So I have been watching the Sabres, I promise, but I've been either only catching partial games or not entirely paying attention. In addition to really just being ready for the regular season to end and the playoffs to begin, I've been battling my own foe.
Algebra.
I failed the only previous college math class I took so I had to take another one in order to complete my undergrad degree. It's called Algebra in the Real World and let me tell you, that is a lie. I'm 32-years-old. I got married at almost 22 and starting working full-time before that so I've been in the real world for at least 10 years. I've never run into this kind of math before. If this was truly real world math, I would have seen it by now, I know it.
I've been trying to stifle my inner Derek Roy ("Dude, this is too much work, I'm going to Chippewa.") and channel my inner Goose ("I'm going to skate as hard as I can and eventually I know I'll get there!") but it's this graphing calculator or me. We are not both going to make it through this semester in one piece.
So I can't tell you much about the Sabres beyond the fact that Tyler Myers is totally awesome and should walk away with the Calder and be in Norris talks within a few seasons. Seriously, he just turned 20! He could get better!
I can tell you this:
Terry O'Quinn is the best actor on TV. Michael Emerson is a close second. If ABC did a spin-off sitcom of Locke and Linus working at the sideways universe high school, I'd probably watch it. Here's hoping they both find great post-Lost work.
I really, really hope Desmond is on that boat, too.
I hate all the judges on American Idol. The show is not about you. Shut up. And Kara, you are not endearing or funny at all. You're trying too hard. The talent this season is, beyond a few people, really suspect. And depsite hating the judges and most of the contestants, I am still watching. Yeah, I don't get it either.
I hate when contestants on Project Runway get uppity about using unconventional materials (Emilio). Haven't you ever seen the show before, fella? That's the most fun part! Who wants to watch a bunch of people make pretty dresses out of boring ol' fabric and stuff? I think my favorites so far are Amy and Seth Aaron.
Next to Lost, Fringe might be the best thing on TV. Can't wait for it to come back. If O'Quinn and Emerson are the Gold and Silver winning TV actors, John Noble has the Bronze. On some days I'd bump him over Emerson. When the showed first started I had a very hard time shaking the image of him as mean ol' Denethor. Now I have kind of a hard time watching him play Denethor.
Lately I've been listening to a lot of Ray LaMontagne, Tom Petty, and Paul Simon. I need some more good instrumental music to study by however. Any suggestions? Genre isn't really as important here. Classical, jazz, movie soundtracks, whatever. The only important thing is that there are no - or very limited - lyrics.
The worst thing about being back in school is that I haven't had nearly enough time to read for fun. That makes for a very, very sad Heather B. I'm trying to carefully decide what few books I want to tackle during spring break, but there are so many to choose from. I'm thinking The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds by Joe Posnanski, U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton, and maybe the next in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series. Not sure yet though. Any good reading recommendations?
A few people have mentioned this lately - I know the Goose's Roost just did - but if you're looking for someone good to follow on Twitter, I highly recommend Roger Ebert. I'm also a big fan of Nathan Fillion, Craig Ferguson, and Neil Gaiman. (The best Neil Gaiman goodness though is probably still his blog which is always a fun, interesting read.)
Finally, one of my goals for spring break is to finally update my blogroll which I probably haven't touched since I started Top Shelf in 2007. I have a little list going, but if you have a Sabres blog that you update regularly and you're at all interested in being added, please feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email.
More Sabres stuff next time, I promise.
7 comments:
I admire your perseverance towards your Algebra class. Math has kicked my behind throughout high school and I keep thinking 'when am I ever going to need this in the future?' I still feel the same way about it in college. So here is to the both of us making it through one last Math class, haha.
The single best instrumental work/study music is Japancakes. It's the music I listen to when I'm stressed and need to calm down, it's the music I listen to when I need to finish a project at work without distractions, it's the music I listen to in the car when I need a reminder to drive the speed limit, it's the music I listen to when I'm happy and want to enjoy being happy. It's dreamy music with steel guitar and cello and, I don't think I can do it justice to try to explain it. "The Sleepy Strange" is my favorite of their albums. Lanterna also does really good instrumental stuff.
With Lost being in its last season, if Fringe hadn't been renewed for next year, I would have smashed your graphing calculator with you.
But Fox must have felt guilty about Dollhouse and had pity on me.
The three best instrumental albums are:
The Lord of the Rings Soundtrack (from The Fellowship of the Ring)
Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd
any Sigur Ros album (), takk... [OK technically they sing, but it's icelandic and I don't know many people who speak that so just think of the voice as another instrument]
Walter Bishop is Denethor?
I am never going to be able to watch LOTR ever again. Having Dominic Monaghan throws me off enough as it is...
The thing I don't understand is why you're even using a graphing calculator. I didn't use one in high school until much later than algebra.
Next to Lost, Burn Notice is the best thing on TV.
Mark, Dollhouse was often getting below a 1.0 in the ratings in the target demographic and just barely over 1.0 overall. Fringe does around a 2.5 and 7.0. Not sure if Fox thinks that is *great* but it's definitely nowhere close to the Dollhouse danger zone.
Really as much as I love Joss and Dollhouse a show that does below a 1.0 in the target demographic is pathetic. At that point it is being beaten by ABC Family shows in the ratings. (Although to be fair Fox DID just renew 'Til Death which got a 0.6 in the target demographic last week so what's up with that?)
Loved the Derek Roy remark. My chuckle for the day.
Chuck Mangione is always great to listen to.
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