Watching, reading, listening

Let's talk entertainment for a bit, shall we?

It is one of my favorite topics, you know.

How about we check in on that Summer Movie List?

I have already checked 3 off of my list so far.

Iron Man 3:  I loved it. Already wrote that, but it merits another mention.  If the second one was a little disappointing to you, then #3 will be redeeming.  Funny, good story, great ending.

Star Trek:  I must admit that I liked this almost more than Iron Man 3.  The story was so good.  And I can't help myself, I love that Cumberbatch.  And he is all kinds of fantastic in this one.  It was a perfect sequel to JJ's first go-around.  Highly recommended.

The Great Gatsby:  Loved it.  So Baz. Big.  Showy.  Loud and beautiful.  The story was sad (no shocker for those of you who have read it).  My roommate didn't enjoy the story because she said it was  depressing, but I'm a sucker for good depressing, sad story.

Still need to see: Much Ado, Bling Ring and maybe Man of Steel but everyone has been saying how horrible it is.  Maybe I'll skip that one.


Other forms of entertainment:

TV:  I've become obsessed with The Newsroom. The Bro has been telling me to try it for a few months now, but we don't have HBO.  Then randomly our satellite provider had one of those free HBO weekends with a Newsroom marathon.  Score.  I'm a big fan of Aaron Sorkin and especially The West Wing.  If you are too, then this show is something you would love as well.  It's fantastic.  And I have no idea why so many critics have been so down on it.  The cast is adorable and I loved them instantly.  When the writing is good (as Sorkin's tends to be), I've realized that you don't have to grow to love a show.  You love it 20 minutes into the first episode.  The Newsroom is one of those gems.  

Books:  I read finished Everyday about a week ago.  It...was....horrible.  It was an interesting idea and I finished it only because I wanted to know what would happen and if it would redeem itself.  It did not.  It was all around bad.
Currently reading: Searching For God Knows What and The 5th Wave.

Music:  I'm loving and playing on repeat Oh How I Need You by All Sons and Daughters.  And then there is the Sigur Ros album.  I just got it on vinyl yesterday and can't wait to spin that thing all summer long.  Delightful.

What are you watching, reading and listening to lately?  I have no earthly idea what the rest of America is into this summer.  All my "news" comes from my Entertainment Weekly delivered to my mailbox every Thursday.

on my radar

I have a small semi-life outside of camp during the summertime.  

Okay, not really, but I like to pretend I do.

Here are a few things on my radar as of late:

Amazon MP3's and Cloud Player app for iphone ~ this is, like, one of my favorite things all summer.  The app was just released for iphones a few weeks ago and it is already my favorite, besides Instagram, of course.  

Great things about it?  Well, #1: it's not itunes (itunes = my extreme dislike) #2: Amazon gives away free music/free music credits all...the...time.  I have 41 one songs (including two full albums) in my cloud right now and I paid about $2 for all of it.  Follow @amazonmp3 on Twitter for all the freebie info.  They were giving out $3 mp3 credits just last week.  

Music I'm loving right now:  The Bloom album by Beach House (99 cent sale on Amazon) and the new Cornerstone album from Hillsong Live (99 cents after $3 in free credits).  Plus Rivers and Roads by The Head and the Heart (sniff, sniff, Chuck) and some Ingrid too.  

TV:  Our DVR died, you guys.  Sad, sad day.  We lost all of Downton season 2 and a bunch of Sherlock episodes and my favorite Emma that the BBC did a few years ago.  Ugh.  Plus, Dish (our current provider) dropped AMC.  Not okay.  No Walking Dead or Mad Men?  Not okay at all.   

I've watched very little TV recently (besides my Dr Quinn marathon when I was sick 2 weeks ago).  Truly, it just hasn't been appealing lately.  I've watched a few episodes of White Collar season 3, and they were fantastic.  That's a great summer show.  I love recommending that show to people who need something to watch.  

