Lost in TV
Monday, September 26, 2005
I've been so detached from television in the past couple of months that I didn't even know about the premeires of The Apprentice and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart last week. As a big fan of the show, it was unfathomable to miss the start of the new season. But fortunately for the wonders of BitTorrent, I was able to download the episodes and watch them on my Media Center PC.
Ah, it was like welcoming an old friend back home. There was the Donald back at it again with his overblown persona; same hair, same puckered lips, same unmodulated voice. How can you not love it? I didn't get much of an impression of the contestants from the first episode, but I was extremely glad that Melissa was the first to go. I was worried that Trump might keep her around for the Omarosa factor, but thankfully, he spared us from the torture of having to see her in any further episodes. I didn't really find anybody from the latest crop of candidates that interesting. I love the change in exemption rule for the project manager; it should make the boardrooms even more interesting than before.
Surprisingly, I found that I enjoyed Martha's Apprentice more than the original. I've never been a fan of hers, so it was with some astonishment that the show managed to turn her into someone that I actually found likable. Her style and the subtle differences from the original are fun. In contrast to Donald's show, I really liked Martha's stable of candidates and look forward to seeing who emerges and who crashes.
Both shows have earned a rare spot on my DVR season subscriptions. But there's a new show that I've recently picked up that has surpassed the Apprentice on the priority list, slotting in right below The Daily Show at the top: ABC's Lost.
I've been hearing many good things about the show since it premeired last year, but I never bothered to catch any episode. After taking the Emmy for Best Drama last week, I finally decided to give it a shot and downloaded the first season off of BT.
Boy, have I been missing out. I've watched ten episodes in three days so far, and I am totally hooked. The setup is eerie, the story spooky, the characters well-developed and well-acted. At the rate I'm going, I'll be done with the first season by next week and be ready to start watching this season's episodes that my DVR is now recording.
The best part is that several of my friends have just started watching too, so we're all basically at the same point in the story. Last night a bunch of us were at my friend's apartment where we watched a mini-marathon of four episodes of the show. I haven't been as into a television series since the first few seasons of the The X-Files. Hopefully this one won't get bogged down in a complicated morass like that show did.
House Party
Sunday, September 11, 2005
That's right, four years after moving in to my apartment, I finally threw my first house party last night.
Since I had never thrown one before, I wasn't quite sure of how much I needed of everything. I consequently bought way too many chips, crackers, veggies, and other finger foods than I know what to do with now. When I was at the supermarket buying everything, I was worried about not having enough to satisfy the guests. It wasn't until afterwards when I got home and took note of all the food I had bought that I realized I had severely overstocked on munchies. I was only expecting about eighteen people or so. When I listed out my inventory to a friend, she told me I had enough food to feed more than double that. Whoops.
Chalk that up to a rookie mistake. Thankfully, the party itself went off without a hitch, and everybody seemed to have a good time. (Note to self: Make sure to have an ice pick next time.) It's always a little nerve-wracking when worlds collide and you bring together friends from different circles. Fortunately, everyone got along great, which shouldn't be that much of a surprise since I have cool friends.
I didn't get to bed last night until 5:30 am, my second long night in-a-row. I had spent the previous evening out until about 3:30 am. Sleep-deprived = yes. But I had a ton of fun. Now if only the weekend had another day so that I could catch up on sleep.
Dream State
Thursday, September 8, 2005
I have been so sleep deprived in the past month that I'm beginning to have trouble differentiating between the real and the imagined.
I had a conversation today with my friend Orlando where I was under the impression that he and his girlfriend had parted ways recently. However, when I checked with him, he told me that this was not the case at all. Apparently that conversation where he told me that he and her had broken up, one that I remember so distinctly, was just a dream.
I wonder about my memories now, about what's actually happened and what hasn't. My dreams are beginning to meld in with my waking hours. Add in all the going-ons of the past few weeks, and I'm not quite sure of anything anymore. It all seems surreal. If I am indeed dreaming, I hope I don't wake up anytime soon.