Now that I'm in Singapore and have access to a computer for the first time in two weeks, what do I do? Watch Transformers:ROTF interviews:

40-pack abs and a birthday cake in South Korea

bad singing and a kiss in France

more bad singing and the lesser-known Jonas brothers on MTV

Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell
My cousin Janet recommended the Trixie Belden books to me. So far, I've only read this one, the first of the series. The plot was so-so, but I loved Trixie's sassiness, courage, and intelligence. She's a far worthier role model for young girls than that wimpy sap, Bella Swan.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
I enjoyed the story well enough, and I really liked the daemons (I wish I had a daemon!) and Lyra's toughness and wiliness (she's also a good role model for young girls). However, I was confused about the various relationships, organizations, conspiracies, scientific explanations, and plot points. I don't know if this is because I'm dumb or if the book wasn't written clearly or if it's because I haven't read the second and third books in the series.

Bonk by Mary Roach
I loved Bonk (about the science of sex) just as much as Roach's first two books, Stiff (about the scientific uses for cadavers) and Spook (about scientific explanations for afterlife phenomena). I continued to be impressed with the author's writing; it's technical and detailed enough to satisfy scientists, yet clear and funny enough to engage non-scientists.

The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey
This uniquely structured novel consists of four parts told from four different characters' points of view. It is fantastically well-written with characters and situations that feel real and true. I really connected with the recurring idea in the book that people keep secrets from their loved ones in order to spare them pain. Although the ending is devastatingly sad, I'm glad I read it.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer
Although I hated Twilight, I had heard so many good things about this book (from people who hated Twilight) and the concept was so intriguing that I had to give this book a chance. I read this book in less than two weeks, which is fast for me considering the large-print version I borrowed from the library was 1144-pages long. Meyer's writing still wasn't great, but it was a definite improvement from Twilight. The Host is about an alien species that lives by inserting themselves into another host species and controlling their minds. As the book begins, the aliens have infiltrated nearly all humans. The few human survivors are in hiding and trying to survive. The book is told from an alien's point of view. Her character and this book challenge the reader to think about good vs. evil, prejudice, and what it means to be human.

The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber
Written in 1950, this illustrated kids' fantasy book is deliciously dark and morbid and full of evil dukes, beautiful princesses, jewels, magical spells, and suitors who have to perform impossible tasks.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Lahiri's first short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, won the Pulitzer Prize and her first novel, The Nakesake, was a critical and commercial success. I have read both books and marveled at the author's clear, graceful writing and the emotional depth in her stories about the struggles of Bengali-American immigrants and their children. However, I was only able to read half of the stories in her second short story collection, Unaccustomed Earth. Her writing was simply beautiful, but the stories were overwhelmingly depressing.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Another wonderfully morbid children's book, The Graveyard Book follows a boy whose family is slaughtered and who subsequently grows up in a graveyard, raised by the various spirits and supernatural creatures who reside there. The ending, as with most Gaiman endings, was lovely and poignant.

The Sandman and related works by Neil Gaiman
I've already talked about how much I loved this phenomenal comic series, which is one of the best things I've ever read. I also enjoyed Gaiman's Sandman-related works: The Sandman: Endless Nights, a series of stories about each of the Endless; The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, a Japanese fairy tale in which Dream makes an appearance; Death: The High Cost of Living and Death: The Time of Your Life, two stories about Death, Dream's adorable goth sister.

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
This comic series begins with the sudden, simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth, save for a young man Yorick and his pet monkey Ampersand, and follows man and monkey (and the various women in their lives) over the course of a few years as they try to survive in a vastly changed world devoid of men. The scenario is intriguing and the story develops in unexpected ways. For the most part, I enjoyed it, especially Yorick's self-deprecating sense of humor and the hints of science. The last volume was the best part of the story and made reading the whole series worth it. I cried buckets.

The Little Endless Storybook by Jill Thompson
Thompson's depictions of the Endless as cute toddlers first appeared in The Sandman. Here she concocts a silly little story, which is just an excuse for her brilliant, funny, adorable drawings.

The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn
I was intrigued by this sci-fi novel's concept of a "smart pill," a drug that enhances a person's ability to focus, learn, remember, and make connections. Protagonist Eddie Spinola stumbles upon a stash of the smart pills, which he uses to redesign himself and his life. Soon, he's making millions and meeting with high-powered CEOs of multi-national corporations. But the drug has horrible side effects: headaches, mental instability, and blackouts. This book was thrilling, making both the New York City setting and Eddie's highs and lows visceral.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
This book consists of five fairy tales told to children of the wizarding world ("The Tale of the Three Brothers" appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and includes commentaries by Albus Dumbledore. My favorite, by far, was "The Fountain of Fair Fortune," about three witches trying to reach a magical fountain that will cure them of their woes.

"Henry IV" and "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare
"Henry IV" was boring and really long (it's divided into two plays). I guess I'm not a big fan of reading about political meetings, speeches, and battles. "The Tempest" was lovely (and really short). I much prefer love, magic, and forgiveness over politics.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Although the quality of the writing is not up to par with Austen's other novels, Northanger Abbey is a fun, enjoyable read. The main characters, Catherine and Mr. Tilney, are extremely likable. In fact, Mr. Tilney is my favorite Austen hero; I'd pick him over Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley, Captain Wentworth, Edward Ferrars, and Edmund Bertram any day.

Watchmen by Alan Moore
This acclaimed graphic novel written during 1986 and 1987 was revolutionary for its dystopic view of the world and complex, morally ambiguous characters. I appreciated the ambitious, masterful, multi-layered story; however, I did not particularly enjoy reading it. None of the characters are very likable, the main female character is especially annoying and dumb, and the ending is jawdroppingly stupid.

When Wanderers Cease to Roam by Vivian Swift
This charmingly illustrated book is full of the author's travel memories and reasons why she now stays put in her home on Long Island Sound. Organized by month, the book offers ideas for enjoying wherever you are to the fullest.

Behind the Yellow Tape by Jarrett Hallcox and Amy Welch
The authors -- instructors at the National Forensic Academy -- traversed the country to visit former students and find out about their experiences as crime scene investigators. This book provides a good sense of what CSIs do in real life, as opposed to their idealized depictions on TV.

I watched way too much TV this season, and a lot of it was mediocre. The one good thing about watching mediocre television is that it allows me to do a lot of knitting, since I'm not engrossed enough to play full attention. Average grades for this season:


Wrongfully canceled: "Pushing Daisies"

Rightfully canceled: "Eleventh Hour" and "Without a Trace"

Should have been canceled: "Ashes to Ashes," "Burn Notice," "Chuck," and "Scrubs"

Late newcomers:

• Ashes to Ashes: This BBC sequel to the critically-acclaimed "Life on Mars" follows D.I. Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes)'s dream? hallucination? near-death experience? when she gets shot in the present and wakes up in 1981. The fabulous '80s music and clothes are great, and the show is even shot in a way to make it look like it's a show from the '80s. However, the writing is bad, the plots are hard to follow, the surreal sequences are cringe-inducing, and the protagonist is constantly doing stupid things that make you want to slap her.
  
