Thing I: I haven’t planted my garden yet this year. Every other year I busted out the hoe as soon as the frost broke, but this year we had a late freeze and then life happened. I hope to get some things in the ground this weekend (tomatoes, squash, peppers) but I’m rather impressed with the majillion giant dandelions I’m cultivating and feel kind of guilty ripping them out. Sometimes the things that start as weeds make really interesting plants. A few years back a “weed” that grew behind the garden turned into a decadent bush five feet tall and turned over into the most beautiful red once autumn came about. I ripped it up the next year to make room for blueberries.
Thing II: For whatever reason I’ve taken it upon myself to watch the entirety of The Sopranos as soon as possible. I’m also reading like crazy — fiction for once — and have picked up my old habit of finishing 2-3 books per week. I missed having reading time.
Stuff: Blogging is getting in the way of my Sopranos watching and book reading, and I’m nonplussed with it anyway at this point. I have six long post drafts that I keep staring at, sort of wanting to finish them, sort of wanting to delete them. I’m enjoying my fictional world right now and I can’t apologize for it.
My mother and sisters left for Italy today, and I hope they bring me back something luxurious and bourgie. I could have gone, except for the lack of vacation time. And money. And my desire for a badass “honeymoon”. I hope they have fun and take tons of pictures which I will steal and put on Flickr.
Today a rather gruesome local criminal trial played out on the radio on my way home from work, and I recalled that the last time I heard about it was last summer, when I read about it in the newspaper during a break from Job 2 of 3. It occurred to me that I haven’t evaluated the differences between my places in life from last year to this, and the truth is I’m not sure how different it is. I’m still running ouf of money each pay period shortly before the next payday, but I’m more stable and have medical benefits. The stability makes the difference, I think, and the rest. I have room now to do things like watch the tube and read a book and not feel like I’m stealing time, and I’m sick less often, likely from the relief of some stress. Having a supportive partner and an unusually self-sufficient child helps, but I’m still struggling financially.
My wife and I watched all of the first six seasons on DVD in a matter of weeks, and were hooked. And blogging did interfere with my Sopranos watching, more’s the pity.
I’m sorry to hear your financial situation still isn’t what you’d like it to be. I hope this bit of unsolicited advice won’t be too grating, but have thought about a job with the government? Good benefits, and, depending on how portable you are (which I know may be a problem), there’s lots of government to apply to.
Meanwhile, speaking of flickr, maybe you can put up some pictures of those dandelions whilst you await your Italianate swag.
The sixth season of the Sopranos is disappointing. The final season is airing now with only 4 episodes left…. it has definitely picked up. If you get a chance you and Chef should watch ‘Big Love’… A. Bill Paxton is in it, B. It’s about those wacky fundamentalist Mormons, and C. Did I mention Bill Paxton is in it?
I had this whole long comment about how I love The Sopranos, and how it was best when Livia was still around, and how it was cool to see North Jersey locations I remember as a kid, and how it was even cooler that they filmed portions of an episode in the second season (involving a black construction manager and his minister father) in the park and a house a block from me in Jersey City, and how the mob is all over the fucking place in North Jersey and even in Connecticut (didja know? one of my high school classmates was the target of a mob hit, and my family actually drove past the bombed-out station wagon on our way to the food warehouse).
But it was et. So here’s the short version.
Plus, “What? No fuckin’ ziti?”
I went off it around about when–well, I won’t spoil it. two very disturbing attacks (rape of a major character and murder of a stripper, both brutal and graphic and with not much repercussions) nearly in a row. season three, was it? but, i’m sure there was plenty worth watching that i missed. agree the Livia was the best.
anyway I can relate because I’m now finally catching up on Battlestar Galactica (only started with the premiere a coupla months ago, now almost through season two on YouTube).
I’m still bitter about Firefly. and, I’m so not a comic person, but when I heard Buffy Season 8 was being released in graphic form, well, what else could I do?
I went off it around about when–well, I won’t spoil it. two very disturbing attacks (rape of a major character and murder of a stripper, both brutal and graphic and with not much repercussions) nearly in a row. season three, was it?
Yep. It was pretty brutal, and I’m sure that had I been watching it in real time (not DVD time) I would have quit the show altogether.
I second the bitterness on Firefly.
I’d say I miss Six Feet Under, but that’s not exactly true–I think it ended at the right time, and in fact a lot of seasons four and five really jumped the shark. the end of the series was what really salvaged it; but, well, what would you do for an encore?
I was briefly excited about Carnivale, furious to learn that they’d cancelled it after season two…then I watched season two. “Oh. Never mind.”