Every couple of months or so I go through a crisis of blog identity. Is this what I REALLY want to be blogging about? Am I reaching anybody? Does my blog look the way I want it to look?
Well, gentle readers, I’m suffering from that yet again. More so looking for a different look for my blog. I love that it’s plain and simplistic and easy to read. But I’ve been reading a lot of new blogs lately and each of them is both visually stimulating as well as well-written and just all around entertaining.
So, I’m looking for a change.
This comes at the worst time because in a few weeks I’ll be moving. And that is taking up enough time as it is. But who am I if not a woman up to the challenge?
So not only am I looking to change the look, but I’m looking to change the feel of the blog. I want to change the categories and the tages, which are both insanely tedious… but I really have the feeling that it needs to be done.
In other news, I’m almost halfway through the 3rd season of Buffy again. I think this brings my count to 12 total. Maybe more.
And I’ve been reading on Twitter about Veronica Mars and trying to join in with the proactive attempts at trying to get a VM movie made. Which makes me want to go back and watch the entire series again. It’s not something that takes super long, where it was only 3 seasons, but I want to get through Buffy first.
I started this blog back in 2005. And I started blogging long before that. Actually, this blog was merged from 3 others I had at the time. And it’s no secret that it’s changed many times over since then.
I’ve been blogging for over 4 years… maybe even longer. Surreal.
And now that I’m done with being mundane, I’m going to go eat something before I die of starvation. Actually, I’m quite enjoying the mundane for now. Aside from wanting to change the look of this blog, I find it comforting to know that with everything that’s been going on over the last few weeks, and the stress of moving, I can still come here and be as boring as I can. And it won’t matter.
Signing off, Gentle Readers
Kerri with a K
I was invited to attend a focus group in Waltham last night. My first ever, actually. I’m sure the Internet is aware of what a focus group is. You sit in a room, and view advertisements and then discuss them with the group, what you liked, what you didn’t. What works, what makes no sense, etc.
And what type of focus group did I attend? TV. Seriously, could that have been a more perfect way to start? I don’t think so.
ANYway. I had no idea what to expect, and they don’t tell you beforehand what you’ll be viewing. Although, I should have known from the qualifying phone interview from a few weeks ago. They were awfully focused on Sci-fi stuff. Lo and behold, we were viewing and discussing and judging a potential Sci-fi channel show.
So, I sat around for about 20 minutes before being called into the tiny room with the many chairs. I actually had a pretty diverse group. Well, maybe not REALLY diverse. Apparently, we all watch reality TV. But about half of the group was interested in cop dramas and forensic stories. CSI and other similar shows. While the other half was pretty buried in Sci-fi. Think shows like Eureka and Heroes. And there were some overlaps with reality tv with networks like the Discovery Channel and A&E.
Once all 10 of us were settled in, the moderator (his name might have been Jeff…or Jim. Crap! I’m bad with names) passed around print ads, and had us rate them from 1 to 10 which ones we liked best, which caught our attention, and which ones just made no sense.
From the ads we saw, it looked very dramedy (part drama, part comedy). In my personal opinion, it was very X-files meets the Office, but with supernatural objects.
I can’t say that I’m not interested in seeing the show. And now that I’ve done some searches on Google, I’m quite surprised that I haven’t heard of this show before.
And also, Sci-fi is planning on changing their name to SYFY.
In a word? Lame.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad evening. I sat around and got to watch previews for a new show that I will probably check out. After all, what kind of TV-obsessed girl would I be if I didn’t give it the 3-episode rule?
What I found a little annoying was that there were a few people in the room that seemed a little pretentious. But then again, they probably thought the same about me.
My opinions weren’t based solely on the ads, but also on the basic way that television works from a writing standpoint. How many episodes, where plots will end up, etc. I think that might have been a turnoff for them.
Oh well.
I got my $75 for being there and giving my opinions, and got to go home.
Oh, and I had to pee the entire time.
I know, I know. TMI.
But it was fun.
Hello, Gentle Readers! And HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I don’t know what it is this year that has me in a much better mood, but whatever it is, I’m glad it’s working.
I had decided that taking a break from blogging was a good idea, and it was. I took time to relax and rethink, and find my footing. I’m not sure that I’ve found my footing, but I’ve certainly relaxed a little. There’s certainly something calming about blogging. Writing for me is a good release. But that is for another time.
I wanted to tell you all, Gentle Readers, that I have fallen madly in love with 10 men simultaneously. Yes. 10. Men. All at once. Madly. In. Love. Who are these men, you may be asking yourself. Well, I’m about to tell you, so sit tight.