  
• Better Off Ted: This hilariously demented look at the research & development department of a large amoral corporation is the most pleasant surprise of the year. Ted (Jay Harrington), the head of R & D, is a likable protagonist who often breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience. Veronica (Portia de Rossi), Jay's boss, is an intimidating bitch, yet strangely funny and likable. Phil (Jonathan Slavin) and Lem (Malcolm Barrett), the nerdy and earnest researchers, are my favorites, as they play so well off each other.
  
  
• Castle: "Castle" is very reminiscent of "Moonlighting" or "Bones"; all these shows feature a strong, humorless female character and a funny, likable male character who solve crimes together. This show pairs Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) with best-selling crime novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion). Although this is not a great show, it is very enjoyable to watch due to Nathan Fillion, who is utterly adorable and charming.
  
  
• Dollhouse: Joss Whedon's fourth TV show is about a company who employs "actives" or "dolls," people wiped of their memories and personalities so that they can be imprinted with any skills or traits that their clients would like. The show got off to a rough start but eventually hit its stride and began using its difficult premise to good advantage. It was a roller coaster ride in quality that was eventually worth it. Episode grades:
  

Best episodes of the season (in no particular order):

• "The Passenger in the Oven," Bones: We see Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) at their most ingenious as they attempt to solve a murder on a plane.
  
  
• "For Warrick," CSI: Looking for Warrick (Gary Dourdan)'s killer brings out the best in the team and some of the best ever performances by the actors. The funeral scene was perfectly done.
  
  
• "Midnight," Doctor Who: This brilliant episode features some of Russell T. Davies' best writing and David Tennant's best acting. The story feels like classic science fiction; it's scary, even horrifying, yet there are no monsters or aliens, just the dark side of humanity.
  
  
• "Briar Rose," Dollhouse: Alan Tudyk fools us into thinking he's a crazy, wimpy architect before scaring the bejesus out of us when he reveals himself as Alpha.
  
  
• "House Divided," House: Hallucination!Amber (Anne Dudek) helps House (Hugh Laurie) plan the best bachelor party ever. Awesome.
  
  
• "My Finale," Scrubs: A great show ends in the most perfect way. Why did they have to muck it up by renewing the show?
  
  
• "Prince Family Paper," The Office: The office spends an entire day debating about whether Hilary Swank is hot or not, using charts and figures. It made me wish that I worked in that office.

Have you ever wondered how Sheldon would look like as a bat? Well, it's your lucky day.

Side view:


Dorsal view:


Front view:


Rear view:

The 4th Annual Puget Sound Local Yarn Shop Tour was this weekend. Every year, hundreds of people, including people from as far as Florida, make the pilgrimage to this mecca of yarn. This year, 23 yarn shops participated, each offering a free pattern, a 10%-off deal on the yarn for that pattern, and a daily drawing for a $50 prize. People that went to all 23 shops during the tour were also eligible for a number of grand prizes. This was the first year I participated.

Last Thursday afternoon, I met two of my knitting group friends, Aubri and Fay, at Weaving Works, the yarn store I visit most often as it's only two blocks from my apartment. It's one of my very favorite places. Although the yarn is not organized the way I'd like, almost all the yarns are displayed with a label showing gauge, recommended needle size, and price AND a sample knitted swatch. I wasn't going to get anything there, but then a peach/green/purple variegated yarn caught my eye. It was Jojoland Melody yarn and reasonably priced, so I ended up getting two skeins to make a pair of socks.

Jojoland Melody yarn:


From there, Fay drove us to Wallingford to Bad Woman Yarn, which I'd also been to before. They had a small selection of mostly luxury yarns and a number of beautiful Norah Gaughan sweaters on display. Afterwards, we stopped at Trophy Cupcakes. I had a margarita cupcake, which was tastier than most of the cupcakes I'd had there, but the frosting was still too sweet and disgustingly heavy and the cake was a bit dry and tasteless. We noticed that the store was displaying the cutest Seattle cupcake-themed drawings by Jessie Oleson. See her art at Cake Spy. Another knitting group friend, Desiree, joined us after the cupcakes.

We then drove to Greenwood to The Fiber Gallery. I had never been there before. It was an impressive library of yarn.

After Fiber Gallery, we went to Full Circle in Ballard, which I had never visited before either. This yarn store seemed like it had been frozen during the '70s. Cupcake Royale, with their vastly superior cupcakes, was close at hand, but we were cupcaked out.

The next stop was Hilltop Yarn in Queen Anne. This is one of my favorite yarn stores in Seattle. The decor is modern, cozy, and artistic; there was a really cute display of Japanese yarn filling a sink with blue and white yarn streaming out of the faucet. They had fresh raspberry lemonade for the customers.

Our last stop of the night was down in West Seattle at the Seattle Yarn Gallery. It was my first time there. They had a pretty large selection. I bought a pattern for an adorable stuffed beet. I have a thing for knitted fruits and vegetables.

Stuffed beet pattern:


It took us about three hours to go to six stores. We finished around 8 pm and had a late dinner at a Mexican place that looked like a cafeteria on the inside. I had a decent veggie burrito.

Thursday route map:


After my class was over on Friday, I set out at 11 am to do a solo tour of six yarn stores. The first one was Tricoter Knitting Specialists. I didn't know this, but "tricoter" is French for "to knit." This store was horribly organized. Most yarn stores are organized by brand, fiber content, or weight. This store was organized by color. Huge piles of random yarn were stashed on shelves in no discernible order (except by color), and there were no labels on the shelves conveying any information about the yarns. The whole arrangement seemed designed to dissuade people from touching the yarn.

Then I drove to Bellevue to Hilltop Yarn East, which was the only shop that I visited on Friday that I'd been to before. This store has a nice, welcoming vibe, similar to its sister store in Queen Anne. They have a lot of Rowan yarn, which is gorgeous but tends to be expensive. I stumbled across some lovely Mirasol yarn that I vowed to buy someday when I find a pattern for it. By then, it was lunchtime, so I stopped at a Starbucks for a egg/cheese/spinach/mushroom pastry thing that was quite tasty and a passion tea lemonade that tasted strongly of coffee and milk.

I got back on the road and drove to Issaquah. It was a beautiful day, the temperature was just right, the mountains were visible, and Lake Sammamish looked beautiful. Cultured Purls was located in a quaint-looking shopping village. The yarn was cleverly displayed on hooks.

From there, I drove to Knittery in Renton. I found some Berroco Ultra Alpaca at a good price in just the right shade (light heathered blue with a bit of purple) that I had in mind for Norah Gaughan's Vortex Street Pullover. I bought 7 skeins of it.

Berroco Ultra Alpaca yarn:


My next stop was down in Kent at Renaissance Yarns. This lovely yarn store was in a huge shopping center, Kent Station. They had salmon canapes for the customers. I ate two.

The last shop I went to on my own was The Yarn Stash in Burien. It was not the best-stocked store, but the salespeople were especially friendly. They gave me a bunch of coupons, hoping to entice me back there.

