KITTY KABOOM!

Let's talk about TV. Shall we?

Greek 
I am really SO sad this is almost over. There are only two more episodes left and this season has been terrific. My favorite episode would probably have to be the Beaver-centric one and hugely because it contained the delightfulness of Katherine (I would absolutely watch a spin-off centered around her). I'm pleased that Cappie is finally growing up and that he and Casey have figured out their crap, I'm relieved that Dale's days with Omega Chi are over because the influence of Tripp was turning him into an ass and I LOVED seeing Rusty and Calvin come to his rescue. The newly-found will they/won't they of Rusty and Ashleigh is less appealing BUT the idea of it is growing on me - they've been sort of cute as roommates with sexual tension.

I don't know what will happen in the final two episodes but  I can honestly say that the only thing that would hugely bum me out is if Evan and Cappie aren't friends again in the end. That's been my favorite dynamic through the entire series (which I think I may need to get on DVD and re-watch again once it's all over). I'll probably have more to say about this one next week after the finale.

Community 
WHAT? I'm talking about THIS show? Shocking I know.

In the past six episodes we've had Joel McHale running in the rain, a Dungeons and Dragons parody, a love interest for Abed, drunken Duncan, Magnitude (POP POP), Jeff's Real Wold Seattle tryout, Britta's lesbian make-out, the return of Rich, feelings between Jeff and Annie, Troy and Abed dressed as bees, Dean Pelton dressed as a bee and...Uncle Sam, Theo Huxtable, a documentary parody, Levar Burton, Troy crying and singing the Reading Rainbow theme song, Pierce being evil, a glimpse into Jeff's apartment and Annie's apartment (she lives above a sex shop called Dildopolis - gross), a Lord of the Rings style credits parody, a Troy and Abed in the Morning segment, and a room full of teenagers screaming "WE LOVE DRUGS!" And so much more!

I don't know what else to say except this show just continues to be something delightful and I look forward to it every week.

Also, SPOILER ALERT: The finale is supposed to be a one hour Modern Warfare redux with a Western spin. AND. AND. AND. Mr. Josh Holloway (AKA: SAWYER FROM LOST) is rumored to be guesting. Which elicits this response from me: FLAIL.

Parks and Rec 
Adam Scott. I'm not completely sure if he's now officially a part of the main cast but he absolutely cannot leave Pawnee. Ever. His presence on my television screen  makes Thursday nights even more joyful than they already were. His character of Ben is a completely awkward nerd but he's adorable and perfect and that he sees how clearly awesome Leslie is earns him an automatic WIN in my book.

And anyone else remember this?

Yeah, that's right.  Boy Meets World. Griff. The guy who look over as reigning bad boy once Harvey got shipped off to reform school or what-not. I actually always preferred Harvey but now I see it all in a different light. Cause Adam Scott! Look at his little baby face. And the hair! Oh the hair.

IMDB reminds me he also played the cool but "Ooops he's also a pedophile" teacher on Veronica Mars. He was also originally cast as Aaron on Wonderfalls. Which is weird to think about because Lee Pace IS Aaron. Oh man, I want to re-watch that show now too.

Oh wait. I was talking about Parks and Rec wasn't I? Okay, I'm glad April and Andy are finally togther because April was starting to irk me a little bit in her torture of Andy. This week's episode where they competed to get the most free stuff at the bar was vomit-inducingly cute, especially when you saw the way they both practically glowed to be together. And to think, at one point I hated the character of Andy. Unthinkable.

But no really, watch this show. Every single character, down to the city of Pawnee itself, is unique and quirky and hilarious. Sometimes Community goes a little to the dark side and hurts my heart a bit (in a good way though!) but this show always, always leaves me with a huge ass smile. Watch it.


Fringe 
This past week's episode didn't include two of the leads and yet it was maybe my favorite episode of the season. We got a little peak into the Walter Bishop (and the Walternate Bishop) of the past and to the events that drove both of these men to the lives that they lead in the present. And dammit, Walternate's supposed to be evil, the bad guy, the guy who wants to destroy the universe of our characters - and yet, I cannot help but feel sorry for him and understand where his anger and need for revenge comes from. Also, the little girl playing young Olivia was amazing. She had Anna Torv's mannerisms down.