First, I was listening to the radio the other night while waiting for a friend of mine, C, to meet me for dinner. Now, normally, I’m very much against Christmas music – well, at least I was this year – so when I heard this song, I was quite surprised when all I could do was smile. It’s amazing how a simple song like 12 Days of Christmas can really make it feel like it’s the holiday season. Check out their video below, and tell me you don’t love them.
They are a group called Straight No Chaser, and they are the most unbelievable acapella group I’ve heard in such a long time. So, yes. They made my Christmas.
The Lord lives up in heaven, the devil lives in hell. You and me, we live the best we can. Move over Billy Sunday! Move over Billy Graham! Make way for a new-fangled Preacher man!
As far as obsessions go, this is probably the most culturally entertaining to me. I’ll start by saying this: I grew up as the middle child, and product of an interracial relationship, so there was always emphasis being put on knowing my roots and where I came from. So it should come as no surprise that shows like Sanford & Son, the Jeffersons, and miniseries like Roots have been prevalent in both my entertainment and my education.
One thing in particular that I found satisfying growing up was a musical written by Ossie Davis called Purlie Victorious. It was originally written and performed in 1963, and of course has remade a few times, and even made it to Broadway for a brief stint. However, the production of this particular musical that stands out in my mind (and probably a lot of others minds as well) is the 1981 production, starring Melba Moore, Sherman Hemsley, and Robert Guilluame.
It had aired in 1981 on PBS, and my parents, being as awesome as they were, thought to record it on VHS… and voila! We had a copy of it. And it died. After years and years, eventually the VHS pretty much started getting normal wear and tear. I made a feeble attempt a few years back to take what they had on VHS and transfer it to DVD, but the quality was incredibly poor – although, I’m pretty sure that copy is still floating around my parents house somewhere.
So, I woke up this morning with the soundtrack stuck in my head. And immediately downloaded it in iTunes to put on my iPhone (3G baby!!!), and began scouring the internet for either a good condition VHS copy of Purlie, or a DVD version that someone thought to transfer. And I found both… but at no small cost.
Initially, Amazon has a seller that has a mint copy of Purlie on VHS. The cost? $200. I’m sorry, but that’s a little bit much. If it came down to it, I might buy it… but I don’t want it that badly. The second copy I was able to found was listed on eBay, but immediately after I clicked the link, the auction was ended with the Buy It Now option. Color me annoyed. 5 minutes earlier and I could have had it for about $150 less than the Amazon seller.
Now, I’ve got my eyes wide open and I’m on the lookout for Purlie on VHS or DVD. I’m not picky. If I can find it on VHS, I have the know-how and the equipment to transfer it to DVD… but if I did find the DVD, it would save me a step.
Honestly, aside from the Wizard of Oz, which was a huge childhood favorite, this is one of my favorite movies/stage plays/musicals of all times. The music is so rich and vibrant, and soulful. And the story is really incredible. It definitely gives a better look into a different place and time. And it gives me goosebumps every time I listen to the score.
In the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, a Southern plantation owner holds his sharecroppers in virtual slavery. Purlie comes home as a Preacher who will shake things up and bring freedom to his people.
How much more inspiring can it get? What I absolutely love about this story is the underlying love story about the woman who is going to help Purlie release the “virtual slaves,” who is inspired by sucha man willing to do anything for his convictions. Purlie had always been the type of person to go after anything and everything. Taught himself how to read and write… and really wanted to go out there and so something. Yup, I’m inspired.
Therein lies my obsession, gentle readers. I just hope to find it soon, so I can get this out of my system… and put it on my iPod. 🙂
I woke up this morning with the world’s worst migraine. I’m actually prone to them, and when they get bad enough they can be pretty incapacitating.
So I took the day off to sleep away the migraine (rather than searching through porn), and the nausea that went along with it.
And I didn’t get much accomplished today. Which was to be expected. I didn’t even do laundry… which is needed. And I have day 3.5 hair.
What is “day 3.5 hair,” you ask… Well, it pretty much goes like this:
- Day 1 Hair – Beautifully, just washed hair. But it won’t sit just right.
- Day 2 Hair – Hair has finally begun to set and be less frizzy and genuinely better looking than Day 1 Hair. It’s a beauty mystery… and boy is it AMAZING!
- Day 3 Hair – is pretty much ponytail worthy. The bumps start forming, and you can tell things are going to need fixing.
- Day 4 Hair – is the bane of my existence. Typically, it’s the time when hair just gets unruly, and frizzy and not pretty, and sometimes greasy.
shameless watching of tv 