My solo yarn tour took longer than I had anticipated, and I didn't start driving back to Seattle until after 3 pm. At that point, Friday afternoon traffic had started. I was meeting friends at the ferry leaving for Bainbridge Island at 4:40 pm. My original plan had been to drive home, rest, and take the bus to the ferry terminal. However, there was no time for that, so I drove straight to the ferry. During the wait for the ferry, I got a berry mango smoothie at a stand by the terminal. After I parked my car on the ferry, I went and found Aubri, Fay, and Liz already settled and knitting on the passenger deck. The ferry took about 35 minutes to get to Bainbridge Island.

We went to dinner first at Harbour Public House. As we were waiting for a table, a tall, friendly-looking, blonde woman walked by me. She smiled at me, and I realized she was Elizabeth Mitchell. She still looked exactly like her character on "Lost." She was sitting with a man who looked vaguely familiar at the table beside ours. Over at our table, we shared some poutine (with chicken gravy and Beecher's cheese curds), and I had a warm spinach salad. The food was delicious, and the view of the mountains, trees, and water was great.

After dinner, we went to Churchmouse Yarns & Teas. The people there were lovely, and the yarn was glorious. They had a lot of sock yarn. All of the customers were offered a glass of sherry and either got a tape measure or a tea sampler as a gift. I chose the tea.

After yarn, we stopped by Mora, which makes gourmet ice cream. I got dark chocolate, which was very dark and very chocolate-y, and strawberry, which tasted exactly like fresh strawberries. After our satisfying dinner, yarn stop, and ice cream, we caught the 8:10 pm ferry back to Seattle. When I got home, I IMDB'd Elizabeth Mitchell. She and her family live on Bainbridge Island.

Friday route map:


We met at 9:30 am on Saturday to drive north. Beth drove Fay and Liz. Desiree's husband James drove Desiree, Aubri, and me. It took about 1.5 hours to drive to Bellingham. It was another perfect day for driving. We went to NW Handspun Yarns first. They had plenty of yarn, looms, spinning wheels, and roving for sale, but disappointingly, no handspun yarn.

We went to the cleverly named Mount Bakery (Mt. Baker is near Bellingham) for lunch. We shared a pot of rooibos herbal chai tea, and I had an absolutely scrummy breakfast crepe (ham, egg, Swiss, herbs) and simple salad. While we were looking at yarn, James had gone to a used book shop and bought lots of trashy fun sci-fi novels with questionable covers.

After lunch, we stopped at Apple Yarns, which had a very good selection. I lusted after decadently soft Mirasol and Manos del Uruguay yarn but resisted temptation.

Then we got back on the road and drove to Burlington to Knot Just Yarn. Their free pattern was Dragonskin Legwarmers, which I'm going to make for my mom. (She wears legwarmers under her pants every day during winter.) James continued his book tour, as every yarn shop we visited seemed to be near a book shop.

The next stop was in Mount Vernon for Wild Fibers. They had a good selection, lots of Rowan, and the yarn was well-organized by brand.

From there, we drove to Everett to go to Great Yarns, which was not that great. Their stock seemed to consist mainly of novelty yarns (i.e. impractical yarns that few people want to use) and cashmere yarns (i.e. expensive yarns that few people can afford). They had a bargain basement that was stuffed from floor to ceiling with yarn still in plastic bags.

The last stop was at Village Yarn & Tea in Shoreline. The yarn selection was good, and it was cool that they had a sit-down area for drinking tea, knitting, and resting.

We called it a day at 6 pm. We didn't go to Beach Basket Yarn & Gifts in Blaine, because it was too far north (near the Canadian border). We skipped Ana Cross Stitch in Anacortes, which would have added an hour to the trip. And we didn't go to Main Street Yarn in Mill Creek, because we were all yarned out.

Saturday route map:


Today, I went to one final yarn store, Acorn Street Shop, which is near the University Village. They had a great, well-organized selection of yarn, and the shelves were clearly marked with large labels showing the gauge and price. Maybe it was pent-up yarn lust or maybe it was the fact that they had the right yarns in the right colors at the right prices, but I bought nearly $100 worth of yarn there. I got seven skeins of Tahki Yarns Jeans in a light blue-gray for making Norah Gaughan's Snapping Turtle Skirt and six skeins of Silky Wool in a grayish blue-green for making Knitty's Camden.

Tahki Jeans yarn:


Silky Wool yarn:


Acorn Street Shop location:


The LYS tour was tiring but fun. I discovered many new yarns that I can't wait to knit with, and I learned to love multi-color yarns, especially Noro, and sock yarns.

My passport for the 2009 Puget Sound LYS Tour (20 out of 23 shops visited):


See Fay's much more yarn-and-pattern-detailed account of the tour here.

My Winter Quarter Microbiology students were such a fun bunch. They laughed at my lame jokes (example: Two ions were talking. One ion says to the other one, "I've lost an electron!" The other ion says, "Are you sure?" The first ion says, "I'm positive!"), they asked lots of questions, we talked about "Bones" and "House," and we shared gross infection stories. My students this Spring Quarter have been a more subdued bunch, but they're all good students ... except for one dud who stopped attending weeks ago but still hasn't dropped the class. Is filling out an add/drop form so difficult that it's more desirable to get an F on your transcript?!?

I joined Twitter just so I could read about the glamorous lives of famous/semi-famous people. I whittled down the people I'm following to just ten: Diablo Cody, Sara Hess, Doris Egan, Neil Gaiman, Jon Favreau, Rainn Wilson, Martha Stewart, Felicia Day, Ryan Seacrest, and Stephen Fry. They are all active Twitterers (Tweeters? Twits?) and hilarious, informative, and/or interesting. I do not Twitter, but if I did it would look like this:

Must nap about 20 minutes everyday after getting home as am not getting enough sleep at night. Damn early morning class.
about 1 hour ago on web

Fishball happy to see me but didn’t nap with me like usual. Didn’t feel like napping either.
about 1 hour ago on web

Drove home in rain. Mad windshield wiper settings are such that they’re going too fast or too slow, never just right.
about 1 hour ago on web

Graded lab assignments. Always try to grade at work and as quickly as possible. Impossible to grade at home as too many distractions there, such as walls.
about 2 hours ago on web

Impressed all students know how to use microscope.
about 3 hours ago on web

Talked way too long about biochemical tests for bacteria. Saw students’ eyes glazing over.
about 4 hours ago on web

Student union has awesome salad bar. Ate spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, bleu cheese plus roasted eggplant, sweet potato, squash, and garlic.
about 5 hours ago on web

Read Mansfield Park while eating yogurt, then surfed 'net while stuffing face with Smartfood white cheddar popcorn.
about 6 hours ago on web

Easy lecture. Quiz, discussion question, video about MRSA and MDR-TB.
about 8 hours ago on web

Raining again. Feel silly for wearing trench coat and flip-flops. Like wearing miniskirt and fur-lined boots.
about 9 hours ago on web

Ugh, did not sleep well. Shouldn’t have read Backstage Pazz story yesterday. Am ashamed for fantasizing about skinny Jewish boy.
about 10 hours ago on web

Last Friday, I had some of my knitting group friends over to watch "Doctor Who" and knit (ah, extreme nerdity). We had pizza and ice cream beer floats. Chocolate ice cream with raspberry lambic is heavenly. Fishball was a big hit, because he's so damn cute when he's playing with yarn. He's still shy around strangers, but he's getting a lot better. Next weekend, we're doing the 2009 Seattle Local Yarn Shop Tour (23 shops, but I don't know if we're going to go to all of them).