Books:  I am now currently in the middle of 5.  Wool by Hugh Howey (a self published book I found on Amazon and downloaded to my Kindle).  The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester (not to be confused by The Boy Who Could Fly, the 1980's Disney Channel movie that I watched about 45 times as a child.  anyone else?) The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery (free on my Kindle). Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller (I will finish it this summer and return it to you, my dear brother.  I will.).  And I just started The Soulkeepers by G.P Ching (free through Amazon Prime on my Kindle).  I like variety.  Always been one of those people who is in the middle of a bunch of books at once.  And I'm still loving my Kindle.  

Treat:  My favorite thing at snack shop right now is Horizon's Chocolate Milk.  Good gracious, it's delicious. A perfect bit of chocolate without all the calories and fat that are in candy.  

Movies:  I've seen two movies lately and both were just ho-hum.  I think The Avengers ruined me for the summer.  It's bad to start out with the best one because everything else just pales in comparison.  The two "ho-hum's" were Brave (it was fine, but didn't wow me like most Pixar movies do. ex: Wall*E and Up) and The Beasts of the Southern Wild (it didn't live up to the ridiculous hype it's been getting).  The Dark Knight Rises is up next.  Oh, and I watched The Artist again and it was just as lovely the second time.  

Podcast obsession:  A few months ago, I found Kevin Pollack's Chat Show by way of hearing that a certain Zachary would be on it.  After listening to his episode, I dove in head first into the library of over a 100 other interviews, downloading them and listening to them constantly.  I just finished Damon Lindelof's, and can I just tell you that I was entirely enthralled.  No joke.  It was fascinating to hear the story of how he became a writer for TV and ended up doing Lost.  I'll be listening to that one about 7 more times, I'm sure.  Nick Offerman's is also fantastic.  He is fascinating.  

****WARNING:  I would rate this show with a giant PG-13 or higher.  There are no censors online, so the language can be harsh at times.  You've been warned.  

Other than that, it's just been boat repairs, hot summer days, lots of sand and brackish water and a couple children.  Okay, more like 200 children.  I do love that summer is a completely different lifestyle for me.  I don't miss TV.  I don't get bored often.  I'm busy and investing in people and trying my hardest not to melt into a puddle.  My days are filled with things that most people dream about doing.  Driving boats and having conversations.  Getting snack shop treats and going to the pool.  Don't get me wrong.  It's tough and exhausting.  But I wouldn't trade it for any other summer job.....well, maybe a house sitter on Oahu's North Shore, but still.  This job is pretty fantastic.  

Side note:  It has taken me four days to post this.  If I could just get a decent internet connection... It's so incredibly frustrating.

really fuzzy pictures from my night at TAL LIVE

As I told you, I went to see This American Life LIVE on Thursday night. Ira Glass was beamed into my own (or nearby) town for a live, fun evening. I snuck some photos with my crappy phone just to prove I was there and to remember what a fun time it was.
I must say, that I think it was much funnier than a lot of movies I have seen in the theater. It was great to SEE what I usually only HEAR. Quite a cool experience.


I arrived 30 minutes early to get a good seat. To my great surprise, the screen was full of fun things to look at like the beautiful art work that was created for the event.

Then there were funny word games to figure out.

And hints of what was to come. Joss was, of course, a BIG deal for this viewer/listener!

Then, showtime. Ira showed up and did his whole opening. Reading his script. Hitting about 15 buttons at once. One guy in our studio yelled "IRA!!" Dude, he can't hear you! He's in NYC! But I totally get it. It really did feel like we were there too.

Then Mike Birbiglia took the stage. I must say that seeing him perform instead of just hearing him was a treat. Hilarious...

Then Starlee Kine and an artist who does little comics on post-its for her writings.


And the man, the myth, the TV superhero Joss Whedon. His contribution was great. He was the brains behind Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog (hilarious!!). He decided when it was put out on DVD that he would sing all of his commentary. He performed part of it LIVE. I've said it before, but I think he's just TV greatness.

Then Ira wrapped it up and everyone was sad to get up and leave.
A super fun night. I had such a great time and am so glad that I went ahead and bought those tickets.