I’m glad they’re here.  No more messing around with shoe-boots.  I went for it.  Hunter Goddess boots–this means, 100% water-proof, up to my knees, insulated genius.  They were expensive but I will never have to order another pair of winter boots ever again.  I could muck out stables in these things.  Thankfully, my hatred of horses (get off me) will prevent that grossness…but I’m actually just going to wear them home.  Very exciting.

3. I’m feeling some kind of dissertation love today.  I put out my first “snowball” pitch for research “subjects” and have been bombarded by people who are willing (and actually VERY ABLE) to help.  I’m overwhelmed…both with the generosity of the responses and the relief that I may actually be able to actually drive this elephant (random Apollo 13 reference).

4. I just ate the most amazing donut.  Yep.  At 3:49.  And it was delicious.  It was also lunch which means I now have “mad” sugar rush going on.  It’s actually incredible.

5. Choir tonight.  CHRISTMAS MUSIC.  If ever there’s time to be in a church choir, it’s at Christmas.  What a delicious season.

Summary of list: today’s been a good Wednesday.  Amidst everything else, I’m feeling generally good about the plates I’ve got up on stilts, spinning away right now.  The feeling might be fleeting, but I’m just riding it out while I still can.

7 people in
1 house with
3 dogs and
12 meals with
24 courses. I’ve gained
14 pounds and had to survive
6 hours with extended family. But I am the proud owner of
1 new Kia Rio 5 named “Zippy the Wonder Car.” I’ve also made
9 slides for a presentation due tomorrow and hope to write
3 pages before I leave. I’ll actually probably write only
1, but it’s something.

Here’s what I love about visits home: unlimited college football (whether you want it or not), unlimited cookies to be found, and I can walk 4 miles without passing one single person. We also have Sonic. Oh, and 2 widescreen tvs.

Will I be ready to head back to real life soon? Yes. But not tomorrow. Just soon.

5. Real Housewives of New Jersey (BRAVO)
What pleasure this show provided at a time of the year when Scrubs reruns on Comedy Central look like the golden pathway to happiness.  Such drama.  And oh those accents.  And the hair.  And the boobs. And the shiny lame (say Lah-MAY, not LAYME).  This show made me long for Aqua Net.  And yet, these women have more heart than the New Yorkers or OC’ers. (I don’t even count Atlanta as credible).  Thank you Dina and Theresa and Jacqueline and Caroline.  And to Danielle…”go away.”

4. Battlestar Galactica (SCI-FI)
Jacob bought me the first season of this show on DVD, oh I don’t know, about 3 years ago. I’ve always passed on it because I never felt ready to 1) invest in a long-running show that’s 2) sci-fi. Well, Jacob, I’m an ass, because this show is awesome.  A re-working of the classic 70s tv show, it’s the perfect mix of All My Children and Star Trek.  And I’m sorry but it doesn’t get any better than Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos.  Brilliant.

3. Weeds (Showtime)
This is a repeat savior. I don’t get Showtime, so I have to completely cram in the DVDs and then…wait. This is exactly what I did last summer. Now I’ve picked up Season 3 and it’s like eating pixie stix: slightly disorienting, delightful, and thirst-inducing. Oh Nancy Botwin and your crazy crew.  While the show has lost a lot of the snap in the plots it used to have, it’s taken on this magical realism vibe that is just as delightful.

2. Big Love (HBO)
I have nothing but Big Love for this show. I find this VERY compelling tv packed with stars, some already legitimate (Jeanne Triplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Bill Paxton) and some in the making (Ginnifer Goodwin, Amanda Seifried).  If you need a case study for character development, this is it.  You will get sucked into the secret world of polygamy and then feel guilty that they struggle with similar problems to yours…and you’ve been judging them all these years.  So, so interesting.

1. Burn Notice (USA)
THE scoop of the summer.  I can’t even believe I’m saying this, especially because it’s on USA for god’s sake.  But this is the snappiest, funnest show to come on tv in a long time.  Capturing the attitude of The Rockford Files and Miami Vice (yes, I said it) with the quirky characters of Get Smart and the “how’s he going to make it work?” of MacGyver, this show is sleek, clever, well-written, and funny.  It’s a slam-dunk of television formula.  Then add in the great character actors I like to call Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless and there’s virtually nothing wrong with this show!  Except that it’s only been a summer replacement up until now.  Thankfully, they’re adding a winter season so I only have to wait a couple months.  Thank you USA.  You’ve made my summer.