I've been hanging out with Eugene's friends a lot. There's a core group of seven of us with occasional guests. We mostly eat, watch movies, and play "Rock Band." A couple of weeks ago we went to see a couple of laser shows at the planetarium. We saw Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Daft Punk. I hadn't seen a laser show since college.

I'm still trying to read, write, draw, knit, and exercise everyday. I can usually manage at least three of those activities a day, but it's rare that I do all five. I'm almost done reading "Watchmen," which I got from the library after only a couple months' wait and just started Mansfield Park via DailyLit. I tried to write a screenplay for Script Frenzy 2009 but didn't have enough motivation. I'm hoping to work on it this summer and to turn the novel I wrote last year into a screenplay too. For the last few months, I've been doing ten push-ups a day. When I started, I could barely do ten girlie push-ups, but now, I can almost do ten real push-ups (something I haven't been able to do since puberty)! If I added about 1000 ab crunches a day, I'd be in good shape.

Watching, thinking about, and writing about TV takes up way too much of my time. I shall desist from writing about TV here except to mention that I'm halfway through the third season of "The Wire." I love most of the characters, but especially Omar. I want to be like him. Not the stealing drugs and killing people parts, but the general awesomeness would be good.

I think Dan Meth's Pop Cultural Charts are great. I want to make some of my own (I love making charts and graphs!) but am afraid if I do, it means I have too much time and/or don't have a life.

My 1st Aunt, 2nd Aunt, mom, 4th Aunt, cousin Robbie, 5th Aunt, and I are going to China this summer. We're meeting in Hong Kong, spending a couple of days there, and then going to Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang (Southwest China) for 1.5 weeks. After that, I'm going to Singapore for a few days to visit my grandma. My parents will be there too. By my calculations, I will be on 10 different planes this summer: Seattle to Vancouver to Hong Kong to Kunming to Dali/Lijiang to Kunming to Hong Kong to Singapore to Hong Kong to Vancouver to Seattle. I'll be gone June 12-30. My brother is taking care of Fishball while I'm away, which makes me a little nervous.

My mom and I FedEx'd our passports to a travel agent so she could get our China visas for us. FedEx lost our passports. Lots of stress, picture-taking, line-waiting, and money-spending ensued. The federal building where I went to apply for a new passport has automatic revolving doors. Awesome. Also in anticipation of the trip to China, I got my first shot of hepatitis A vaccine. It's three days later and my arm still hurts. It's not as bad as the tetanus vaccine though. I'm supposed to get a second shot in 6-12 months, but nearly 100% of adults will develop full protection within a month of getting the first shot. I'm thinking about skipping the second shot.

Chloe is visiting again this summer, but only for a short while. She'll be here July 11-20. We're planning her visit already. So far, we're going to see Transformers 2, go to a David Archuleta/Demi Lovato concert (her idea), go to a Paramore/No Doubt concert (my idea), and eat a lot of tasty, trans fat-free, organic, vegan donuts from Mighty O.

Another year, another excuse to be shallow and look at pretty pictures of people I like.

( pretty people picspam )

Some people make fantasy sports teams. I make fantasy TV schedules:

Monday
8:00 pm: "The X-Files" (reruns)
9:00 pm: "The ReduX-Files"
10:00 pm: "Touching Evil"
Late night talk show hosted by: David Letterman

"The ReduX-Files" is my made-up remake of "The X-Files" with FBI agents, Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) and Rachel Young (Marley Shelton), as partners assigned to the X-Files. Through the course of their investigations, they become acquainted with a mad scientist, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), who is currently under the protection of NSA agent, John Casey (Adam Baldwin). In my fantasy world, "Touching Evil" starring Jeffrey Donovan was never canceled.




Tuesday
8:00 pm: "Bones"
9:00 pm: "House"
10:00 pm: "CSI"
Late night talk show hosted by: Conan O'Brien

In my fantasy "House," Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) would be House (Hugh Laurie)'s boss, and House's team would consist of Ridiculously Old Fraud (Carmen Argenziano), Cutthroat Bitch (Anne Dudek), Kutner (Kal Penn), and Chase (Jesse Spencer). Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) quit to take care of her baby, and Foreteen (Omar Epps and Olivia Wilde) quit to travel around the world. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) is still House's best friend. My fantasy "CSI" would be the same as the real "CSI," except Hodges (Wallace Langham) and Wendy (Liz Vassey) are going out and we periodically get to see what Grissom (William Petersen) is up to.




Wednesday
8:00 pm: "Top Chef"
9:00 pm: "Project Runway"
10:00 pm: "So You Think You Can Dance"
Late night talk show hosted by: Craig Ferguson

What could be better than a night of the best reality competition shows followed by an hour of Craig Ferguson?


Thursday
8:00 pm: "The Office"
8:30 pm: "30 Rock"
9:00 pm: "Arrested Development"
9:30 pm: "Better Off Ted"
10:00 pm: "Leverage"
Late night talk show hosted by: Graham Norton

"Arrested Development" was never canceled in my fantasy world. Thursday becomes Must-See TV again with four half-hour comedies, going from least to most demented. The night ends with "Leverage," the best comedy about thieves ever, and Graham Norton, the best talk show host ever.


Friday
8:00 pm: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "Angel" (reruns)
9:00 pm: "Firefly"
10:00 pm: "Dollhouse"
Late night talk show hosted by: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert

In my fantasy world, Joss Whedon is the King of Friday Night Television, "Firefly" was never canceled, and the first three episodes of "Dollhouse" never existed.


Saturday
8:00 pm: "The Wire"
9:00 pm: "Y: The Last Man"
10:00 pm: "The Sandman"
10:30 pm: "Sex and the City" (reruns)

My fantasy HBO Saturday line-up would start with new episodes of "The Wire." It would continue with a live-action series based on Brian K. Vaughn's comic book series "Y: The Last Man," followed by an animated series based on Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman." And just so I wouldn't have nightmares, a rerun of "Sex and the City" would end the night.


Sunday
8:00 pm: "BBC Classic" (reruns)
9:00 pm: "Masterpiece"
10:00 pm: "Doctor Who"

My fantasty BBC Sunday line-up kicks off with a classic BBC series or miniseries. My suggestions include: "A Bit of Fry and Laurie," "Blackpool," "Extras," "Jeeves and Wooster," "Spaced," "State of Play," and "Ultraviolet." After that comes a new "Masterpiece" series based on Shakespeare's plays, and a new episode of "Doctor Who" ends the week.

