• Someone stop me

    Here’s something you might not expect me to say: “I’m thinking about picking up a copy of Windows.”

    I know, it’s crazy talk. Why would I pollute a perfectly good Mac with XP, or (shudder) Vista? Cheryl keeps asking me the same thing, and I don’t have a good answer for any of you. Maybe it’s just because I can. Maybe it’s because I want to experience the magic of a Windows installation myself.

    I can’t imagine actually using the thing – my Windows jones is more than satisfied at the office. I suppose I might fire it up every so often to take advantage of the “watch it now” feature on Netflix – who’ve been talking about a Mac version for about a year. (Has anyone put copyrighted/multiplatform content on the internet before?).

    The best case scenario is it sits on my hard drive taking up space. The worst? I brick my iMac.

    Hey bro! Come on over to my place for a gigger!

  • Friday Night Lights

    Thanks to my cousin, I’m addicted to an NBC show you can watch on Hulu.com.

    I saw the movie, and I remember not being overly impressed. I heard NBC was turning it into a television show, and I remember not being overly impressed. I’ve since watched… oh, about twenty-five episodes in the last couple weeks (yes, I am that pathetic), and I am impressed.

    I was even more impressed when I saw this (about the show) on wikipedia:

    Though scripted like any hour-long television drama performers are given great leeway in the delivery of their lines and the blocking of each scene. If actors feel that something is not true to their character or that a mode of delivery doesn’t work they are free to change it provided they still hit the vital plot points.

    The freedom that producers have extended to the performers is complemented by the fact that the show is taped without rehearsal and without extensive blocking. Camera operators on the show are trained to follow the actors rather than actors standing in one place and having cameras fixed around them. This allows performers to not only feel free to make changes but to feel safe in making those changes because the infrastructure will work around them. Executive producer Jeffrey Reiner described this method as “no rehearsal, no blocking, just three cameras and we shoot.”

    I hated high school, and I’m not a big fan of high school based fiction. However, Cheryl and I really like this show. Now I just hope it won’t be cancelled. That’s usually what happens to shows we like.

    Here’s the pilot episode. Maybe you’ll watch next season too, and it won’t be cancelled after all (like all of my readers combined could make a Nielsen dent).

  • My uber-parent moment

    This evening I pulled something off that made me feel like I’d harnessed the power to solve all the world’s ills.

    What could possibly make me feel so… well, manic? Adam was just starting one of his trademark tantrums when I tried a little change of pace. I have no idea what came over me. Normally I’m kind of reserved, but this evening I jumped up and down and cried, “You’re freaking me out man!” (best served with a surfer-dude ‘tude.)

    Adam stopped mid leap (most of his tantrums have a distinct vertical aspect to them), stared at me for a moment, and burst out in a fit of giggles.

    Man, what a rush!

    Rise before Zod. Kneel before Zod!