Reality competition TV

I really love these shows even when they are not particularly good. Take The X Factor for instance.   I've never really liked this show, my favorite never won. But I used to like Simon's opinions when he was on American Idol. And I liked a lot of the music. And I liked Paula, but she didn't last. I do watch it, though I often leave it on the DVR until there is nothing better to watch. Don't particularly care who wins except I'd like to see an "over 25 " win sometime.

The Voice is much better I think. At least the judges are funny, and the choice of songs more to my taste. I was rooting for James though and he didn't make the finals. Of the final three I guess it doesn't matter much, though I think Jackie over does a bit now and again. But that's what a lot of folks like these days.

Now when it comes to non musical reality shows the best is probably The Amazing Race.  Consider all the Emmy Awards it's won over the years. I think the right couple won this season. I was hoping it would be the guys that looked like the were from Duck Dynasty.  And then when they were eliminated I was starting to warm up to the Afgannimals but then they were eliminated too.

The right person won Survivor also. There were times when I thought Tyson was almost as meanspirited as Colton or the mean girls from Big Brother last summer.  But he did the work necessary to win,and I'm pretty sure he was aiming for humor.  And the game has changed a lot since he last played. And he made some big mistakes the first 2 times he played.

Dancing With  the Stars was only just so-so.  And the best dancer hardly ever wins.  But after DWTS we can start looking forward to.........The Bachelor!!!  I know that this show doesn't really qualify as a completion show.  Nor does it really qualify as reality but it's kind of fun,and should be even better with Juan Pablo

I still want to comment on my favorite shows from my favorite  network (AMC) but don't have time.  Maybe later.  Oh... and Blacklist from NBC and of course Person of Interest which really blew me away the last two episodes.  Maybe later.

The Blacklist

Watching the episode of The Blacklist from a week ago I realize that I am always drawn to TV  and books where it is really hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys.  Mostly because most of the guys are a little bit good and and a little bit bad.  And we care for who we care for with little regard for the measurement of goodness but more the quality of it.

The Blacklist is a very good show in my opinion. And Raymond Reddington a very interesting character,  played well by James Spader.  Love him from Boston Legal. We don't always like him but we want to know more. And we know there is more to his relationship with Elizabeth.   I want to peek ahead but I should be able to catch up with the episodes soon. Got my fingers crossed that this show makes it.

So it's Veteran's Day

And we are back in the hospital for observation and blood transfusion.   I left work after just two hours and I am wondering if I can get back any of the credibility that I have lost with the people that I work with and the people that I work for.  I guess that I need to accept that things are never going to be the way they were.  Nothing is ever going to be as easy as before and like it or not  if I keep beating my head against the wall,  it's not going to hurt the wall, it's going to hurt my head.  If I could get my husband to accept that as well, we could both be happier.

On a lighter note, but not really, I am again so impressed with the way The Walking Dead is going. I really should research the comic book to see if there is as much philosophical content and/or emotional content in the books as what is in the show this season in particular. I cried when they sacrificed the pigs to the walkers. And the next episode just terrified me. Last night was an emotional rainbow for me.  When Caleb told Herschel he could lose everyone in trying to save everyone, and that he would be better off trying to save those that could be saved I thought how do you decide who can be saved.  But Herschel carries hope and Herschel lives in faith.  And later  Herschel stops checking the doors in the cell block to help Sasha and then we have loose walkers and all hell breaks loose.  Herschel stretches the truth to explain to Maggie why Glen didn't come to see her.  And that comforts both Maggie and Glen and keeps Maggie safe outside the cell block.  But Maggie comes roaring back with an ax and a gun when she feels she needs to help those she loves.  And we love Maggie as much for her practicality as we do Herschel for his faith.  And we really love the Rick/Carl demolition team almost as much as the Rick/Carl farmer team.