This "Curious Expeditions" blog entry made me simultaneously drool and cry with happiness. UW's Suzzallo Library made the list! Now I just need to visit all the other ones ...

Project Runway
I was oblivious when the first season aired. Long after it was over, I stumbled across a marathon and watched the second half of the season. It was instantly addicting. I loved watching the contestants design, sew, and fit clothes, and I LOVED Tim Gunn. After that, I managed to catch up on all the episodes I missed, and I have seen every season since. Season four (with Christian and Chris) was probably my favorite.

Psych
I've seen the first 1.5 seasons of this show and plan on watching the episodes I've missed. This is a charming, funny show with lovable characters. I think my favorite is "Lassie" (Timothy Odmundson), but I love Shawn (James Roday) and the Guster (Dule Hill) too. "The Mentalist" is a hugely successful, blatant rip-off of this show that isn't nearly as fun or funny. I've seen one episode of Simon Baker's smug mug and that was enough. Watch "Psych" instead!

Rescue Me
I enjoyed the first three seasons of this fiercely funny and cheerfully offensive show about New York firefighters, but I stopped watching because I couldn't deal with the increasingly preposterous tragedies that kept happening to the characters.

Scrubs
This show slowly and quietly made its way into my heart. I'd catch episodes here and there and always enjoyed them, but it took a few years before I realized how unique, goofy, funny, and moving this show was. I eventually watched all the episodes on reruns, and I believe that the first five seasons were perfection. The show has lost its mojo in the last couple of years, but I'm going to watch it to the bitter end (next month). This is a gem of a show that sadly never found a huge audience.

Sex and the City
My friend convinced me to watch this show around the same time I persuaded her to give "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" a chance. I absolutely loved the first 2-3 seasons of this show but felt that the later seasons had lost a bit of sparkle. I stopped watching when I moved to Seattle, because I no longer had HBO. Then my mom got into the show after watching reruns on TV. I loaned her my DVDs of the first two seasons. After watching those, she went out and bought the rest of the DVDs. Finally, my mom and I had a show we could watch and enjoy together.

The Simpsons
I used to watch "The Tracey Ullman Show" (yes, I'm old), so I saw the first shaky, dodgy little clips that introduced the Simpsons to the world. I've never been a huge fan of this show, but when I do manage to watch an episode, I always think to myself, "Self, you should watch this show more." It's insanely quotable and often surprisingly moving. I've probably seen less than half of the episodes, but whenever I see a rerun, it's usually one I've seen many times already.

Supernatural
Even though it was a shameless rip-off of "The X-Files," I enjoyed watching the first season as the hot Winchester brothers (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) and their even hotter dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) hunted supernatural creatures. After Papa Winchester died in the second season premiere (probably the series' best episode), I kind of lost interest. The stories and acting were fair at best, I couldn't justify watching beyond the second season, despite my shallow nature.

Top Chef
"Project Runway" is fascinating to watch, because as a viewer, I can see and evaluate the outfits that the contestants design. "Top Chef" didn't seem as interesting to me at first, because I can't taste and judge the food that the contestants make. But my friend who also watches "Project Runway" told me to give "Top Chef" a chance. I watched most of the first season episodes during a marathon and enjoyed it enough to keep watching. I now actually prefer this show to "Project Runway," but I chalk this up to "Project Runway" having a weak fifth season while "Top Chef" had a very good fifth season.

Touching Evil
I didn't know this show existed or that it was an American remake of a British show that I didn't know existed until I read a review of it in "Entertainment Weekly." I only managed to watch four episodes before it was canceled, but I absolutely loved Jeffrey Donovan's character and the surreal imagery of the show. A couple years later, I got my brother to download all 13 episodes, so now I can watch and enjoy them on my computer. I'm still hoping for it to be released on DVD.

Twin Peaks
This show was a pop cultural phenomenon during its first season. I didn't start watching until the second season. I didn't care that everyone said the second season wasn't as good as the first. It was the most interesting and the most bizarre thing my 14-year-old self had ever seen. The Pacific Northwest scenery and the music were instantly iconic, and the show featured some of the most beautiful people of the time (Kyle McLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Sherilyn Fenn, Madchen Amick, Lara Flynn Boyle, Joan Chen, Peggy Lipton). I recently rented the DVDs from the library after a two-year wait on the holds list. The weirdness was still weird, but the show wasn't as good as I remembered. I forgot that it was a ridiculous soap opera and that many of the characters were insufferable. At least, the scenery and music were still beautiful, and Agent Cooper (Kyle Mclachlan) was just as kooky and lovable as I remembered.

Veronica Mars
From reading about this show, I knew that I would like it. I was so confident about this that I bought the first season on DVD before I had seen a single episode. Luckily, I did like the show. In fact, I loved the first season. I loved Veronica (Kristen Bell)'s pluckiness and snarkiness, and I loved the high-school-drama-meets-crime-noir aspect of it. Unfortunately, I did not like the second season and stopped watching sometime during the beginning of the third season.

Without a Trace
TNT's commercials for this show when it went into syndication made me want to watch it. I started watching the reruns from the beginning and quickly caught up with the 3-4 seasons I had missed. Although there isn't much development for the main characters, this show makes me care about the people involved in the cases they're working on. This show has made me cry more than any other show. I don't think the show is particularly schmaltzy or sentimental, but the stories are often emotionally satisfying.

Wonderfalls
My experience with this show is similar to that of "Firefly." I watched the show on TV, I liked it, I told my friends to watch it, none of them watched it, the show got canceled, more people watched the show after it was released on DVD, and they wondered why such a good show got canceled.

The X-Files
During my freshman year in college, a friend's roommate turned me on to this show. (She said the show was "fly." That was a looong time ago.) I was instantly drawn to Mulder (David Duchovny)'s deadpan sense of humor, Scully (Gillian Anderson)'s gorgeous hair, the beautiful Pacific Northwest scenery, the haunting music, the lack of light and abundant use of flashlights, and the supernatural mysteries. I was obsessed with this show during its second and third seasons, but that obsession slowly waned as the seasons passed. I watched on and off until the last season, which I didn't watch at all. Years later, I got the entire series on DVD and watched every episode. I was surprised that the conspiracies were almost understandable the second time around, but I wasn't surprised that the first three seasons were still the best.

The Salton Sea
I'd heard for years that The Salton Sea was a great noirish crime drama, so I finally decided to rent it. For the first hour, I was not that impressed. The music and cinematography are evocative and atmospheric and the supporting cast is made up of great actors like Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Sarsgaard, Doug Hutchison, and Anthony LaPaglia, but there isn't much of a plot at first. The protagonist (played by Val Kilmer, in one of his better performances) leads us into the seedy world of meth addicts and drug dealers. We can almost smell the smoke and sweat of the junkies' hangouts, but not much is actually happening. However, once the plot gets moving in the last half-hour or so, all of the set-up falls into place and makes for an interesting and unexpected payoff.