I'm not so thrilled about the pregnancy story line and the fact that Peter is going to have to choose between the two Olivias and in essence the two universes. BUT. The fact that it's not just some kind of "Pick me. Choose me. Wah, Wah, Wah" storyline and that there are actual stakes involved makes it interesting to me. I'm really excited for the rest of the season and I hope, hope, HOPE that it gets renewed for a fourth season.

P.S. I also realize that entire review is going to sound absolutely ridiculous to someone who doesn't watch the show. Sorry about that. But it's GOOD. Watch it.

P.P.S. I spend a lot of time encouraging people to watch these shows because sadly all of them are on the bubble as far as renewal and it makes me sad. No offense to people who like reality shows but scripted television will always be my preference and sometime I want to smack the American people in the face for their television habits. THE JERSEY SHORE WILL HAVE MORE SEASONS THAN ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, FIREFLY OR PUSHING DAISIES. HOW.

P.P.P.S. Other shows I'm currently still loving: How I Met Your Mother, Chuck, Pretty Little Liars, Castle, The Big Bang Theory (even though I am woefully behind), Glee (when it's on it's game like this week), Modern Family, Raising Hope, and The Office (again, when it's actually on it's game).

P.P.P.P.S. Friday Night Lights returns to NBC on April 15th!!! I've heard good things about this season so color me EXCITED.

Oh I Like You Internet

Why does this make me laugh so hard? I don't even know. But there you go...



And then there's this tumblr, which I have to admit earned my undying love for the name alone: Cats That Look Like Ron Swanson

AND, AND, THIS: Who is Arcade Fire?

LOL for freaking ever. Keep on doing what you do Arcade Fire. I love ya. (And if in the midst of this "doing what you do" you happen to continue to piss off a few million Beiber Fever crazies, then well, good on you).

Where's your jetpack Zuckerberg?

I watched The Social Network for the first time the other day (NEWSFLASH: I'm a teensy bit behind the times) and absolutely loved it from beginning to end. It was completely riveting which, if you think about it, is slightly absurd considering that the first half hour of the movie is about hacking and breaking codes and computer jargon nonsense that is basically the same as speaking a foreign language to me. I'm not totally sure how they did it - some combination of interesting music and likable actors - but well done creators of The Social Network. Hats off.

This is not to say though that the movie didn't wrinkle my brain a little bit. Why? Because Mark Zuckerberg is only one year younger than me AND I so distinctly remember being a senior in college and sitting with my roommates on our computers and signing up for Facebook (it was boring compared to the colors and zing of MySpace but everyone was doing it so.) And now everyone and their mother is on Facebook (literally) and MySpace is lame and people are twittering and social networking is this thing, this part of life like going to work and eating dinner.

Remember when  chat rooms were evil?

It's been almost six years since I graduated from college. I got up this morning and considered whether or not I could afford a frappaccunio. The power went out at my house before I could finish drying my hair. And then I updated my Facebook status. Mark Zuckerberg's probably taking his morning swim through his vault of gold coins while his butler irons his underwear. Ugh. Not that I want to be him. Not that I ever expected to be him with an English degree from a small liberal arts college on the west coast. It's just... how much of it is life choices and how much of it is pure flippin' good luck and being at the right place at the right time?

Shannon is "suffering from white girl problems."

Books of January

I was all set to write out some kind of hoity-toity intellectual review here, touting the literary successes  and failings of these books; but then I actually started writing and it turned into typical incoherent nonsense in which I ramble about what I OMG LOOOOOVED. So. These won't be reviews or even mini little book reports, just my thoughts, for whatever they're worth (or understood).

And this is of vital importance. My ranking system. I could go with the typical 1-5 star ratings or thumbs up or thumbs down, but let's keep this informal shall we? 

Shannon's Highly Mathematical Ranking System For Judging Literary Quality

1.  HOLY CRAP. WHAT WAS THAT.
2.  Meh.
3.  Good book, I'll add it to my collection
4.  LOVED IT.
5.  OMG. FLAIL. I WANT TO MARRY THIS BOOK.

Got that straight? Not too complicated? Okay, here we go.

