• You Are Here

    ‘LOST’ in thoughts of quiet desperation

    January 26, 2014 / 4 Comments

    “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” –Henry David Thoreau

    M and I recently started binge-watching the series “Lost.”

    I saw the first season when it originally aired, and I enjoyed it muchly. Then when work and life intruded, I decided to wait until the entire series was available online to view the rest.

    Back in 2004, I was very taken by the writers’ use of literary symbolism — the white rabbit, the floating Ophelia doll. Now I’m struck by the way the characters are drawn, and how they all seem to live lives of quiet desperation.

    I don’t live this way.

    Yes, my life is perhaps quieter than it used to be. I enjoy the silent solitude of night more than the loud rumblings of the day. And yes, I’ve had my share of troubles and tragedies, illnesses and dramas. Yet overall I feel neither quiet nor desperate. I remember the past. I do my best to live in the moment. I plan for a future, in the hopes that I will be there to meet it.

    How are you living?

  • My top 10 favs of 2013: A year spent reading and watching some truly fantastic stuff

    December 11, 2013 / No Comments

    MY FAVORITE BOOKS
     

    1. “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern
    2. “N0S4A2” by Joe Hill
    3. “Doctor Sleep” by Stephen King
    4. “Drama” by John Lithgow
    5. “Letters From Skye” by Jessica Brockmole
    6. “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” by Neil Gaiman
    7. “Front Row at the White House: My Life and Times” by Helen Thomas
    8. “The Intercept” by Dick Wolf
    9. “The Letter: My Journey Through Love, Loss and Life” by Marie Tillman
    10. “Dead Harvest” by Chris F. Holm

    (Honorable mentions: “Extremis” (The Last Assassin) by Barry Eisler, “The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family” by Josh Hanagarne, “Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public” by Helen Thomas, “Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind Myths, Tales and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to its Kids” by Ken Jennings, “Vermont Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff” by Robert Forrest Wilson, “The Letters of E.B. White, Revised Edition” by E.B. White, “The Wrong Goodbye” by Chris F. Holm and “The Big Reap” by Chris F. Holm)

    MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS
     

    1. NCIS
    2. Supernatural
    3. America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Country
    4. Leverage
    5. The Good Wife
    6. Scandal
    7. Grimm
    8. Castle
    9. Burn Notice
    10. Chuck

    (Honorable mentions: House of Cards, Once Upon A Time, Gray’s Anatomy, Haven, The Following, Revenge and Sleepy Hollow)

     

    MY FAVORITE MOVIES
     

    1. The Butler
    2. We Bought A Zoo
    3. Gravity
    4. Ironman 3
    5. Zero Dark Thirty
    6. Quartet
    7. The Company You Keep
    8. World War Z
    9. Now You See Me
    10. Beautiful Creatures

    (Honorable mentions: Warm Bodies, Monsters University, Last Vegas, Thor: The Dark World and Red 2)

  • The Week in Pop Culture

    January 21, 2013 / No Comments

    (Snagged from Whitney Matheson of USA Today)

    Best TV show I saw: “The Good Wife.” The “Live From Damascus” episode in season 3, about a class action suit against a software company that helped the Syrian government locate, torture and kill protesers, was particularly compelling.

    I also enjoyed: “Criminal Minds.” The “Normal” episode in season 4, about a serial killer who is shooting blonde women as they drive along freeways in Southern California, featured a great performance by the always aesome Mitch Pileggi.

    Best movie I saw: “Zero Dark Thirty.” Can’t say I really “enjoyed” the movie, but it felt fairly authentic. As for the famous torture scenes, I believe they were filmed in a way that wasn’t particularly entertaining or sensationalistic. In fact, I expected the scenes to be even more graphic.

    I also saw: “The Silver Linings Playbook.” I’m pretty sure I was the only person in the theater who didn’t care for the movie. Normally I love a good romantic dramedy, however in this case, I felt the hero and heroine lacked chemistry. Nor did I believe that if they got together, they would last. Worst of all, I couldn’t connect with ANY of the characters in an emotional way.

    Best thing I read: “It’s Been a Good Life” by Janet and Isaac Asimov. I’m about 30% done, and already I find myself wishing he was still around. He would’ve made a great interview.

    I also read: “Death Notice,” the first book in the Kat Campbell series, by Todd Ritter. I’ve been waiting for two years to read this novel because it featured a killer who sent a death notice to the local newspaper’s obituary writer (before the murder actually occurred). Unfortunately, I found the story to be formulaic, and the characters too stereotypical.

    My current desktop picture:

    dtp012113