Yojimbo
In this 1961 Akira Kurosawa film, a samurai (Toshirô Mifune) wanders into a small dusty village divided by two gangs, led by silk producer/brothel owner Seibei (Seizaburô Kawazu) and sake maker Ushitora (Kyu Sazanka). The samurai offers his services as a yojimbo (bodyguard) to both factions and manages to play the two sides off each other and make some money in the process. The movie is slow-going, but both comedy and drama are evident throughout the story and the ending is exciting. This movie was later remade as the 1964 Sergio Leone Western A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood.

Sanjuro
In this loose sequel to Yojimbo, the samurai (Toshirô Mifune) helps a group of young men rescue a wrongfully imprisoned chamberlain (Yûnosuke Itô) and his family. I liked this more than the previous movie, because it was funnier and lighter in tone. The samurai as played by Mifune is a lovable yet wonderfully flawed hero. He helps people and is the smartest guy and best fighter around, but he's grumpy, rude, and cynical.

Watchmen
I have not yet read the critically-acclaimed graphic novel on which this film is based, but my brother says that it is a faithful adaptation (except for the ending). I thought this movie was pretty good, but not RIDICULOUSLY SWEET. It was, however, RIDICULOUSLY LONG. Compared to most superhero movies, the characters are more realistic and the story is more complex and intelligent; however, this is because the source material is solid. Director Zack Snyder's overuse of slow-mo is melodramatic-verging-on-pretentious, and the close-ups of naked breasts is just sexist. I must admit that I liked Push more, and I have a feeling that I'll enjoy reading the Watchmen graphic novel a lot better.

Even Stevens
"Even Stevens" was a 2000-2003 Disney Channel original series following the lives of a suburban Sacramento family, the Stevens. The dad (Tom Virtue) is a successful lawyer, the mom (Donna Pescow) is a state senator, and their three children are dimwitted star athlete Donnie (Nick Spano), overachieving straight-A student Ren (Christy Carlson Romano), and goofy class clown Louis (Shia LaBeouf, who won a Daytime Emmy for the role). The episodes usually focus on the rivalry between the two younger siblings, Ren and Louis. They recently started showing reruns, so I've been catching up. It's a fun show, often laugh-out-loud funny. Although the comedy and situations may be broad or even surreal at times, this is one of the best kids' series I have seen. It is certainly better than the Nickelodeon shows I enjoyed as a kid ("Clarissa Explains It All" and "Hey Dude").

The Wire
A cop show set in Baltimore, "The Wire" has been proclaimed "the best television show ever" by more than a few critics. After watching the first season, I have to agree. The quality of the writing (by former police reporter David Simon and former homicide detective Edward Burns) is incomparable. The first season focuses on the Baltimore drug trade, from the points of view of both the drug dealers and the narcotics/homicide cops building a case against them. The story is multi-layered and realistic, and it touches upon both the humanity and the corruption within every organization, legal or otherwise. The acting is excellent across the board, probably because the cast is made up of character actors hired for their talent rather than their looks (although the cast does include two very handsome Brits playing Americans: Dominic West and Idris Elba). Overall, I can't think of another TV series that is as intellectually stimulating and emotionally satisfying.

Monsters vs Aliens
For some reason, 3D movies come back every 30 years or so. The current third wave of 3D movies feature slightly improved technology (big sturdy plastic glasses have replaced the flimsy red/blue-lensed paper glasses of the '80s), but the 3D-ness is still not much more than a gimmick. I think I would have enjoyed Monsters vs. Aliens just as much in 2D; seeing paddleballs and asteroids flying towards my face was fun, but having the 3D glasses smash my own glasses into my face was not fun. This movie is sillier and more simplistic than WALL-E and Kung Fu Panda, but it was very funny and entertaining. I especially loved Seth Rogen's goofy blob-like B.O.B. and Insectosaurus (an adorable, fluffy, googly-eyed, bigger-than-Ginormica bug).

Project Greenlight
The first season of this show was just as compelling as the second season (I watched the second season last year). Pete Jones was the winner of the screenplay competition and got to direct the movie he wrote, Stolen Summer. This show is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how movies actually get made. We see the mistakes that a first-time director (Jones) and a first-time producer (Jeff Balis) make. We learn how a film studio (Miramax) decides on the budget for a movie and how an assholish director of photography (Peter Biagi) can hijack shots. Most importantly, we see how hilarious Ben Affleck is when he imitates executive producer Chris Moore.

Stolen Summer
During the summer of 1976 in Chicago, an 8-year-old Catholic boy (Adi Stein) embarks on a "quest" to get his 7-year-old Jewish friend (Mike Weinberg) into heaven. This is a sweet little movie with interesting characters and great performances by Aidan Quinn, Bonnie Hunt, and Kevin Pollack, but the story is not terribly compelling. I kept thinking, "THIS was the winning screenplay?!?" From watching "Project Greenlight," I know that not only were the director and producer lacking in experience and therefore unorganized and occasionally ineffective, they also had severe time and budget constraints placed on them by Miramax. With more time and money, Stolen Summer could have been a really good movie.

For my birthday/Christmas, Jenn got me the KnitPicks kit "Sheldon & His Animal Shells" (pattern by Ruth Homrighaus). I knit Sheldon on US 2 needles, and the yarn is KnitPicks Shine Sport. So far, I've only made Sheldon his turtle shell, but I plan on making his Bat, Bee, Lion, and Sheep costumes too.

Side view:


Dorsal view:


Ventral view:


Front view:


Rear view:


De-shelled:

Firefly
Entertainment Weekly's Fall 2002 TV Preview was where I first learned about Joss Whedon's new show "Firefly." I thought, "A sci-fi Western? With space cowboys? Awesome!" On September 20, 2002, the first episode aired (actually it was the second episode, "The Train Job," but that's another story), and I was hooked from the start. I told my friends and co-workers about it, but I personally know only one other person that watched the show while it was on TV. The show only lasted for three months; coincidentally, I wrote my Ph.D. thesis during those same three months. Every Friday night, I tuned into FOX and my heart swelled when the theme song played and I wished for more people to watch the show. Alas, it was not to be. The show was canceled, and the bastards running FOX finally aired the first episode, "Serenity," on December 20, 2002. A year after the cancellation, I bought the DVD set and watched each episode at least six times. Over the last few years, I've managed to convert a handful of friends into "Firefly" fans, I've knit multiple Jayne Cobb hats, and I've seen Serenity in the theater twice. There will always be a special place in my heart for "Firefly."

Friends
I'm pretty sure I started watching "Friends" from the very first episode (I remember Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) in the wedding dress). I liked this show a lot, but I never LOVED it and didn't mind missing an episode here or there. I enjoyed nearly every aspect of the show except for the whole Ross (David Schwimmer) & Rachel thing. However, I was glad when it ended, because the last couple of seasons were not as good as before. I still occasionally watch the reruns, which are just as funny now as they were before.

Grey's Anatomy
I don't think I have ever tried so hard to like a show. I know many people that like this show, it's such a pop cultural phenomenon, and I feel like I should like a medical show set in Seattle. However, I have tried to watch this show about six separate times, and each time, I have literally had to switch the channel in disgust and/or horror after 5-10 minutes. I can't stand Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) or the way her voice sounds when she whines, which is all the time. And the few minutes that I have seen of this show give a bad name to medical shows, soap operas, Seattle, doctors, women, men, and humans.