In the morning when everyone we really care about is safe (for now) and the sun is shining we see Michon go with Herschel to take bodies away.  Rick and Carl eat peas or was it beans. Darryl still doesn't know about Carol being let go.  And we see the Governor outside the prison.  Pretty scary.  But I am just as afraid of Lizzie, who makes me think of Lizzie Bordon and who is just plain weird.

If this show were a book I would keep reading until I couldn't see straight.  Or I would peek at the last chapter. But I can't look ahead here.  After watching the successful series ending of Breaking Bad, I trust that the Walking Dead writers will be equally successful when the time comes and that they will be consistent and true until that time.

Grasshopper

Somehow a really big grasshopper got into the house today.   My husband said that was lucky.  I said maybe not so lucky for the grasshopper.   We have cats.   So my husband scooped the grasshopper up ina napkin and put him outside.  And then the cat got outside and and wanted to play.  By the time my husband chased her away from the grasshopper he had lost a leg.  And I thought how long can that grasshopper live without that leg.  And is it lucky when a grasshopper gets in the house?  I wanted to cry.  Still do...and I don't know why.

Out with the old...

I watched a lot  of television this last week. Some seasons have ended an some old favorites of mine gradually coming back. I have come to believe that my opinion on television doesn't count for much anymore. I am over fifty.   Way over fifty. But I am always willing to give my opinion anyway. So here we go.

Best short term quiz show since Deal or No Deal was that  Million  Second show.  I came late to the show, and had to miss a couple because I can only dvr two shows at a time and I had conflicts...several conflict.  But the fact that the contestants kept winning and stayed around so the veiwer could kind of get to know them...that was cool.  And Andrew did deserve to win.  I was kind of rooting for the young guy, but it was ok  that Andrew won. Anyway I liked it but didn't watch every episode.

Big Brother 15 ended this week.  Andy won, the sneaky little pipsqueek.   I guess he deserved to win more than any of the others.   But the whole season was kind of a dud.  Nobody was very likeable, and there was a lot of arrogance floating around the house. Also a lot of bad language and  politically incorrect, possibly racist talk pretending to be humor. Not good guys.  Not good at all.

And the night BB15  ended, Survivor began a new season with new twists and the return of Redemption Island.  I haven't decided yet how I feel about this.

So..first I posted this, then decided I needed to add something about Sibera and Under the Dome. So I took it back to draft.  Now I'm not sure what I want to say about these shows. I stuck it out with Under the Dome even though it was so different  from the book.   Plot differences didn't bother me so much.  But I just didn't care about the characters.   And it's the characters that make me such a Stephen King fan.  But when I get to the last episode and it isn't the last episode I actually got angry.  For some reason I thought it was a miniseries. I thought it would have a beginning,  middle and end all in one season.  I don't see this show going anywhere that I want to go with it, but unfortunately I will probably watch anyway.

Now with Siberia...I really would like to see where that would go in another season.   But I am probably one of only a few people who would.  Ratings were not good and I doubt that the show will be back.

Still want to talk about Mistresses,  The Killing, and Hell on Wheels but don't have time  tonight so I am going to publish now.

Looking for normal

So we got some sort of good news last week about my husband's health issues. But there is still a lot we don't know.  And I wonder if I will ever feel free of this nagging feeling that I just might not be able to handle the next crisis.   And then there are days when I feel I can't breathe; that all of this fear  and hopelessness is doing damage to my own health. Is this normal? What is normal?

I know there are things that I can't control.  I know there are things I must just accept.  I also know there are things I can do, things I should do, things I might not feel like I have the energy to do.  To do the best I can is going to have to be enough.

looking forward to Survivor continued.....

Ok so I went off the track last post, started writing about everything except  Survivor. But that was just to illustrate how poor television, especially reality television has been this summer.

So...Survivor. ..I have loved this show since it's beginning.   I have loved it even when I hated it.  Even when the exactly wrong person  (in my opinion) won.  Lots of Survivor fans hate returning players.   I actually like it.  I'm  not sure that I want to see Colton back however.  We will see what we will see.  And I amnot so sure about Rupert and his wife either.  But I think that I will like the new concept.

