ABC’s The Goldbergs
When I first saw this show advertised I thought to myself “this looks like a great show”…and that was it. FINALLY I caught a few episodes and as expected – I love it. It is based in the 1980s from a young boy’s perspective. Growing up the in 1980s myself – the episodes I watched really brought my back to my childhood – with my tape collection and all great things from that decade.
If you have not seen it – give it a look: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-goldbergs. New episodes will be available this fall.
Out of Order: The Amish
I have to admit – I got sucked into watching the show “Out of Order: The Amish“. I will also admit I have always been fascinated by the Amish. Until watching this show – I had nothing but the utmost respect for them. Hardworking, community oriented, etc. While I still appreciate and respect them – I have to say this show has really highlighted some things I have not thought too much about (what it actually means to be shunned, the consequences of being shunned, their religious beliefs/teachings).
While I am trying to keep everything in perspective – it just goes to show that there are two sides of every story. I look forward to going to NY this summer to talk to a family friend that has close Amish friends more about some of my new found questions.
Stop Overwhelming Yourself
I don’t know what it is but the last few months I have felt completely overwhelmed. My TiVos are filled with shows piling up that I “need” to watch, I have a pile of mail to go through, posts to write, RSS feeds to read, magazines to read, things to do, etc. Regardless – I could not seem to make a dent in any of it.
This past week I decided enough was enough. I know the one way to take care of something like this is to just keep chipping away at it one piece at a time. I started by first with all my computer related overwhelming tasks. I did a full backup (offsite to Amazon), then re-organized. All media is now on one computer specifically for media and all my Apple devices are set up to properly sync with this computer as well. I then went through and archived email from a year ago to cut the clutter from my mailboxes. I also went through my iPhoto library and trashed any junk photos (blurry, mis-takes, etc). Less photos – easier to go through and truly appreciate. I also went through my RSS subscriptions and deleted a good 40%. I probably spend a good hour+ a day going through RSS feeds and hopefully this will give me more time to actually read only about what I truly care about.
After that, I started in with the mail – and have designated a day of the week specifically to go through everything so that I know (and do not have to worry) that this will not build up anymore. After the mail – I decided to take on the TiVos (which may sound silly – but this was causing a lot of overwhelming feelings of not being able to get caught up). I ended up tossing a lot of things I know I will never watch and also decided to cut down on the number of series I watch. There is only so much one can watch – and I just need to pick this more carefully. I am still at 60% full with TiVo – but I can easily knock that down to 40% by next week.
I also went through my magazines – threw away what I had read or “just about finished” but still had laying around (like my October 2010 Astronomy magazine which highlighted Astronomy events in October of last year).
I know I have a little more to go through, but all in all sometimes you just need to clean out the junk and start fresh or simply plan some time each week to go through certain things so you know you definitely will get to it. We are all busy – but a little goes a long way and even with the things I did this week – I am definitely feeling a little less overwhelmed.
Lesson learned: Get rid of the junk so you can focus on what’s important (applicable to just about everything).
My New Obsession: Ancient Aliens
I have one of my TiVos set to record “TiVo Suggestions” (TiVo tracks what I like/do not like and then records other similar shows it thinks matches my interests). Awhile back I decided to go through the suggestions and to watch something new. TiVo happened to record an episode of Ancient Aliens on the History Channel. (I watch a lot of space/Universe documentaries).
After watching the first episode – I instantly added it as a season pass. I have been absolutely fascinated by this show which tries to explain things (and make you think about it) like Stone Henge, the Pyramids of Giza, Nazca Lines, and the Moai statues of Easter Island (to name a few). These have always blown my mind so to watch a series on them which pulls in iconography, ancient texts, and modern day examples has been quite enjoyable.
If you have any interest in the world’s unexplained megalithic structures, etc – do yourself a favor and watch an episode. This will surely not disappoint.
Media Mondays: The Price is Right iPhone App
One of my favorite games
The graphics are pretty good, and the actual game is spot on to the actual game. I enjoy every aspect of the game, and Evan is a professional wheel spinner. The only downfall to this game is that it drains my battery pretty fast, but it is something worth while when you are looking for a nice break away from work.
If you are a Price is Right fan – check this out for sure. It is worth the $2.99 you will pay for it!
Media Mondays: The Universe
I am not sure why I did not pay more attention in my college Astronomy class (perhaps it was too much math ;)), but lately I have been throughly enjoying the History Channel’s The Universe show. You can check out video clips and some full episodes online if you are interested. This show does an amazing job at explaining everything using breath taking visuals, interviews with well known scientists, and real world examples (to help you understand scale).
If you have any interest in our universe – give one episode a try!
Media Mondays: Get Lost Again
I have been a “Lost” fan since the very beginning but grew frustrated the last two seasons. After knowing what I do now about the storyline – I decided to go back and watch the early episodes online (abc.com) – then I realized ABC was showing the early episodes late night. (ABC is broadcasting two episodes every Sunday – we are in Season 1 still).
It blows my mind how good (and sometimes scary) these early episodes are – and I am thoroughly enjoying them. Watching these episodes are just as exciting as the first time through and you get an additional bonus of knowing what is coming…so I am also excited to see details I missed etc.
If you are a “Lost” fan – check your local listings and if nothing else, set your DVR to record a few to have on hand when nothing else on TV looks good. It is definitely worth watching these all over again!
Linkfest Thursday: July 9, 2009
Here are some links that I have found interesting over the last week or two – and hopefully you will as well.
- Hulu collection of Michael Jackson’s memorial Missed the broadcast of his memorial service or just want to see the best parts? Check this out in minutes, not hours. RIP Michael.
- WordPress Console Check your WordPress code, play with WordPress functions, etc all within a “console”. Perfect for the theme or plugin developer!
- Paul Oakenfold’s Podcast All the sudden I realized it had been too long since I listened to one of my favorite DJs of all time. Now I get new music from him on a regular basis!
- MIT develops camera-like fabric Wow – this is pretty darn cool.
Media Mondays: Hulu Desktop
If you have a laptop or computer near your TV, hate paying for cable, and have a way to hook up your computer to the TV – it is time you check out Hulu Desktop. I downloaded Hulu Desktop, hooked up my MacBook Pro to my TV (DVI to HDMI), and within a few minutes was watching episode 2 of 24 – and was able to use the remote that came with my computer to boot!
You can use Hulu Desktop to view TV shows, movies, trailers, etc and you can even use your Hulu account to queue up shows/movies so when you use Hulu Desktop – you do not need to search for something to watch. Simply login while you are using your computer, mark a show/movie as something you want to add to your queue and you are set.
Thursday Linkfest: June 18, 2009
This week flew by – but I actually found a number of links very interesting over the last seven days.
- Chicagoland fishing information and reports
- How to ditch cable but still have quality TV programming options (thanks @htoddcarter)
- TV.com – TiVO again and again proves it is the coolest thing around. You can find shows available on TV.com and send them to your TiVo.
- ESPN 360 – Oh my – I am so close to canceling my $100+ a month cable. This becomes available for Comcast high speed internet subscribers on August 1. If it proves to work well for two weeks worth of programming – look out!