Trying out some summer TV: new and old.

The Bridge – sorry, Chief Tyrol, but this show isn’t good enough to keep watching. Too many corruption plotlines even for a two-hour episode. Choppy editing, bad dialogue.

The Glades – The character is a bit too arrogantly “I am so funny” for me. And I thought it was a little bizarre how many times he went back to the crime scene and found yet another clue. Don’t they have forensics down there? Wouldn’t that stuff have all already been catalogued and filed into evidence?

Rizzoli & Isles – Actually really good. Tightly plotted, well acted, nice chemistry between a bunch of the characters, not just the main two. Thumbs up. (Bonus = creepy backstory scars.)

Haven – Not great but definitely watchable. Like a less goofy/funny Warehouse 13. Plus several good-lookin’ boys. So there’s that.
The Choir – I liked it enough to keep watching, but not totally into it. But then I NEVER watch those reality shows y’all love. So maybe it’s just that it’s not my genre. The little Kenyan boy, Enoch (sp?), is not only so insanely adorable but dang, he may have the best voice in the choir. And I do love both the enthusiasm of the director dude and the fact that he’s young and actually able to do himself what he’s asking of others. Which is most certainly NOT the case on some of the reality shows I’ve seen an episode of here or there.
Also watching:

Lie to Me – It’s similar to House in that it all really falls on whether you can tolerate the main character but it’s different than house in that a) the main character isn’t such a train wreck and b) the storylines each week differ a LOT more than the ones on House do.
The Good Wife – I find myself a little taken aback by how much older Julianna Marguilies looks. I guess I just remember her in the Clooney ER days and haven’t seen her do that much between. It’s OK. I have only seen scattered episodes though. (Chawne, if you’re reading this, in another celebrity shoutout, I’ve actually played softball with [against] Chris Noth.)

Warehouse 13 – I thought the first ep was a little bizarre, didn’t really have the same tone as last year’s show to me. But I liked the second one better and you know I’m a) a big Eddie McClintock fan and b) a fan of any show with a purple-suited superhero. Come on now!
Burn Notice – The failing of this show this season for me is that they just never follow up on the Fiona/Michael relationship. The past two seasons were huge steps in him admitting he loves her, him being able to show it… and now every week maybe one tiny moment of flirting and that’s it?!? COME ON PEOPLE. I need my virtual relationships to actually BE relationships. Throw me a frakking bone, here.

Friday Night Lights – This show will never be what it was to me in season 1. But there are several quality storylines going on and it’s STILL some of the best truly real-life emotions (not TV emotions) acting there is out there.

Eagerly awaiting:

Dark Blue returns August 4. It’s not the greatest cop show but it’s all dirty and dark and sometimes that’s what you’re looking for.

Season 3 of Sons of Anarchy starts on Tuesday, September 7 and I’ll be jumping out of my skin by that time waiting for its return. I’ve already rewatched both seasons 1 and 2 this summer (as well as all 4 seasons of BSG. Hey, I had the month of May off!!) and I just can’t wait to see what happens next even as there’s some stuff I’m just sooo worried about MIGHT happen!!

À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…

Eating: Mostly drinking. Black Cherry Soda. Yummers.
Making: Gaaah, have fallen off the wagon on all craft projects but will hopefully finish up an overdue baby quilt this weekend. Send me some motivation, puh-lease.
Reading: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. Ah, yes, the BIG ‘UN of our challenge books this year. It’s actually going pretty fast when I actually read it…but have been doing a lot of El train crossword-ing so I haven’t quite devoted myself to it yet. But I like it more than I expected to!
Watching: Finally finished Band of HottiesBrothers. Sigh. So Good. Warehouse 13 just started; I liked the first one! At least enough to keep watching.
Listening to: Pete Yorn “Back and Fourth”. Empy Orchestra “Here Lies Empty Orchestra”. Fuel/Friends latest mix. Eminem.
Failing at: Not freaking out.

I heart Band of Brothers.

Nixon: I don’t know why I’m still doing this.
Winters: What, drinkin’?
Nixon: No, hiding it in your footlocker. I’m a captain, for christ’s sake.
Winters: Well, why don’t you just give it up.
Nixon: Drinking?
Winters [with sarcasm]: No, hiding it in my footlocker. You’re a captain, for pete’s sake.

À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…

Eating: Today: nothing. Tomorrow: a cake like this one, I hope.

Making: Good week for dreaming of projects a-plenty. Bad week for actual crafting.

Reading: Just started this month’s challenge book: “Motherless Brooklyn” by Jonathan Lethem. Loving all the Tourettes’ word experiments.

Watching: New season of Burn Notice, yippee. Also about to start in on the Band of Brothers DVDs. For real this time.

Listening to: “Orange Sky” and “All of My Days” (Alexi Murdoch, both) back to back to back. Thanks to seeing “Away We Go” last night (a: it was AWESOME and b: Murdoch was basically the entire soundtrack), I just can’t listen to anything else.

Failing at: Focus. Control. Willpower. The usual.

Fiscally Responsible Follow-Up

So you may remember me downgrading both my phone/Internet and cable services recently in an effort to be more fiscally responsible considering I won’t have an income for the last half of 2009 and probably all of 2010 (OMG! AM I CRAZY?!?! WHY am I returning to the world of poverty?!?!)….

I’m happy to report that I have now gotten my first full bills post the changes and am now paying $55 LESS per month for cable and $53 LESS per month for phone/Internet. I *could* bring my cable down another $40 if I gave up Sci Fi channel (well….other channels as well, but that’s the only one that concerns me) but I am planning to watch Warehouse 13 (OK it seems like a lame X-Files rip-off but I love Eddie McClintock (remember when he was Sully on Bones? Ah, Sully.)) this summer and Caprica this fall so I figure I’ll keep it for now…

Aren’t you proud of me? Still working on controlling my eating & my spending, my two big self-destructive areas of the moment, but you know, there’s still time. I do have a job for another two months, you know! 🙂