And I want to see Aras and his brother,  Monica and Brad, and even Kat and Big Brother winner Hayden.  And Tyson.  Tyson who screwed up so bad on Heroes vs. Vilians.  And for no good reason!

As I'm writing, I am watching Big Brother.   Double eviction-Amanda is gone and McCrea has won Head of Household- and I am happy about that.  Wanted him to win from the beginning but was disappointed when he hooked up with Amanda. Thought she was kinda funny in the beginning but got tired of her real fast.  How could he not get tired of her too?  There was some indication that he was embarrassed by some of her behavior though.

So--it was 111 degrees today, been a long summer with family health problems, and financial the ambiguity that goes along with that.  But it's September now, school has started and I'm looking forward to Survivor, and Person of Interest, and other TV favorites and cooler weather and better days for all of us.

Rain coming

Been waiting for rain for days. Finally going to get it tonight.

Looking forward to Survivor

Television has been a disappointment to me this summer.  I have multiple episodes of a couple of shows on the DVR that I just can't seem to get around to watching.   I am busy but if I was really into them I would find the time.  I have managed to keep up with Longmire,  a cable show on at 10pm in our time zone. I like this show almost as much for the scenery as for the story. Makes me want to move to Wyoming,  except I think it's filmed in New Mexico. Anyway it's over for the season with a nicely satisfying cliffhanger episode.

There is always Rookie Blue to depend on.  Been cop show replacement for Grey's Anatomy. Likeable characters, decent storyline. A lot like Grey's Anatomy actually except police instead of doctors. I have been keeping up with that show. Managed to make time to see all of Hero, even though I knew I wasn't going to be happy with the outcome of this kind of sappy reality competition show. Who Dun It was a little confusing.  The guy who won thought the killer was someone else until the very end but he still won. I was confused but I'm glad he won instead the chick with the curly hair. Last year or the year before there was a show called Expedition Impossible which I really really liked,  but it went away and never came back.

Perception, crossing lines etc.

I have noticed recently that many of the tv shows I watch regularly feature protagonists with some kind of flaw.  Daniel Pierce has schizophrenia.   Adrian Monk was obsessive compulsive.  Gregory House had that leg as well as the drug addiction.  The American cop on Crossing Lines has the injured hand plus drug  dependency. Walter White has cancer when he is his best self goes into remission as he "breaks bad"  and in the first episode of the last episodes we find his cancer has come back.  I am kind of hoping this means WW has a chance at redemption, kind of hoping but not really sure about that.

Is this some kind of  intentional imitation of successful television shows?  Or a universal theme? Or maybe it is not as prevalent as I believe it is, but just the kind of show that I am attracted to.  Or maybe all of the above.

feeling very old now

So now husband's blood count is down again.  After all the scopes and tests and him swallowing a camera to take pictures as it moves thru the entire digestive system; now we leave the digestive system and move on.  Another doctor, more tests more questions.  Maybe some actual answers?

So tired of repeating the same thing over and over. There needs to be one person who has all of the pieces of the puzzle. There needs to be one person in charge of everything.  I am afraid that that is me, and I don't know if I  can do a very good job of it. Maybe we need to talk to the people at Humana.  Maybe there is some way they can help.

We just need to take the time time to figure it out. Can I muster up some optimism?  Is optimism the best thing? I hope so.

old and tired

Feeling old and tired and a little depressed I guess.  Seems like we are stuck in some enormous rut, and though we actually created the rut ourselves, I'm not sure we can get out without help.  Problem is....who do you trust these days?  God you could trust.  But he is not speaking to me in ways I can understand.

I feel like  my age makes my opinions less valuable, my time worth less and my needs too costly.  As a result I don't trust the medical professionals we have been dealing with or practically anyone I'm dealing with these days.