Heroes
I started watching this show from the first episode. Although I never thought it was as good as people were making it out to be, I liked the concept of ordinary people suddenly getting superpowers and I loved Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee). The first season was reasonably good and had a handful of great episodes including the standout "Company Man." However, the quality of the writing plummeted in the second season and didn't improve in the third season. Where I had once liked nearly every character, I was left hating nearly every character (except Hiro and Ando). I finally gave up on the show earlier this year.

Leverage
TWoP motivators were enough inducement for me to check out "Leverage" during its first season. The first episode I saw was "The Wedding Job," in which the main characters pulled off a heist during a wedding. It involved spy gadgetry, computer techno-wizardry, thievery, kung fooey, wittiness, "Doctor Who" references, and most importantly, fun. I caught up on the episodes I'd missed and watched the rest of the season, happy to have finally found one show this year that gave me more enjoyment than annoyance. I'm eagerly awaiting the second season, which will start this summer.

Lost
Entertainment Weekly's Fall 2004 TV Preview gave me reason to tune in to this show. The first few episodes of "Lost" were just intriguing enough for me to keep watching. By the middle of the first season, I was obsessed with the show. My friend Katie would come over on Wednesdays, and we'd knit while watching "Lost" and debating our theories about the mysterious tropical island. My obsession abruptly ended with the first season finale. That episode was so disappointing and I felt so manipulated by the damn writers (they wanted me to wait until NEXT season to find out what was in the damn hatch?!?) that I refused to watch it again. I actually did watch one episode after that, but it was because Nathan Fillion was in it. I feel lighter, freer, and saner now that I don't care about the million and one mysteries on "Lost," and I have a sneaking suspicion that those mysteries will never be explained in a satisfactory manner.

MacGyver
I was 9 years old when this show premiered, and "MacGyver" was unlike any show I had seen before. Not only was there action and adventure, I also got to learn a bit of science and engineering! When MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) stopped an acid leak with a chocolate bar in the pilot episode, I knew I was in love. MacGyver could make anything he needed from everyday objects, he helped the helpless, and rather than a gun, he carried a pocket knife and a roll of duct tape. In other words, he was the perfect man. My dad did not share the same sentiment. In fact, every Wednesday while I was watching the show, he'd walk by and exclaim, "This show still hasn't been canceled?!?" The show last seven seasons, although I stopped watching long before it ended. I'm not sure why I stopped watching it, but I chalk it up to general little-kid flakiness.

Malcolm in the Middle
I watched this show fairly consistently for the first couple of years and then only occasionally for the rest of its seven-year run. Some favorite episodes that I remember: "Bowling" (a Sliding Doors set-up contrasts the two different outcomes that occur when either Hal (Bryan Cranston) or Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) take Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) to a bowling game, "If Boys Were Girls" (Lois imagines how different her life would be if she had well-behaved daughters instead of ill-behaved sons), and "Reese vs. Stevie" (Hal agrees to stop drinking coffee if Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) quits smoking; Reese (Justin Berfield) prepares for a fair fight with physically-challenged Stevie (Craig Lamar Traylor)).

MI-5
I watched the first season and loved the realistic depiction of "spooks" (British for spies), the "24"-style editing and pace, the great guest stars (Anthony Head, Hugh Laurie), and Keeley Hawes' haircut. I didn't like the second season as much so I stopped watching, although I may eventually watch the rest of the series since Rupert Penry-Jones (HOT!) and Richard Armitage (HOTTER!!) are in the later seasons.

Moonlighting
Of all the shows I watched as a kid, this was the one I watched most faithfully. I loved the bantering, bickering, and screwball comedy. Even after David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) resolved their sexual tension and the show went down the tubes (Cybill's real-life pregnancy and the writer's strike contributed to its demise), I continued to watch it to the bitter end. A few years ago, I watched the first three seasons again and the show was just as good as I remembered it, unlike many of the TV shows/movies I watched as a kid.

Nip/Tuck
The first two seasons were great; the writing was daring and funny, and the acting was brilliant. It was during the third season when the show became too outrageous for me. I haven't seen an episode since then, but from what I've heard about the show, it's only gotten more and more ridiculous.

The O.C.
I started watching this show during the middle of the first season and loved it. Loved the Cohens, especially adorkable Seth (Adam Brody), and loved awesome Summer (Rachel Bilson) and bitchtastic Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke) too. However, I did not love the hot mess that was Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) or the tool-ish behavior of Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie). The second season wasn't nearly as good as the first season and eventually I took to TiVo-ing the episodes and watching them in fast-forward, stopping only to watch Seth and Summer's scenes at normal speed. By the third season, I gave up TiVo-ing it all together. I recently watched the first season again, and it was just as funny and moving as the first time.

The Office
I think I started watching this show during its second season after hearing that it was good. Since it was on at the same time as "CSI," I rented the DVDs. Loved the first three seasons. The last couple have been just OK. This show makes me wish that I worked at a place where my co-workers and I spend all day debating the hotness of Hilary Swank.

I used US 8 needles and Noro Cashmere Island yarn in #12 (lots of purples with some blues, greens, and pink) and #14 (mostly neutrals with a hint of magenta and teal) to knit a Noro Striped Scarf (Jared Flood's pattern). This was TV knitting at its best; the knitting required very little attention, which means lots of attention was available for TV watching, and the end result looks complex and interesting. Hopefully, Fishball approves.

I think I started Kimberly Chapman's Baby's First DNA Model about a year ago, using leftover DK weight cotton yarn. I knitted and stuffed the seven base pairs very quickly, but knitting the helical sugar-phosphate backbone has proven to be problematic (metal needles + cotton yarn = slippery hell on repetitive stress injuries), so I don't know if I'll ever finish it.


Last summer, I started Dorothy Siemens' Peacock Feathers Shawl using KnitPicks Shadow in a beautiful deep plummy purple. It's my first foray into lace knitting, which alternates between being fun and frustrating. It's definitely not something I can work on while watching TV (at least, not without making mistakes), so I haven't worked on it much.


A few months ago, I started Renee Rigdon and Zabet Stewart's Snowball's Chance in Hell using KnitPicks Swish DK. I had almost finished the first armwarmer before realizing that it was too small. I'm almost done knitting a second first one, which is too big, but I'll live with it.

Here is my personal viewing history of some television shows. I have only included the shows with interesting (or at least somewhat interesting) histories, not the ones in which I started watching from the first episode and have seen every episode since (i.e. "House," "Bones," "Chuck").

24
I watched the first season from the edge of my seat, going into a hypertensive crisis whenever there was a commercial. If anyone dared to call me during an episode, I would pick up the phone and scream,"NOT NOW! I'M WATCHING 24!!" Whenever an episode ended, I would yell out,"NOOO!!!" When the second season started, I decided I couldn't go through the stress again and stopped cold turkey. I haven't seen an episode since.