And next on the Netflix cue: Dexter.  I’ve been waiting months for season 3 on DVD…now, it’s merely hours away.  Thank you. Thank you.

Thus, I have.  But not without reward.  Tonight as I sat down, notes in front of me, trying to drum up a train of thought about how idiocultures are developed within existing social structures and the effects of said structures (I KNOW…this is my life, people.  Not pretty), I promised myself that after a couple hours (literally 2), I would allow myself the luxury of a treat: fix my blog.  Because, really, the fact that the pictures were not mine was seriously bothersome, especially because I kept getting a lot of compliments on them and, well, that was making me jealous.

There begins my sojourn into the fun world of CSS.  Two hours later, I emerge triumphant and I feel like a million bucks. Veni, Vidi, Vici. (That’s Latin for “Take THAT you sucka pictures.” Just to recap in case you haven’t been following: I managed to get two pictures up in two hours.  And I couldn’t be happier.  In fact, I’ll sleep better tonight knowing that the Sunset at the Arno adorns my homepage.

In the midst of this compulsive panic, though, I did pause to reflect.  This may sound ridiculous but: I think we don’t celebrate enough.  Like, really expend energy to pat ourselves (or others) on the back for jobs well done.  We get judgey (PhD word, guys, keep up) about what constitutes a “success” and we’ve driven that standard so high that we really spend a huge amount of time chasing things but rarely taking stock in what makes us happy and what we’ve accomplished in getting there.

Am I a big fat nerd because I’m totally thrilled that I “won” the battle? Yes.  Unequivocally, yes.  But I’m willing to accept that for this feeling of a little weight off my shoulders and a sense that I mulled through something a figured it out.  And yay for me.

Enjoy the sunset.  I know I will.

P.S.–In case you were wondering…those OUT OF CONTROL enormo TAGS are next on the list.  That’s just ridiculous…

UPDATE: Tags fixed…for now.

Which I did for about 2 weeks.  And then I couldn’t get Foghat’s “Slow Ride” out of my head for weeks and the “Cliffs of Dover” on the hard setting would haunt me through the day.  So I set the whole thing aside for awhile.

But harkening back to that fateful Thursday when I met the dude off Craigslist who was scalping selling this thing to me for the bargain price of [ahem], ladies don’t talk dollars, because he worked at Best Buy and could grab ‘em up with an employee discount.  We exchanged the goods in a parking lot.  I payed cash.  It was shady and somewhat exciting.  I couldn’t let that story just go to waste.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when EA Sports introduced Active for the Wii.  This is their far superior answer to Wii Fit and I can’t believe I’m saying this but Active makes me wake up to work out.  I wish it didn’t. But it does.  With its little red resistance band, awesomely cool “leg band” that makes ya feel like an athlete just wearing it, and the perky trainer who tells me, “I have nothing but respect for that performance.”  And I get trophies…and charts and graphs…and calorie counts.  It’s ridiculous and amazing. I’ve burned 1000 calories already.  How do I know?  I got me a trophy that says so.

I do have a little workout guilt.  After years of the grind…walking to the gym, hating the gym, hating the treadmill for 30 minutes, hating the elliptical less than the treadmill but more than the recumbent bike…I feel like this is a game.  And yet I’m a sweaty mess when I’m done so something good must be going on.

And it’s fun.  Can workouts be such a thing? Wii says yes.

My early budding farm

I can’t get enough of this game right now.  Yes it’s on Facebook.  I need to share the joy.

But what’s funny about this process is that I think it pretty much is a metaphor for the way I go about my daily life. What easily could have been a 10 minute process, I turned into a six-hour journey into how web site management works.  While I now know what FTP means (and I’m angry about it) and I know how to set up a database in c-panel (this just makes me furious), last night the light went on too late and I realized that because I am who I am, I turned a simple, easy process into the behemoth of all productions.

But it did render me this in the end, which I’m thrilled about.  I’m really not changing my schtick or my handle.  But I am going to consolidate.  Instead of trying to find blogs to fit all of my categorizing needs, I’m just gonna write about all of it here, and put my pictures up, and generally take pride in the fact that I’m now the proud owner of a “domain” (which makes me sound lord-like, actually).

You’re free and welcomed to be my serf whenever you like.  Give me a couple weeks to really get things settled…and then we’re off to the races again.