1. Sloppy Firsts - Megan McCafferty 
One of the reasons that "Chick-Lit" sometimes annoys me is that it tends to always be the same. Some unlucky-at-love young woman moves to the city or dreams of moving to the city and finding a handsome husband or winning the man she's always been in love with and along the way she meets another guy she hates at first but then slowly learns to love because he really gets her and yadda yadda yadda. (And yes I admit it, I still do read it and enjoy it. BUT, the repetitiveness IS annoying).

This is why I like Young Adult Literature. It's actually about STUFF. Which sounds vague but is true. I'm 27 years old but I can relate to a lot of the issues that these teen characters are going through, especially in terms of the emo "WHAT IS THIS LIFE?" question that is always prevalent. THAT is interesting to me. So this, the first book in the Jessica Darling series, is in fact darling. Which is weird because the main character is sometimes unlikeable and I want to smack her for all the whining she does but then I remember, she's a teenager and so much of what she thinks and feels is what I thought and felt in high school.

She's awkward and lonely and her best friend has just moved away. She doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere at school, she's a stressed out insomniac, she's uncomfortable in her own skin - I relate to these things. And the very conversational way that Megan McCafferty writes dialogue and even Jessica's inner thoughts, bring this whole story to life.

And then there's Marcus Flutie. I love me some Marcus Flutie. I wish I had known a Marcus Flutie in high school. (For that matter, I wish I knew one now). I have no idea why, he's supposed to be a redhead, but I keep picturing him being played by Scott Michael Foster who plays Cappie on Greek. I don't know. But the image works for me.  He's the archetype bad boy who does drugs and sleeps around and mouths off but as we, and Jessica get to know him we see that there's something deeper there (the something deeper being the thing that makes me love him). And in all honesty, Marcus Flutie makes this books for me. I don't know what that says about my reasonings and taste.

RATING: LOVED IT.

2. Second Helpings - Megan McCafferty
Second verse. Same as the first.

And Marcus Flutie is even more AMAZING.

RATING: Good book, I'll add it to my collection. 

3. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
Another Young Adult novel. This one follows Colin, a recent high school graduate who has just has his heart broken by Katherine, the 19th Katherine that's he's dated over the course of his life. Colin is a child prodigy, he's broken-hearted and his best friend decides to cure him by taking him on a road trip.

Along the way Colin attempts to use his enormous brain power to come up with some sort of mathematical equation to pre-determine the outcome of a relationship. We get glimpses into the the past nineteen relationships, and meet a whole new cast of characters that enter his life through the coarse of the book.

So, if you knew the outcome of a relationship before entering into it, would it make a difference? If you knew your heart was going to get broken in the end would you still find the experience to be worth it? I don't know. In hindsight I might be able to say that certain painful moments have been worth it and I wouldn't change those things. But if I knew something was coming, if I met a great guy tomorrow and knew that we would have an amazing relationship but that it would eventually end, would I still put myself through it? Honestly, I have no clue. But it's something to think about.

RATING: LOVED IT

4. The Help - Kathryn Stockett 
One of the marks of a good book for me is if I'm still thinking about it days later. Did the setting feel real? Are the characters still with me? Are the themes still resonating?

In the case of this book, I can give all those questions a resounding YES. YES. YES. YES. I had heard that it was good and have actually had it on my book shelf to read for about six months; so now I'm just wondering what took me so long to read it. SUCH a good book with very real characters and dialogue I could hear perfectly in my head and a story that made it hard to put down.

It presents a very real image of life in Civil Rights era Mississippi, of a time that seems so long ago, of attitudes and perceptions that that seem so archaic and yet, aren't. The 1960's were NOT all that long ago. My own parents were alive during these years and when I think of it in these terms it's a little mind-boggling. And what's even more insane to me? These attitudes STILL exist. Perhaps not on as great a scale, but they're still there, permeating our politics and educational system and the very way we look at and treat each other.

Despite the fact that this story delves into some dark times and ideas, there's still an underlying sense of hope in these pages seen through the relationship that these women form, the difference they attempt to make and the knowledge (of the reader) that things eventually DO change. When I finished the last page it was with a *sigh* of sadness but only because it was over and I wanted to continue on the journey with these characters.

But then of course I just found out that there's a movie coming out staring Emma Stone so this just makes me super happy.

RATING: OMG. FLAIL. I WANT TO MARRY THIS BOOK.