30 Rock
I watched the first few episodes and thought it was kind of meh, so I stopped. During the second season, I read multiple good reviews, so I started watching it again and even rented the first season on DVD. I'm glad I did, because it's one of my favorite shows now. It's on at the same time as "CSI," so I have to watch new episodes on Hulu.

Alias
I'm pretty sure that I watched the entire first season and enjoyed the secret-agent-babe-kicking-butt aspect of the show. But I was completely confused by the whole mythology/conspiracy/J.J. Abrams-ness of the show that I had to stop watching after awhile.

Angel
I watched the first few episodes, thought it was meh, and never thought of it again until the show was canceled. I watched the season finale, which completely confused me, but it got me interested enough to watch all the episodes in reruns. The first three seasons were uneven but some episodes showed flashes of brilliance. The fourth season was a complete travesty that should never be mentioned again. The fifth season was for the most part, brilliant, and it finally made me care about Angel. Either that or David Boreanaz finally became a decent actor.

Arrested Development
I watched the first couple of episodes, lost interest, stopped watching, heard good things about it, started watching it again, and ended up watching the whole thing. It's one of the best comedies ever.

Battlestar Galactica
I started TiVo-ing the second season with the intention of watching it after I had rented the first season. It was only after I had TiVo'd the entire second and third seasons that I got to watching the initial miniseries and first season. I think it's a fantastic show, brilliantly written and acted, and it touches upon some weighty issues: humanity, religion, racism, terrorism, and war. However, I stopped watching around the middle of the second season, because it was just too damn depressing for me. I still have the rest of the second and third seasons recorded, but I doubt I'll ever get around to watching them.

The Brady Bunch
This was one of my favorite shows growing up. I must have seen every episode at least three times. I haven't seen it in more than 20 years, and I'm afraid I'll ruin my memories of it if I watch it now.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I started watching this during the middle of the second season and quickly caught up on the episodes I missed via summer reruns. I loved the first two seasons so much. The trademark Whedon humor was still fresh to me, and the high-school-as-Hell metaphor was clever and poignant. The third season was when I first started getting sick of Buffy. I made it to the end of the third season and couldn't watch anymore. My friend who was still addicted to it made me record the episodes for her, so I would occasionally catch glimpses of it. It was only during the middle of the seventh season that I started watching it again. Buffy and most of the characters had become completely insufferable by then, but I made it to the series finale, which was good and gave me enough nostalgia to watch the whole series again from the beginning. They were rerunning two episodes a day, so I was able to watch the whole series within a few months. The first two seasons are still my favorite, but there are a few episodes from the fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons that became favorites as well. The seventh season was mostly a travesty though.

CSI
A friend from grad school mentioned that this was his favorite show, so I got interested enough to catch the second season opener. I was hooked from that first episode I saw. I caught up on all the episodes I missed and have seen every episode since. This has been one of the most consistently good shows I've seen. It's a reliable source of crime drama and scientific hooey week in and week out, and every once in awhile, it'll deliver a surprisingly excellent, emotionally affecting episode.

Daria
I don't think I've seen all the episodes, but I catch bits and pieces of it whenever I can. It's an amusing show, and Daria kind of reminds me of me.

Dark Angel
I loved the genetically engineered humans concept, the post-apocalyptic Seattle setting, and Jessica Alba's biker chick clothes, but I thought most of the first season was just OK and didn't measure up to the excellent pilot episode. The second season (the few episodes I saw of it) was worse, so I wasn't too upset when the show was canceled. I was sad, however, to have to say good-bye to Michael Weatherly (hot!) and Jensen Ackles (also hot!). A few years ago, I watched the whole series again on SciFi. There were a few good episodes that I missed the first time around, but this show isn't going to make any of my top ten lists.

Doctor Who
I watched this show for a short period when I was very young. I don't remember how old I was, but I do remember that the Doctor had a long, colorful, striped scarf. It must have been sometime before 1981 when Tom Baker was playing the Fourth Doctor. One night, I watched an episode that scared me so much that I had to stop watching the show forever. It seriously scarred me, not for life, but for a very long time. But I'm sure if I watched that episode now, I would laugh at my little self for being scared of such nonsense. More than 25 years later, I noticed that there were a lot of people at Television Without Pity who were extolling the virtues of the new "Doctor Who." So I watched the first season with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor. I was underwhelmed, but I liked it enough to keep watching. I liked the second season with David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor more, but it wasn't until the third season that I was really hooked.

Ed
This was a cute show with likable characters that lasted four seasons, but I think I stopped watching after the second season. I don't know what happened, either the time slot changed or I simply forgot about it. It seems like the little show that time forgot, because it has yet to be released on DVD.

ER
I remember that the first episode I saw of this show was the one about the blizzard. (I just looked up the episode guide. That episode was actually called "Blizzard." It was the tenth episode of the first season and aired on December 8, 1994.) I used to love this show. It was innovative and influential in how the characters talked over each other, how they didn't explain the medical terms, and how there were multiple storylines in each episode that were never resolved. I watched for the first five or six seasons, but I became tired of the soap opera-ness and the fact that all of the characters had such miserable lives. After I stopped watching the show regularly, I would still try to get back into the show every year when the new season premiered. Usually Carter (Noah Wyle) would keep me watching for a few episodes, but Abby (Maura Tierney) would eventually make me tune out again.

Sure, it's understandable for a character to have multiple near-death experiences when the character in question is a vampire slayer or Jack Bauer. But how many near-death experiences are believable for a character who's a doctor? The answer, I think, is two. I've been keeping tracking of Dr. House's near-death experiences, which now total seven. Ridiculous? Yes, but it usually makes for great drama.

1. Episode: 1.21 "Three Stories"
   Near-death experience: infarction in thigh goes undiagnosed for three days, clot is removed, flooding his system with potassium, which causes cardiac arrest, clinically dead for over a minute
   
   
2. Episode: 2.24 "No Reason"
   Near-death experience: man shoots him in the abdomen and neck, his hallucinations identify the shooter as the husband of a former patient who committed suicide, shooter is never identified or apprehended in real life, stupid Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital security
   
   
3. Episode: 3.10 "Merry Little Christmas"
   Near-death experience: he overdoses on oxycodone, Wilson finds him and then leaves him to die(?), he inexplicably bounces back
   
   
4. Episode: 4.3 "97 Seconds"
   Near-death experience: patient tells him about his amazing near-death experience that lasted for 97 seconds, he pages Cutthroat Bitch right before jamming a knife into an electrical outlet, electrocuting himself, CB finds and resuscitates him
   
   
5. Episode: 4.15 "House's Head"
   Near-death experience: he's on a bus that gets hit by a garbage truck, bus accident gives him retrograde amnesia and a skull fracture
   
   
6. Episode: 4.16 "Wilson's Heart"
   Near-death experience: they shock his brain to recover memories about the bus accident and why CB was with him, he has seizures, which put him into a coma
   
   
7. Episode: 5.16 "The Softer Side"
   Near-death experience: he overdoses on methadone and stops breathing, Foreman gives him purple nurples to wake him up